HOW TO MEAL PLAN | SIMPLE RECIPES FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR

grocery haul of bananas apples salad broccoli pasta tomato sauce coffee lemons lemonade carrots salad pomegranates macaroni and cheese bread for meal planning for one week breakfast lunch and dinner for a family of four on a budget of $200

I’ve gotten lots of requests to do a grocery shopping haul on my YouTube channel, so I just posted that video, but wanted to include the layout and recipes for how I meal plan with the coordinating recipes for one week for a family of four. I figure there will be two meals we either eat leftovers or get takeout, but so there are 5 days of dinners and 7 days of breakfasts and lunches are all at home. I work from home, so all these meals and recipes are very simple and fast since we’re always so busy. The full grocery shopping list is at the bottom in case you want to duplicate this meal plan for your family. FYI: I know sales/prices can vary based on produce and whether or not you buy organic, but this entire list was just under $200, and I always get organic dairy products and other organic options as much as I can.

Watch my meal planning video on YouTube here:

BREAKFAST

I am not a morning person, so breakfast in our home is very fast and simple. The kids get their choice of carb, with fruit or yogurt and milk. My husband, Adam, and I enjoy coffee in the mornings, and keep it simple with either toast and peanut butter or sometimes I’ll make fruit and oatmeal. 

Here are the carb options for the kids:

  • Muffins
  • Eggo French Toast
  • Eggo Pancakes
  • Eggo Waffles
  • Wheat Toast
  • Cereal
  • Oatmeal

Fruit + Yogurt options:

  • Bananas
  • Strawberries
  • Raspberries
  • Apples
  • Pomegranate 
  • Fruit + Veggie pouch (for on the go)
  • Yogurt pouch (for on the go)
  • Note: I’ll change up the fruit depending on the season and sales, but these are what I got this week!

LUNCH

Since being pregnant, I realized I function much better when I eat small snacks throughout the day. Our kids like to snack a lot too, so these lunch options are more geared toward the kids. Adam will be at work and do lunch on his own, so when I’m home I usually snack on fruits, cheese sticks, protein bars, yogurt with granola, or occasionally have soup. 

Kids’ Lunches:

  • Mac and cheese
  • Grilled Cheese
  • PJB or Sunflower butter and Jelly Sandwich
  • Quesadillas
  • Soup

Sides:

  • Fruit or Yogurt listed above
  • Broccoli
  • Carrot Sticks
  • Goldfish

 

DINNER

Chili:  

  • 1 lbs ground turkey/beef
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 can chili beans
  • 1 packet McCormick Organic chili powder
  • 1TBSP chopped garlic  
  • Cook for 4-6 hours on high in the slow cooker. Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. 

Chicken Alfredo + Fettuccini:

  • 1 lbs chicken breast
  • 1 jar garlic basil Alfredo sauce
  • 1 TBSP chopped garlic
  • Cook for 4-6 hours on high in the slow cooker. Serve over fettuccini topped with mozzarella cheese. 

Red Sauce + Rigatoni:

  • 2 jars tomato sauce
  • 1 lbs ground turkey/beef
  • 1 TBSP chopped garlic
  • Cook for 4-6 hours on high in the slow cooker. Serve over rigatoni, topped with mozzarella cheese. 

Burgers + Salad:

  • 1 pack of four 1/4 lbs burgers
  • Hamburger buns
  • Sliced cheese
  • Italian Salad Mix
  • Grill or pan fry burgers (can season with garlic or ranch seasoning for extra flavor). Melt cheese on patties. Serve on buns with side salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. 

Beef w/ Broccoli:

  • 1 lbs beef strips
  • 1 bottle stir fry/terriyaki sauce
  • 1 package broccoli florets
  • 1 TBSP chopped garlic
  • Cook beef and sauce for 4-6 hours on high in slow cooker. Steam broccoli and mix into beef and sauce just before serving. Make a package of beef ramen noodles, drain broth, and serve beef and veggies over ramen. 

 

SHOPPING LIST

  • 5 Apples
  • 5 Bananas
  • 1 pack strawberries
  • 1 pack raspberries
  • 2 packages pomegranate seeds
  • 5 Organic Yogurt Pouches
  • 5 Fruit and Veggie Pouches
  • 1 bag carrot sticks
  • 2 bags broccoli florets
  • 1 bag salad
  • Mini muffins
  • Eggo French Toast
  • Eggo Pancakes
  • Eggo Waffles
  • 1 loaf Wheat bread
  • 1 package burger buns
  • Rice Chex
  • Vanilla Granola
  • Protein Oatmeal
  • Olive Oil Butter
  • Coffee K Cups
  • Vanilla Almond Milk Coffee Creamer
  • 2% Milk
  • Whole Milk
  • Chocolate Milk
  • 4 flavored greek yogurts
  • 3 Luna protein bars
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Mac + Cheese Cups (4 pack)
  • Sliced Cheddar Cheese
  • Peanut Butter
  • Sunflower Butter
  • Grape Jelly
  • Tortillas
  • Soup (I got black bean, chicken quesadilla, and chicken noodle)
  • Shredded Mozarella Cheese
  • Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
  • 3 lbs ground beef/turkey
  • 1 lbs chicken breast
  • 1 lbs beef strips
  • Goldfish Crackers
  • Tortilla Chips
  • 1 bottle teriyaki sauce 
  • 1 package chili seasoning
  • 1 tub chopped garlic
  • 1 jar Alfredo basil sauce
  • 2 jars tomato sauce 
  • 1 can chili beans
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 box rigatoni
  • 1 box fettuccini
  • 1 pack beef ramen

15 comments so far.

15 responses to “HOW TO MEAL PLAN | SIMPLE RECIPES FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR”

  1. Tammy Davis says:

    God bless you and thank you for sharing these recipes and shopping lists with us, I so needed this!!

  2. Monique Morrison says:

    I’m really excited to try your beef and broccoli and chicken alfredo in the crockpot recipes.

  3. CANDACE LYNN HARTMAN says:

    Hi Bri. I love watching your youtube video’s. Thank you for the meal plan….I think we all need inspiration in that area.

  4. Dorothy MacDougall says:

    You are amazing. I don’t know how you do it all. But you do and wit class. On to tomorrow to see what you come up with. As always prayers for Adam and your dad.

  5. Kimberly Curiale says:

    Love these! For breakfast for my son I usually will make a big batch of pancakes and then wrap & freeze them πŸ™‚ it helps just to pull it out the night before then you can either toast it or put in the microwave, easy !

  6. Kari Roberts says:

    Thanks for these slow cooker dinner tips! I watched this video this AM and need to meal plan for the week myself! Will be trying the beef + broccoli (I also love that giant minced garlic jar lol) and the chicken alfredo. I know you use the slow cooker a lot, have you tried using the liners they have for it? I love them but my husband questioned last time if the quality of the meal/flavor goes down a bit with those?

  7. Corinn soro says:

    Hi Bri! You don’t brown your meat before you put it in the crock pot do you?

  8. Yvette says:

    love love love your blog
    your tips are always so helpful ; )

  9. Alexis says:

    More recipes please!

  10. Brooke says:

    I love everything about this post! I am a new mom and am constantly looking for easy but delicious and quick meals! I have been watching your channel for a few months and am hooked! I would love to see more posts like this one! Meal planning is not a strong point of mine!

  11. Samantha says:

    You are awesome!

  12. Alison says:

    Thank you for this Bri, I know it must have taken a lot of time and energy, especially in the midst of Vlogmas! You motivated me to meal plan bc you made it easier

  13. Hannah Barber says:

    Would LOVE if you could do this like weekly πŸ˜€ Or maybe just weekly for 1 month so we have a whole month’s worth of different meals to plan for and cycle in and out. I struggle so much as a busy mom with meal planning and this makes life so easy!! Thanks for sharing.

  14. Betty clementich says:

    Where did you get paint prefect gray from

  15. Tessa says:

    THANKS soo much Brie.. one of my goals this year is to save so planning my meals will definitely help with not buying unnecessary stuff , xxx

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