Family Meal Planning

What you will be able to do

• use the four food groups in New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines to plan balanced family meals for the week ahead.
• explain how salt, sugar and milk advice differs for younger children, school-age children and adults.
• cook one main meal and adapt it for a toddler, a fussy eater and the adults at the table.
• turn a weekly plan into a shopping list organised by supermarket aisle and use the Health Star Rating and the Nutrition Information Panel to compare products.
• plan a batch-cook session and store, freeze and reheat food safely in line with New Zealand Food Safety advice.
• track your weekly food spend 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 New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines work as a template for children and adults at the same table.

   • Why planning helps a busy family
   • New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines 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, lunchboxes, snacks and drinks that fit together.

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

   Family Meal Planner

3. 3One meal for everyone

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

   • Cook once, adapt at the end
   • Toddlers, fussy 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 organised by aisle, compare products quickly with the Health Star Rating and the Nutrition Information Panel, and keep a pantry and freezer that rescue busy nights.

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

   Family Shopping List (by aisle)

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 the food support you may be able to get, 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, fussy eaters and adults.
• ListFamily Shopping List (by aisle)A ready-made shopping list grouped by supermarket aisle 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 takeaways and ready meals.