For our meal plan week 36 we are making three different soups. For us, we are firmly in soup season. They are easy to make, perfect for freezing when nights are busy and we want to pull something out of the freezer and really cook. We highly recommend freezing some of the soups in a couple containers big enough for one meal for your family.
Most of our recipes feed 6-8 so there should be enough leftovers to save. Usually our soups will keep for at least 3 months in the freezer, if kept in well sealing containers and in a deep freeze. This is also great as we try to trim our grocery budget as much as possible. We buy produce in cases or in bulk at the wholesale produce markets when they are on sale. Often they are what are called seconds, ugly produce, or refused large grocery store orders.
For more tips on saving money check out our tips and tricks articles 3 Ways to Save Money and 3 More Tips to Save Money.
Meal Plan Week 36
Monday - Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup
Tuesday - Air Fried Chicken Fingers, Rice, Frozen Peas
Wednesday - Potato Leek Soup
Thursday - Slow Cooker Pulled Pork and Coleslaw
Friday - Ramen with Pork
Saturday - Pizza made with Pulled Pork Leftovers
Sunday - Leg of Lamb, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Meal Plan Week 36 In-Depth and Top Tips
Monday
Meal Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup
This Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup is a super easy soup to make. It can be prepped ahead and put in the fridge to dump into the soup pot for cooking, if needed. We usually make it the day of and while the tomatoes are roasting we are helping the kids with homework.
Brand We Have Found:
Top Tip:
Double this recipe or save the leftovers and freeze them for a quick lunch or dinner later this winter.
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
Start by warming up a thermos by filling it with hot water.
Over medium-high heat, in a pot on the stove bring the roasted tomato garlic soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Pour the warm water out of the thermos and put the hot soup into the container instead. Close the thermos and send it with a gluten free roll and a spoon for lunch.
It is important to make sure the kids can easily open the thermos themselves. The soup should be warm but not too hot so it burns them when they open the thermos, for safety.
Tuesday
Meal Air Fried Chicken Fingers, Rice, Frozen Peas
We don’t have access to ready made chicken fingers that are top 8 free, but if you do and they work for your family use them! We instead make our chicken fingers from boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh strips.
To make the breading - use 1 C of gluten free bread crumbs, ½ teaspoon each thyme and paprika, ¼ teaspoon each salt, onion powder, garlic powder, chilli powder, oregano, and ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper. Put the breading ingredients in a large ziploc. Next, trim the meat and cut it into strips, put them in the large ziploc bag, seal the bag and shake. Make sure they are all covered.
Remove from the bag and spray with a neutral high smoke point oil. Preheat the air fryer and cook at 380F in the air fryer until they reach the internal temp of 165F. Our air fryer takes 25-28 mins when we cook them but we pack it fairly full and over crowd it a bit. Yours may cook quicker or longer. In the oven you can place them in a glass casserole dish that has been oiled. Cook at 400F for 20-30 mins, flip at the halfway point. Always check to make sure they are cooked through.
For ease we will make plain white rice served with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and steamed peas from frozen.
Brand We Have Found:
PlummGood Rice Based Bread Crumbs
Panko ( If using this kind crush the crumbs for a better coating)
Top Tip:
Serve with ketchup, cranberry sauce, or dairy free ranch for the kids. We find our kids eat more when we can let them dip dinner. It is also a great place to make a dip that is approved by your dietitian to help get calories into those kids that need a few extra. Our youngest needs to have dips with everything.
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
We send the chicken fingers cooked but cold from the fridge. The rice is not going to be sent as we don’t like serving rice that isn’t piping hot for food safety reasons. Instead we will put cucumbers and tomato slices in a container with ranch dip that can be used for both the veggies and the chicken strips.
Wednesday
Meal Potato Leek Soup
This dairy free potato and leek soup will make a LOT of meals!!!! Save it and freeze it. It freezes and reheats so well. It is one of those soups that is almost better the next day. To make the prep quicker we buy leeks on sale and when they are the biggest, chop, and clean them. Let them dry and freeze them in 3 C bags in the freezer to make prep super quick. You could also put the chopped onion and garlic in to speed it up further.
Brand We Have Found:
Top Tip:
If making for people who eat chicken, mixing half vegetable and half chicken broth gives the best flavour in this recipe. We serve it at gatherings and always get asked for the recipe and what our secret is. This is the secret.
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
Warm up a thermos by filling it with hot water.
In a pot on the stove over medium-high heat bring the Potato and leek soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Dump the warm water out of the thermos and pour the hot soup into it instead. Seal the thermos and send it with a gluten free roll and a spoon for lunch.
It is important to make sure the kids can open the thermos themselves and that the soup isn’t too hot when they open the thermos, for safety.
Thursday
Meal Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on buns with Coleslaw
This Pulled Pork Recipe one of our favourite slow cooker meals. We definitely don’t use our slow cooker as much as we should. Opting for pork as we can get a nice chunk of pork for a reasonable price however if beef or lamb is preferred you can absolutely use them. We have made this recipe with both.
Serving pulled pork on buns with lots of homemade dill pickles is how we will have this dish. Our vinaigrette coleslaw is going to be on the menu as well. We will opt for either a pre-chopped tricolour bag of cabbage mix or just green cabbage and a carrot we grate, depending on the price.
Brand We Have Found:
Buns
Top Tip:
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
In the lunch the next day we will heat up the pulled pork in a pot on the stove and warm a thermos with warm water. Once the meat is heated, dump the water out of the thermos and place the heated meat in it. Put the lid on and send the thermos with a cut bun in a container. If the kids like pickles send them in a separate container that is inside a sealed bag. Pickles leak a lot in our experience.
The kids can assemble the sandwich on their own or eat them one at a time, depending on their age. Don't forget the fork for the meat.
Friday
Meal Ramen with Pork
We use Lotus Ramen Noodles from Costco. There are two kinds we have seen in stores, one is just the noodles, this is what we buy. They do contain millet, in case that is an issue for you. There are also ones with sauces and those are not Top 8 safe as they often contain soy and/or shellfish. Cook the noodles as per the package instructions.
Toppings, we leave up to each person. We have used cooked green beans, peas, corn or baby corn, pulled pork, seaweed, green onions/scallions, or carrots. You can top it with any toppings you like, traditional or not, depending on what is safe for you.
Brand We Have Found:
If you cannot find Lotus brand rice Ramen noodles, the clear rice vermicelli noodles can be used in place of the other ones.
Top Tip:
We make the broth using this recipe from Killing Thyme. We substitute the soy sauce for coconut aminos in the same quantity. For sesame oil we use a neutral oil like canola, or avocado. Lastly, we skip the sriracha as the kids don’t like the spice.
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
We pack it as we do any leftover soup. Always heated up on the stove as it stays warmer longer. We use a kid sized thermos that is easy for them to open independently and safely. Pre-warming the thermos with warm water is the key to keeping the contents hotter for longer. We heat the Ramen up on the stove in a small pot until boiling. The soup should be warm but not too hot so it burns them when they open the thermos, for safety.
Dump the water from the thermos and fill it with the ramen. Send it with a spoon and chopsticks or a fork.
Saturday
Meal Pizzas with Leftover Pulled Pork
We will be making pizzas and watching Christmas movies. The leftover pulled pork is one of our favourite pizza toppings. We also put on a bit of dairy free cheese, caramelised onions and sweet bell peppers with the pulled pork leftovers.
The crust will either be one we make using our pizza dough recipe or a premade one depending on how pressed for time we are.
Brand We Have Found:
Little Northern Bakehouse ( a plain pizza base)
Judy G Gluten Free (the Plain bases are excellent to take away a lot of work)
Daiya Cheeze Lovers (add your own toppings to this one for an easy dinner)
Top Tip:
Use a barbecue sauce as a pizza sauce for this kind of pizza, for the best results. We use our Root Beer BBQ sauce and slather it on the pizza crust from edge to edge as we would pizza sauce and top with our pork and dairy free cheese.
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
We send the pizza cooked and cold the next day in the lunch boxes. If the kids have access to a microwave they can reheat it. Ours never do. If they are using a microwave, send the pizza in a microwave safe container as putting the pizza on the plate floor of the microwave may pose a risk of cross contact with allergens. The shared microwaves are not cleaned in between uses so they are more likely to be cross contact issues.
Sunday
Meal Leg of Lamb, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
This is one of Rob’s specialities. He uses a Jamie Oliver recipe for leg of lamb similar to this one but without the red wine vinegar and omitting the anchovies as they are fish. The one we use is from the British version of the Ministry of Food which was released under the title Food Revolution in North America. Rob slow roasts it most of the afternoon.
The lamb will be accompanied by mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and gravy. Rob uses Jamie’s method for making the gravy by putting carrots, onions, garlic, and celery under the roast and mashing those and the drippings to make the gravy. He uses a bit of water in the pan whilst roasting to help the drippings from burning. The gravy is made with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour or cornstarch and turns out every time.
The green beans will be steamed in a covered frying pan with a bit of water. When they are bright green with a bit of crisp still in them Rob drains the water and adds a bit of olive oil, fresh garlic, salt and pepper and turns the heat up a smidge. He stirs them to coat them all with oil and cooks them until the garlic is cooked a bit and the beans start to get a bit fried. If the kids aren’t joining us for dinner he uses a splash of chilli infused olive oil and adds a pinch of dried red chillis to add spice to the side dish.
Brand We Have Found:
King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour
Top Tip:
For tips on how to make basic mashed potatoes from scratch we posted a how to in our Allergy Friendly Thanksgiving Recipe Collection.
How to pack it for lunch the next day:
Reheat the meal components together in a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover the pan with a well fitting lid and heat over medium heat for 4-5 mins. Remove the lid and let any remaining water cook off, about 2 -3 mins. Layer the food in a thermos that has been warmed by hot water and drained.
To heat this meal up if a microwave is available, send the meal in a microwave safe container. When heating, open the container or place it loosely over the dish to vent. Microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds, check it is all heated through and heat by 25 seconds longer, as needed.
Don’t forget the fork.
We Love Feedback!
Did you make any of the meals from the meal plan week 36? Please let us know! What is on your meal plan this week? Drop a comment on this post or tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
- Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes
- Budget Friendly Chicken Stock
- Cold Asparagus Salad with Dill
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes
- Allergen Friendly Lebanese Chicken Shawarma Recipe
We have to remind everyone that we are not medical professionals or dietitians, so these meal plans are not balanced for nutrition, they are for information purposes only. Please discuss any dietary concerns, changes, or proper meal plans with your medical team.
Always check the labels for any products to make sure they are right for you. We also encourage you to contact the manufacturers in addition to checking that the process of manufacturing is also safe for you, and that there aren’t shared lines. One product or ingredients may be safe for one person but not another. Always check the products and ingredients before purchasing.
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and us know how much you liked it.