I LOVE meal planning! Meal planning is the best way to ensure your family is eating healthier meals, without going broke! If you don’t have time to plan your own meals, check out ours. To help plan your meals, we’ve got over 150 free meal plans on our archives page, or we have the meal plans we use each week for our family with pictures, recipes, and a shopping list at My Healthy Meal Plans.
Here are some menu ideas that help us make ours quick and easy!
| Breakfast | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | |
| Monday | Muffins and Fruit | Sandwiches | Fruit | Mexican |
| Tuesday | Eggs | Green salads | Fruit and Dairy | Italian |
| Wednesday | Oatmeal | Wraps | Vegetables | Chinese |
| Thursday | Pancakes/ waffles | Pasta | Grains | Fish Night |
| Friday | Smoothies | Soup | Fruits or veggies and nuts | Crockpot Meal |
How do you keep meal planning simple and quick?
I have two methods of meal planning.
- First is I make a list of 30 meals I know my kids will eat, and then modify the recipe to a healthier version. Generally, most families will eat the same 30 meals over and over. My kids helped with making the list, as should yours. Make this list personal to your family. Once you have your list, simply assign them a day during the month. The next month, mix it up.
- The other way is to get ONE cookbook, or one website, and plan all your meals from that book. That way, you aren’t overwhelmed by the options of 20 cookbooks on your table. Plus when you go to make the meal, you will remember where you saw the recipe!
Why do you plan a salad or other fruits and vegetables at every meal? 50% of our diet (kids included) should come from fruits and vegetables! A plant based diet not only ensures your kids are getting the proper nutrients necessary to grow, but also contributes to
- disease prevention,
- better behavior,
- more energy,
- better skin,
- better academic performance, and
- HAPPIER CHILDREN! The younger you teach this to your kids, the more likely they will adopt these behaviors for LIFE.
RESOURCES
- For a tool to remind you and your kids to add more fruits and vegetables to your meals, use the Healthy habits plate.
- Visit the Recipe Page for help with making your list of favorite meals.
- Visit the Free Meal Plan Archives to see one’s our family has made, or the full access healthy meal planning site.
- For a less structured approach, here is a template for meal planning:
We have a new Printable Meal Planning chart! Get yours here!
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