Meal Planning is a great way to save time and money, but it can also help you to add variety to your diet. Here’s a look at a typical winter meal plan in our house, with a focus on cheap, warming family dinners.
I meal plan every week. It makes life easier, and I find that it’s the best way to make sure we don’t eat the same things every single week, which is an easy habit to fall into.
I also find that having a winter meal plan in place means that I’ve got something to look forward to and that I can organise my evenings more efficiently. For example, I know that with driving to swimming lessons some days, I won’t have as much time to cook, so I plan an easier dinner.
It can also be really useful in the school holidays.
This post features a sample of a winter meal plan that we might use. I’ve tried to fill it with warming, but fairly budget-friendly dinners that my family absolutely love.
Benefits of Warming Meals in Winter
I’m actually not someone who eats particularly seasonally.
I’ll eat ice cream when it’s cold and soup when it’s hot. I eat what I fancy. But I will admit that I tend to fancy big, filling meals like stews and casseroles more in the winter when it’s cold outside.
Meals like this warm you up, bring you comfort and boost your energy levels. They also warm your house up and make it smell great, which is super comforting.
If you are looking for a clean eating meal plan this might not be it!
How Meal Planning Helps You to Save Money
This year, perhaps more than ever, most families are looking for ways to save cash and meal plans can help.
Meal planning is actually one of the best ways to do it. It helps you to plan your shopping so that you don’t spend more than you need to.
It also gives you a chance to spot places where you might be spending too much (lots of lamb!) or where you can turn leftovers into another meal to save some cash. I’ve recently heard the term “nextovers” to describe turning your leftovers into something else instead of just warming the same thing up again.
Whatever you call these meals, they are a great way to save cash, and meal planning makes repurposing food easier.
Meal Planning Breakfast and Lunch
On the printable or clickable samples, I’ve included breakfast and lunch.
These are largely just for some ideas. I don’t tend to meal plan for these, but we work from home, and I hate eating the same cereal or sandwiches every day, so these are some of the things that I might eat.
If you do want to try meal planning for all of your meals, it could be a great way to save more time and money. I just find that for these meals I like to be a bit more spontaneous and eat what I fancy, and because we work from home, we don’t have a problem avoiding waste and using things up.
Monday – A Focus on Leftovers
We love a Sunday roast. Which means there’s always plenty left over.
For this winter meal plan, I’ve assumed there was roast chicken and vegetables the day before.
For lunch, I might use things like potatoes, Brussel sprouts, carrots and other veg in something like hash or bubble and squeak, and then for dinner a super simple leftover pasta to use up all the yummy meat.
With different meats, you could also make something like beef stroganoff, lamb curry or pork fried rice, and leftover potatoes make great patatas bravas.
Tuesday – Go Meat Free
I know meat free Monday is very popular. But in our house Monday is often a leftover, or nextovers, day. So, we often have meat-free Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead.
We’re also fans of a Mexican day, with burritos, tacos, and enchiladas always popular.
For this meal plan, I’ve included a meat-free five-bean chilli, one of my favourite vegetarian recipes and a super healthy winter meal. It’s delicious, easy, nutritious, and incredibly cheap.
I always keep tins of beans in, to make easy meals like this, but also to bulk other dishes out. They are a great way to save money and add extra fibre to your diet.
Wednesday – Repurposing
Any leftover bean chilli can easily be turned into burritos with some fresh rice, dips and wraps. We typically serve this with salad and add more beans if there’s not much left to work with.
Thursday – Easy Midweek Dinner
Thursday is busy for us with after-school classes, pick-ups and drop-offs. So, I need something easy and fast.
A traybake is ideal. This Peri-Peri traybake is so simple, just using a store-bought seasoning. You can switch the veg to anything you like, and the mini fillets cook quickly and are easy for kids to eat.
Pork chops make a great option on traybakes too.
Friday – A Hearty Favourite
Beef Goulash is a lovely, hearty dinner. I make fresh bread to serve with it, but potatoes would be great too.
A long cook time means that you can use cheap diced beef and it will still be soft and tender when it’s finished.
Saturday – Warming and Cheap
Another casserole on Saturday!
Saturdays are busy too, but I love all coming together for a yummy dinner. Sausage and beer casserole is hearty, cheap, and incredibly tasty.
Sunday – A Family Roast
We like to have a fun breakfast like pancakes on Sunday, and then a roast dinner later in the day. We don’t always have an evening meal if we’ve had a roast for lunch, but just have sandwiches or picky bits.
You can get all of these recipes by clicking the links in the PDF below, you can also download and print it, and there’s a blank version if you prefer to write your own plan.
