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Using a weekly Family Meal Plan takes the drama out of midweek dinners. Stay balanced, save money and save your sanity!

Cover image for meal plan 3.

This is the 3rd weekly meal plan I will be sharing on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and so many of you asked for all of the info in one place, so here it is.

Watch out for the videos of each recipe coming each night this week, so you can cook along.

For reference, I shopped for this Meal Plan in April 2022 at Tesco and it cost £34.94.

Why use a weekly food planner?

⭐️ Knowing exactly what food to buy for avoids food waste, saving you money.

⭐️ Having a plan for dinner avoids the mental load of “what’s for dinner?” question every night.

The printable shopping list can be found here.

You can find more of my Weekly Meal Plans here:

Meal Plan 2 – £33 from Aldi
Meal Plan 1 – £35 from Aldi
Meal Plan 23 – 5 dinners under £30


Some tips:

➡️ Check for any items on the shopping list that you already have in your cupboard.

➡️ Maybe think about doubling up and freezing a recipe or two where the recipes are suitable, so save cooking another day or for the weekend.

➡️ Remove ingredients for any meals that you don’t want to cook.

➡️ The shopping list includes the cheapest version of each ingredient. Obviously if you want to buy lower fat mince or free range etc, that’s personal choice.

➡️ All of the recipes are to serve 4, so if you’re cooking for 2, simply halve the ingredients.


Weekly Meal Ideas: The Recipes

Dinner 1

⭐️ I’ve included two portions of vegetables in each serving of this so it is a complete meal. From your shopping list, you will have a spare half a bag of potatoes, so you could make homemade oven chips to go with them if you fancy?

⭐️ I served with extra yoghurt on the side.

Chicken Quesadillas cut into squares with lime and salsa.
5 from 39 votes

GIANT Baked Chicken Quesadilla {One Pan}

These Chicken Quesadillas are a really easy midweek standby recipe. Quick, affordable and everyone loves them! Bake them in the oven on a single sheet pan instead of standing over a hot pan.
View Recipe

Dinner 2

⭐️ Serve with a chopped salad made with lettuce, cress and a quarter of the cucumber.

⭐️ I used 200g of soft cheese instead of 250g as stated in the recipe as this was the pack size in Tesco. I used the cheddar cheese from the shopping list instead of buying parmesan, but add this to your shopping list if you prefer.

⭐️ Omit the fresh basil unless you have some handy!

One pan full of pasta, sausage and pepper for the perfect creamy pasta dish.
4.92 from 196 votes

Creamy Sausage Pasta

This Creamy Sausage Pasta is a quick and easy one pot recipe. It makes a brilliant midweek dinner, where the pasta is cooked in a super tasty the sauce, all in a single pan. 
View Recipe

Dinner 3

⭐️ I replaced the curry paste in the recipe with 4 tsp of curry powder. 

⭐️ Paneer from this supermarket comes in 200g pack sizes, so I bought two, this is slightly less than the recipe states but will still make eight good-sized kebabs.

⭐️ Use 4 of the peppers and 2 or 3 red onions instead of the 6 peppers mentioned in the recipe.

⭐️ Serve with naan breads and cucumber salad. Warm the naan breads according to the pack instructions. Make a salad by chopping three quarters of the cucumber, 2 tomatoes, 200g yoghurt and a 2 tsp of mint sauce.

Paneer tikka kebabs with peppers and tandoori spices
4.92 from 23 votes

Paneer Tikka

A simple version of this classic Indian vegetarian cheese dish.
View Recipe

Dinner 4

⭐️ I added the pack of cherry tomatoes to this recipe five minutes before the end of the cooking time to increase the vegetable portions.

⭐️ I also used the cheddar cheese from our shopping instead of parmesan.

Baked Risotto recipe with bacon and cheese and peas, all in a big pan.
4.96 from 74 votes

Oven Baked Risotto {with Bacon and Cheese}

This is an easy Oven Baked Bacon and Cheese Risotto recipe with no stirring and super tasting, created using store cupboard staples. A brilliant family dinner favourite. 
View Recipe

Dinner 5

⭐️ I left out the breadcrumbs in the recipe.

⭐️ Use the pack of fish pie mix plus both packs of prawns instead of the ratios used in the recipe (the amount is the same, but it was cheaper this way).

⭐️ I served with more of the peas from the shopping budget and also steamed broccoli.

Weekly meal plan recipe for fish pie.
4.94 from 61 votes

Easy Fish Pie

This Easy Fish Pie recipe with delicious cheesy mash topping is the ultimate comfort food. It has a really simple sauce, involves no pre-cooking the fish, just assemble for a delicious, hearty favourite.
View Recipe

Quick reminder, the printable shopping list can be found here.

If you’ve found this useful, let’s be friends on Instagram @tamingtwins

new cookbook!

Featuring 100 delicious recipes that can be cooked in one pot, you can open any page in this book and find something that will give you not only a meal that the whole family will eat and enjoy, but also one that makes your life a little simpler in the process.

More Recipes

Sarah Rossi founder of TamingTwins.com and author of 'What's for Dinner?' books.

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Sarah. I help busy people decide 'What's for Dinner?' Find hundreds of recipes here, and also in my bestselling recipe book. Hope my recipes make your life easier ❤️

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