Monday Menu Plan

I was never a menu planner. I tend to cook in bulk to save time, electricity and money so when I was working I'd just pulled a meal out of the freezer the night before and cook some rice / pasta / veges to go with it.

Now I'm on maternity leave I still bulk cook but feeding a fussy 3.5 year old and baby-led weaning an 8 month old who eats like a horse I like to plan a little more to ensure we can all eat the same dinner.

I base my menu plan and grocery list around what we already have in the house that needs using up first (the remaining veges from last week for example) which reduces food waste and saves money as well.

I'm also trying to reduce our reliance on meat as the main component of our dinners because, frankly it's better for our health, wallet and the environment. I'm trialling a meat-free Monday. We aren't dedicated health nuts by any stretch of the imagination. However, wherever possible, I bulk out our meals with extra veges, lentils or beans; pureed if necessary to hide them from the kids!

So with that in mind, here's our dinner plan for the week:

Meat free Monday - Vegetarian Lasagne and salad
Tuesday - Chicken breast, sweet potato mash, broccoli, corn on the cob, carrots & gravy
Wednesday - Ham, cheese & spinach crust less quiche with salad
Thursday - Pumpkin, spinach & chicken "risotto"
Friday - Healthier "mac & cheese" with tuna, pumpkin, spinach, peas & corn
Saturday - Spaghetti bolognaise with hidden veg and lentils
Sunday - Home made pizza (bub will have something else this night)

Our breakfasts during the week are generally porridge, weet-bix or toast.

Lunches will be soup & toast, corn fritters and leftovers.