In the course of a day, I hope to give all the people I feed a good balance of fruits, veggies and healthy grains. You might notice the words "cheese" and "yogurt" on the menu in a few places. That is actual cheese and yogurt, not some soy or vegan substitute. I still feed some dairy, eggs and even meat to my family and child care kids, but I do not eat it. I would classify my family members more as vegetarian than vegan, and I'm okay with that since I can control the amount of fatty foods and animal-based foods they eat.
I created this meal plan early this morning. I only had a few of the necessary ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry--I had what I needed for chili, some crackers, and I have the basic flours, cornmeal, and spices. So I packed up five kids and headed to the store. (And you thought I was crazy for going vegan!) You will see that I intend to stop at the grocery store mid-week for fresh fruits and veggies which will cost a little. But so far for the 7-day plan, I spent $95.52 at my local, small-town grocery store. I bought six "green" bags full of groceries, plus the milks. These are ingredients that you can find most anywhere--no specialty shops or stopping at different stores.
I think the planning and notes section of the chart is very important. If I am disciplined enough to follow my plan, I save money and everyone eats healthier. It's when I get lazy and don't follow it that we end up with fast food or something quick from the freezer. Yes, I keep quick stuff in the freezer. I do that so I have an out just for those days that life doesn't go exactly as planned. I'm sure you never have those days, but we have them here fairly often. The bottom (empty) row is left for notes throughout the week. I print this plan off and keep it on the refrigerator, and then write on it as we run out of an ingredient like lemons or basil. I also keep track there of the days that my son takes lunch to school so we don't forget. Sometimes we'll have an idea during the week of something that sounds good to add to a meal plan in the future, so I keep notes and file them away.
A number of the suppers are or can be made gluten-free as well.
This isn't every week, just the next seven days. But it gives you an idea of how I feed my kids and family. If you have any questions about the plan or want a particular recipe, just let me know.
Date | Morning Snack | Lunch | Afternoon Snack | Supper | Plan/Notes |
Thurs., Apr. 28 | Wheat crackers with cheese | PB & J on cracked wheat Carrots Strawberries, peaches & blueberries | Oyster Cracker Snackers | Shepherd’s Pie Cantaloupe and Grapes in a fruit cup with spiced pecans | |
Fri., Apr. 29 | Yogurt and Blueberries | Veggie Stew Mashed tators Fruit Cup | Kettle Corn | Dad and Kids: Pizza and veggie dippers Mom: out | |
Sat., Apr. 30 | (Brunch) Orange Pancakes | Italian pasta salad Cheese bread Strawberries and Bananas | Chips with pico, salsa, or guacamole | Stuffed sweet potatoes Steamed broccoli Pasta salad | Purchase: olive oil, miso, lettuce, cabbage, bagels, mangoes, tomatoes, bananas, avocados |
Sun., May 1 | Donuts at church | Miso soup Salad rolls | Apples | Popcorn Veggie dippers Fresh fruit | |
Mon., May 2 | Nilla Wafers Smoothies | Tomato cabbage soup Biscuits (kids make) Mixed veggies | Bananas w/P.B. | Chili Fritos Guacamole salad | Soak beans |
Tues., May 3 | Bagels with jam | Chili Corn bread muffins Peaches | Rice pudding Mango slices | Baked potato bar Bean soup | |
Wed., May 4 | Dried fruit/granola mix | Bean soup Salad Grilled cheese sandwich | Use up any leftover crackers, fruit, etc. | Jambalaya Fried zucchini and mushrooms | |
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