How to make a weekly meal plan

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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.

Read more food storage tips here.

 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.  

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Three-week meal plan

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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

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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	Carrot sticks
  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	Handful of nuts
  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

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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	Cheese on crackers
  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	Chopped apple
  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	Rice cakes
  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	Apple and pear slices with peanut butter
  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	Low-fat yoghurt with nuts
  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	Thin slice of fruit brack
  Lunch	Minestrone soup with wholemeal brown bread. Glass of low fat milk. 2 plums
  Snack	Banana
  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	Glass of low-fat milk
  Lunch	Macaroni cheese. Grapes
  Snack	Small bowl of homemade soup
  Dinner	Vegetable casserole. Stewed apple and yoghurt

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