Each week, to help our readers with their meal planning, we invite an FBC member to put together a weekly menu plan based on recipes from their blog that includes a week’s worth of dinners from Sunday to Saturday. We include a printable shopping list so you can get everything you need and be ready to cook. And you’ll get introduced to some new recipes and meet some great new Canadian food blogs!
Juggling busy work and kid's schedules and different dietary requirements for family members can make meal planning a challenge. But Michelle at The Tiffin Box takes it all in stride with her menu planning, adding some Indian flair to her meals (be sure to check out Michelle's Spice Box column on FBC!).
My husband and daughter both don’t eat meat (my husband eats seafood, but my daughter is pure vegetarian), so meal planning usually revolves around them both, with the odd meat dish to satisfy my cravings. I am a European-style shopper, and I rarely do weekly shops, preferring to pick up whatever I need when I need it. Saturdays tend to be farmer’s market days, so I will pick up a selection of vegetables and meat, and plan around my purchases for the week.
Rice is the staple carbohydrate around the house, however, if I am making potatoes, I will change it up and make some quinoa or couscous too. Bonus, quinoa is a healthy protein for my girl.
Monday
Monday is always crazy in our house. I am almost always at work, and between that and school, I like to keep dinner as simple as I possibly can. These prawns work brilliantly, and I serve them with rice and another simple vegetable dish, Beet Green Fugath.
Tuesday
Homemade Haagen Daz Style Praline and Cream Ice Cream
Tuesdays are recipe development and testing days, so most days we will eat whatever I’ve been testing. If I am working on a meat dish, I will throw together another vegetarian main course. This potato avial is a great standby when I want to make a vegetarian dish, and I can vary the vegetables to suit my farmer’s market purchases.
Wednesday
Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Pulao
I am back in the office on Wednesday, so I keep it easy again. This egg dish is creamy and lightly spiced, so my daughter won’t fuss too much. The mushroom pulao is a variation of our usual rice. I make a lot of dal too, so we can take dal and pulao as lunch the next day.
Thursday
Fresh Pasta with Sundried Tomato and Olive Pesto
Back at work again, but it’s early leaving day, so I have time to play a little. I love making my own pasta, so I make this simple fresh pasta with sun dried tomato and olive pesto. I make a lot of pesto, so I can also use it to top Friday night pizzas.
Friday
Writing at home day, aka, enjoying my time alone in the kitchen day. I make fresh pizza dough, and we all love making our own pizzas. This tandoori prawn pizza is my own favourite fusion pizza, and I love all it’s contrasting flavours. If it’s summer, the pizzas go straight on the grill, and this Pizza Bianca with Grilled Rosemary Rubbed Turkey Fillet, Shiitake Mushrooms and Truffle Oilis amazing.
Saturday
Farmer’s market and Meat-for-Michelle day. I pick up some meat and veg from the market. As I rarely eat meat on weekdays, I can splurge on good, organic meat, and I love making dishes from my childhood. We usually have friends over on Saturdays, so I make Chicken 65 or Butter Chicken or Chicken Mughlai. For dessert, these boozy Pimm’s Cup Popsicles really hit the spot!
Sunday
Indian Spiced Lemony Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
Sunday is use up everything in the fridge day. We eat a combination of leftovers and I try and make something that uses the vegetables I’ve got from the market and something that I can take to work for lunch. This salad ticks all the boxes.
Menu Plan Shopping List
Don’t forget to grab your downloadable shopping list (FBC Meal Plan - The Tiffin Box) that includes all your pantry staples as well as fresh foods and the more unique ingredients!
More Meal Planning Tips & Ideas
Want some great tips to help you plan your own weekly menus? Check out our helpful tips in Meal Planning 101. And for menu planning inspiration, browse our entire meal plan archives.
Michelle is a food writer, recipe developer and photographer, and writes for The Tiffin Box. She loves developing original recipes influenced by her family and her East Indian, British and Canadian background, all with a strong focus on using fresh, local and sustainable ingredients. She also works as the managing editor for the Canadian Journal of Sociology where she indulges her nitpicky, grammar obsessed side
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