Plan a Week of Meals
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What you will learn
- 1Check the fridge and pantry before planning meals
- 2Plan seven family dinners with a mix of food groups
- 3Use leftovers on purpose in the plan
- 4Turn a meal plan into a shopping list
- 5Fit the plan to the family schedule, including a cook-together night
Mini Lesson
Every evening someone has to answer the same question: what is for dinner? A meal plan answers it once for the whole week. It saves time, saves money, and means less food goes in the trash. You plan with your grown-up, because they know the family budget and the week ahead. You bring the ideas and the list-writing.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- CHECK FIRST: look in the fridge, the freezer, and the pantry with your grown-up. Write down what needs using up soon, so it goes into the first meals of the week.
- LOOK AT THE WEEK: check the family schedule. A busy night needs a quick meal. A free evening can have a bigger cooking job.
- PLAN THE DINNERS: write one dinner for each day. Remember the balanced plate - vegetables and fruit, grains, protein, and dairy - and aim for a good mix across the week.
- USE LEFTOVERS ON PURPOSE: cook a big meal one night and plan the leftovers for the next day, like roast chicken on Sunday and chicken wraps on Monday.
- MAKE THE SHOPPING LIST: go through each dinner and write down only what you do not already have. Group it by store section, just like a grocery list.
- KEEP A COOK-TOGETHER NIGHT: pick one evening when the family cooks a meal side by side, like homemade pizza.
Your grown-up has the final say on the plan and the groceries. Always ask before you use leftovers - the grown-up checks that they are still good to eat. If anyone in the family has a food allergy, plan around it with your grown-up every time. Any cooking in the plan still happens with a grown-up beside you.
Words to know
meal plan
A list of which meals you will eat on which days.
e.g. Our meal plan says Friday is pizza night.
pantry
A cabinet or shelf where dry and canned food is kept.
e.g. We found two cans of beans in the pantry.
leftovers
Cooked food that was not eaten and is saved for another meal.
e.g. Monday wraps use the leftovers from Sunday.
food groups
Kinds of food, such as vegetables and fruit, grains, protein, and dairy.
e.g. Our week has a good mix of food groups.
shopping list
A list of the things you need to buy at the store.
e.g. I only wrote what we did not have on the shopping list.
schedule
A plan that shows what is happening on each day and at what time.
e.g. The schedule shows Wednesday is a busy night.
💡 Handy Tip: stick the meal plan on the fridge. Then everyone knows what is for dinner, and the person cooking can take food out of the freezer the night before.
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