How to make a meal plan

How to make a weekly meal plan

Planning can really help you have healthy meals and snacks no matter how busy things get.

Planning can help you have healthy meals and snacks no matter how busy things get. Having a meal plan can save time, money and reduce food waste. Just remember to stick to your shopping list.

Here are six steps to making a meal plan:

1. Give yourself time to plan

Set aside time each week to make a meal plan. Think about:

How many meals you need to prepare for the week

When you need to make quick meals or prepare them in advance

2. Check what you have

Check what ingredients you already have in your cupboard, fridge or freezer. Check the ‘use-by’ dates of foods to see what you need to use up first, start by planning your meals around this. Read more shopping tips here

The way you store food has a big impact on how long it lasts. Follow these tips:

Check the label for advice on how to store food.
Put new items to the back, and older items to the front of the fridge/cupboard.
Label all foods with the name and the date before freezing so they can be easily identified.

3. Include some of your favourite meals

Make a go-to list of meals that you enjoy
Introduce new recipes when you have extra time
Think about having a themed night, like Meatless Monday for example.

4. Use up your leftovers

Plan meals that can be refrigerated and heated up or eaten cold the next day such as pasta bake, soup, shepherd’s pie, curry, lasagne or beef stew.
Use leftover vegetables in an omelette, soup or salad, or add leftover meat to a curry or stir-fry.
Remember leftovers stored in the fridge must be used within three days.

5. Cook in bulk

Cook extra and refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. Pies, curries, stews and casseroles all freeze well.
If you are using the oven, think about what else you can cook at the same time. If you are doing a casserole, you could cook some chicken breasts to go in sandwiches.

6. Make your ingredients work

Choose recipes that use the same key ingredients such as roast chicken, chicken stir fry and chicken sandwiches
Pick 2-3 main vegetables and add them to a meat, pasta or fish dish. For example, peppers, broccoli and sweetcorn can be added to a beef stir-fry but can also be used to make a vegetable pasta bake or served with meat or fish.

New to meal planning? Here's a three-week plan to get you started.

Three-week meal plan

Week 1

Monday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1 or 2 cereal wheat biscuits with low-fat fortified (added vitamins) milk. Add some fruit like berries/banana/raisins for variety
Snack	Low-fat yogurt
Lunch	2 slices of wholemeal bread with a low-fat cheese slice and tomato
Snack	Fresh fruit
Dinner	Shepherd’s pie with sweetcorn and green beans

Tuesday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of cereal oat biscuits with low-fat fortified milk. Add some fruit like berries/banana/raisins for variety
Snack	Orange segments
Lunch	Pitta bread with cooked ham, low-fat mayonnaise, lettuce and cucumber
Snack	1 thin slice of fruit brack or banana bread
Dinner	Lamb curry with vegetables and boiled rice

Wednesday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of oat cereal with a teaspoon of nutmeg or cinnamon
Snack	Banana
Lunch	Tortilla wrap with a slice of chicken, relish and lettuce and a sliced apple
Snack	2 rice cakes
Dinner	Spaghetti bolognaise

Thursday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of flake-type cereal with low-fat fortified milk. Add banana for variety
Snack	Cheese
Lunch	Pasta with tuna, sweetcorn, spring onion and tomato ketchup
Snack	Packet of plain popcorn
Dinner	Baked fish with vegetables and pasta

Friday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of porridge needn’t be boring. Add honey or yogurt
Snack	Carrot sticks
Lunch	Brown roll with mashed hard-boiled egg, lettuce, peppers and tomato
Snack	Cheese on crackers
Dinner	Spaghetti bolognaise

Saturday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	Slice of wholemeal toast with baked beans or scrambled egg
Snack	Low-fat yoghurt
Lunch	1 wholemeal bap with a lean grilled rasher, tomato and avocado
Snack	Small bowl of homemade soup
Dinner	Stir-fried pork with peppers, mushrooms, onions and noodles

Sunday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	Omelette with lots of vegetables
Snack	Chopped apple
Lunch	Cooked rice, lettuce, tomato, low-fat cheese or tuna
Snack	Low-fat yogurt
Dinner	Chicken casserole with vegetables and boiled potatoes

Week 2

Monday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 Cereal Wheat biscuits with low fat fortified milk, banana, glass of water
Snack	Handful of nuts
Lunch	Tortilla wrap with slice of chicken, relish, lettuce and tomato. Pear
Snack	Small low-fat yogurt
Dinner	Chilli con carne with rice and sweetcorn. Glass of low fat milk

Tuesday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of porridge with low fat fortified milk. Add a teaspoon of nutmeg or cinnamon for variety. 2 plums and a glass of water
Snack	Thin slice of fruit brack
Lunch	Rice salad with tuna. Small yoghurt and cucumber sticks.
Snack	Glass of low fat milk
Dinner	Spanish omelette with tomato salad. Glass of low fat milk

Wednesday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with jam or marmalade. An orange. Water
Snack	Cherry tomatoes
Lunch	1 wholemeal bap with ham & fow fat mayonaisse. Small yoghurt
Snack	2 rice cakes
Dinner	Pasta and salmon bake with mixed green salad. Glass fruit juice

Thursday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with baked beans or scrambled egg and small glass of fruit juice. Small yoghurt
Snack	Small bag of popcorn
Lunch	2 slices of wholemeal bread with slice of low fat cheese and tomato. 2 plums
Snack	Small bag of plain popcorn
Dinner	Vegetable casserole. Small yoghurt

Friday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with baked beans or scrambled egg and small glass of fruit juice. Small yoghurt
Snack	2 rice cakes
Lunch	2 slices of wholemeal bread with some chicken and green salad, 2 kiwis and a small glass of low fat milk
Snack	Sugar free jelly
Dinner	Tuna quick bake with mixed green salad. Melon chunks with yoghurt

Saturday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 cereal wheat biscuits with low fat fortified milk, banana, glass of water
Snack
Lunch	Beans and cheese baked potato. Tinned peaches
Snack	Small bowl of homemade soup
Dinner	Pasta Siciliana with mixed pepper salad. Glass of low fat milk

Sunday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 pancakes with lemon and honey and small glass of fruit juice
Snack
Lunch	Farmhouse vegetable soup and wholemeal brown bread. Small yoghurt & fruit salad
Snack	1 thin slice of fruit brack/banana bread
Dinner	Beef stew and mashed potatoes. Glass of low fat milk. A pear

Week 3

Monday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with jam or marmalade. Glass of low fat milk. Pear
Snack	2 mandarins
Lunch	Wholemeal brown bread, tinned salmon and tomato with mayonaisse. Carrot sticks, small yoghurt
Snack
Dinner	Lasagne with baked potato and mixed green salad. Tinned fruit cocktail

Tuesday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of porridge with low fat fortified milk. Add honey or yoghurt for something new. Banana
Snack	Handful of nuts
Lunch	2 slices wholemeal brown bread, boiled egg, mayonaisse & lettuce. Yoghurt
Snack
Dinner	Vegetable stir-fry with noodles. Glass of low fat milk

Wednesday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with scrambled egg. Pear and small yoghurt
Snack	Carrot sticks
Lunch	Cooked pasta with tuna and sweetcorn. Grapes. Low fat milk
Snack
Dinner	Family fish pie with broccoli and cauliflower. Fruit salad and yoghurt

Thursday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of porridge with low fat fortified milk. Add some fruit like berries/banana/raisins for variety
Snack	A small yoghurt
Lunch	Tortilla wrap with ham and cream cheese and spring onion. Banana
Snack
Dinner	Grilled pork chops with mashed potato and frozen mixed vegetables. 2 plain biscuits

Friday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	A bowl of high fibre breakfast cereal with low fat fortified milk. 2 mandarin oranges
Snack	Sugar free jelly
Lunch	2 slices of wholemeal bread with slice of low fat cheese and tomato. Apple
Snack
Dinner	Chicken and tomato risotto with lettuce, tomato, onion and pepper salad

Saturday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	Omelette with lots of fresh/frozen vegetables and small glass of fruit juice. Small yoghurt
Snack
Lunch	Minestrone soup with wholemeal brown bread. Glass of low fat milk. 2 plums
Snack
Dinner	Homemade beef burgers with homemade oven chips. Low fat milk. Tomato and cucumber salad

Sunday

Meal	Food
Breakfast	1-2 slices of wholemeal toast with beans and small glass of fruit juice
Snack
Lunch	Macaroni cheese. Grapes
Snack
Dinner	Vegetable casserole. Stewed apple and yoghurt

How to read nutrition labels

Kitchen hygiene and food safety