Family Meal Planning

What you will be able to do

• use the Canada's Food Guide plate to plan balanced family meals for the week ahead.
• explain how sodium, sugary drink and milk advice differs for younger children, school-age children and adults.
• cook one main meal and adapt it for a toddler, a picky eater and the adults at the table.
• turn a weekly plan into a shopping list organized by grocery store section and use the Nutrition Facts table and the "High in" symbol to compare products.
• plan a batch-cooking session and store, freeze and reheat food safely in line with Health Canada food safety advice.
• track your weekly food spending and food waste and work out the cost per portion of your regular meals.
• keep the routine going on busy weeks with back-up meals and a rotating 4-week menu.

1. 1What a family plate looks like

   Why a simple weekly plan saves time, money and arguments, and how the Canada's Food Guide plate works as a template for children and adults at the same table.

   • Why planning helps a busy family
   • Canada's Food Guide plate as your family template
   • One table, different ages

   Family Meal Planner

2. 2Building your weekly plan

   A simple 20-minute routine for planning the week, plus how to choose main meals, breakfasts, packed lunches, snacks and drinks that fit together.

   • A 20-minute weekly planning routine
   • Building balanced main meals everyone will eat
   • Breakfasts, packed lunches, snacks and drinks

   Family Meal Planner

3. 3One meal for everyone

   How to cook one family meal and adapt it for babies, toddlers, picky eaters, teenagers and adults, and how to manage allergies and different diets in one home.

   • Cook once, adapt at the end
   • Toddlers, picky eaters and teenagers at the same table
   • Allergies, vegetarians and other needs under one roof

   One-Meal-for-All Adaptation GuideFamily Meal Planner

4. 4Shopping smart

   Turn your plan into a shopping list organized by store section, compare products quickly with the Nutrition Facts table and the "High in" symbol, and keep a pantry and freezer that rescue busy nights.

   • Turning your plan into a shopping list
   • Reading labels fast in the grocery store
   • Pantry and freezer staples

   Family Shopping List (by store section)

5. 5Batch cooking and food safety

   Plan a batch-cook session that feeds the family on busy nights, store, freeze and reheat food safely, and get children involved in the kitchen.

   • Planning a batch-cook session
   • Storing, freezing and reheating safely
   • Getting children cooking

   Batch-Cook PlanOne-Meal-for-All Adaptation Guide

6. 6Budget, waste and keeping it going

   Feed the family well for less, track what you spend and waste, find out about food programs in your area, and keep the planning habit going.

   • Feeding the family well on a budget
   • Tracking spending and cutting food waste
   • When the plan falls apart, and keeping it going

   Food Budget TrackerCost-per-Meal CalculatorBatch-Cook Plan

• PlannerFamily Meal PlannerPlan a full week of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for the whole family on one page.
• CardsOne-Meal-for-All Adaptation GuidePrintable cards showing how to cook one family meal and adapt it at the end for babies, toddlers, picky eaters and adults.
• ListFamily Shopping List (by store section)A ready-made shopping list grouped by grocery store section that you edit each week from your meal plan.
• PlannerBatch-Cook PlanPlan one batch-cook session a week, what it makes, where each portion is stored and which meals it turns into.
• TrackerFood Budget TrackerRecord what you spend on food each day for 4 weeks, how many meals you cook at home and how much food gets thrown away.
• CalculatorCost-per-Meal CalculatorWork out what one portion of a family meal costs so you can compare home-cooked meals with takeout and frozen meals.