FAQ
What are Meal Plans?
They are a weekly plan of what you'll eat each day, a week at a time. The ones listed here are all dinners that my family will be eating that week.
Am I supposed to follow it exactly?
Absolutely not! These are designed to be a guide or inspiration and meant to provide a balance of foods between various proteins and a vegetarian night or two. I have a few food intolerances, so I adjust my meal accordingly. Maybe no one in your family likes something listed—swap it for something they do. Maybe something isn’t in season or available where you are, swap away my friend.
What’s the thinking behind the meal plans—is it for weight loss or something else?
I’m not big on counting calories and fat grams or dieting for that matter. If you eat reasonable portions and eat very very little out of a package then you’ll stay at your optimal weight. For real. (Don’t tell the diet companies; they’d lose their clients!) It’s that simple. So the meals are designed to tick all the nutrient boxes … without them, our bodies don’t function properly and we end up with a myriad of issues, including weight gain.
What's up with Pizza Night?
That’s what my family does every Saturday night—we make pizza and watch a recorded Country Calendar or a movie. I add at least three vegetables, but as many as possible (always mushroom, a bit of spinach, olives and capsicum) but toppings vary and I leave it to you.
Sometimes the bases are homemade, sometimes bought. If you’re into cauliflower bases, that’s awesome, make that. Haven’t tried a cauliflower base? Do it sometime! Yet another way to get a veggie in.
Where do I find recipes for all the meals?
If I have developed the recipe, then I’ll link to it and it’ll live under the Recipes page. If it’s one that I’ve found on another site, I link to that. If there isn’t a link, it means I wing it or Google your own.
What’s the benefit of doing weekly meal plans?
There are a lot! For starters, it means you usually only go to the grocery store once per week. (Or do one big shop and then add in at the butcher, the farmer’s market, the green grocer, etc.) Also, by writing out your list for the whole week, you’re apt to spend less money if you stick to the list rather than impulse buy. It also means you can prep your food ahead of time if you know you have a busy evening—get the onions chopped the night before! It also means less food waste. These meal plans also offer a balanced diet. They aren’t fancy, but they are full of nutrients that your body needs to function optimally. And most importantly, they’re homemade.