Meal Plan Week 40

Welcome to meal plan week 40!

Back to our regular schedule after weeks of holiday dinners and baking. We have started back up with kids activities, school, and trying to peel the kids out of the holiday treat coma they were in for most of December. That means we are back at our regular meal planning. 

We don’t do vegan January. The reason we don’t is because we restrict so many different foods already from our diet due to allergies. In conjunction with our medical team we decided to remove more that wasn’t medically necessary at this time and wasn't in the best interest of our family’s health. Everyone is different but before starting any new restrictive diet you should always talk to your doctor first and consult a registered dietician. 

This meal plan week 40 is a typical week for us with no new restrictions or dietary focuses.

Meal Plan Week 40

Meal Plan Week 40 In-Depth and Top Tips

Monday

Meal German Eintopf Soup

This is one of Rob’s favourite meals, Eintopf. In German if translated it simply means “one pot”. It is a pork based soup that was a big part of his childhood and food memories. This is one of those meals that is naturally top 8 free. All that needs double checking are that the ingredients like bacon, spices, broth, and such are free from cross contact and sneaky allergens.

Brand We Have Found:

Bacon

Maple leaf

Applegate

Top Tip: 

We have used leftover ham from Christmas dinner that we froze after our big holiday dinner. The bone was used to make a delicious Pork bone broth but you can use safe for you purchased pork broth or chicken broth, if it is easier to find.

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 desired amount of 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 Split Pea and Ham Soup

We filled our freezer with the leftover ham and ham bone from Christmas after making pork bone broth, which was also frozen. This week we are pulling most of that out to make this French Canadian Inspired split pea and ham soup. This is a stick to the bones soup perfect when served with a nice gluten free roll.

Brand We Have Found:

Bacon

Maple leaf

Applegate

Rolls

Little Northern Bakehouse

Promise (some contain egg)

Top Tip:

Don’t assume dried peas are safe. Always check with the manufacturer for shared lines and cross contact in the packaging plant. Never buy bulk dried pantry staples as they are at a really high risk for allergens accidentally coming into contact with them in store and along the processing route.

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 desired amount of 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.

Wednesday

Meal Chicken Thigh Soy Free Stir Fry over Rice

In the past we usually used beef in this soy free stir fry dish. A stir fry cut or stewing meat works well in it but we are choosing to cut boneless skinless chicken thighs this time for variety. We will be preparing it exactly the same way.

Brand We Have Found:

Coconut Aminos

Naked Natural Foods

Coconut Secret

Noodles

Lotus Foods

Top Tip:

To use cheaper cuts of meat marinade them in a bit of the sauce overnight to help make them less tough, especially when using beef.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

You have probably heard me talk about reheating rice before. We won’t be sending it to school as reheated steamed rice should be served piping hot as it is at a higher risk for some food borne bacteria as per this British NHS article. So we don’t send it to school as it doesn’t stay hot enough all day long. 

Instead we usually make a small batch of ramen noodles that are rice based but preserved differently. The Lotus foods brands gluten free noodles or gluten free rice noodles are what we use. We make them quickly in the morning as they cook quickly in boiling water. They go in the bottom of a thermos that has been preheated with hot water. 

The chicken stir fry that has been reheated on the stove in a lid covered frying pan goes on top of the noodles for lunch. The stir fry gets a few tablespoons of water added to it to help steam it for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid and let it cook for another 3-5 minutes and spoon into the thermos.

Make sure the food isn’t piled too high or be hot enough to burn the kids at lunch when opening the thermos. 

Don't forget to send utensils.

Thursday

Meal Leftovers

We love to use up our leftovers at least once or twice a week to stretch our budget so this is that meal. This also helps us cut the work in the kitchen down.

Top Tip:

We tend to let the kids choose what they would like, the only dinners they can dictate what they want for dinner. We usually make one dinner for the whole family so the kids love being able to choose their meal. Another way we serve leftovers is to set it up as a buffet and then heat up each meal.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

We only reheat leftovers once for food safety so we don’t send them to school unless they are sandwich items.

Friday

Meal Make Your Own Subs and Potato Wedges

We do this and the kids adore it! They love making their own subs tailored to exactly what they like. We put out small bowls of cut up iceberg lettuce (though it is soooo expensive right now), sliced tomatoes, cucumber rounds, olive slices, homemade pickle rounds, onions, orange peppers. 

The kids can each build their sandwiches with at least 2 different veggies and 1 meat. We use either leftover roast meat we slice thin and freeze or buy from “safe for us” brands, and a dairy free slice of cheese for some. Half of the kids like their subs toasted so we toast them in the broiler for a minute or two.

We will be serving the subs with potato wedges we make in the air fryer. They are an alternative to fries and are similar to a local chain’s potato wedges. We have been working on perfecting the recipe so the kids can win back a food they loved before allergies. It is our way of giving them back a food they love, to figure out how they are made and make an allergen safe version at home.

Brand We Have Found:

Top Tip:

We make a vinaigrette dressing with 3 parts of olive oil to 1 part of white wine vinegar. Add in 1 teaspoon each fresh garlic and shallots, minced, dried oregano, basil, and parsley with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk it all together. Make sure all the ingredients are allergen friendly as some white wine vinegars and spices can contain egg or other allergens.

We use soy free vegan mayo instead of mayo, our dairy free ranch dressing, and a mustard sauce we mix up as sauces as well. The mustard sauce is a bit of vegan mayo, horseradish, and a pinch of turmeric all mixed together and used as a spread,

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

Make the sub as you would any sandwich and use your usual packaging or bento box. If your kids are older, consider leaving the sauce on the side so they can put it on and it doesn’t make the bread soggy, or put the sauce in the middle of the sandwich and not next to the bread.

This is a lunch we send when our school is doing what they call a fun lunch and the other kids can order in from the Subway restaurant. On these days we send a little bag of Plain safe potato chips, a pack of Made Good red velvet cookies, and a juice box. They feel just like everyone else then. 

Saturday

Meal Roast Beef Dinner with Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes

Rob was able to pick a beautiful roast up on sale so we will be popping it in the oven in a roasting pan that is lined with roasting veggies. We roughly cut up onions, carrots, garlic, celery, and 1-2 cups of water with a handful of fresh rosemary and thyme. The roast pan will be covered with the lid for the first 1-1.5 hours and then finished without the lid. We cook our roasts at 275 F using the Canada Beef timetable.

To make the Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes we follow the steps on our recipe.

We will make a gravy using the drippings and by mashing the roast pan veggies. For more details check out the gravy from our Roast Chicken recipe. It is the same method.

One day we will perfect Yorkshire puddings that are allergen friendly, until then it will be mashed potatoes, and air fryer carrots for our family this week as our sides. For how to make dairy free mashed potatoes check out our Thanksgiving recipe collection.

Brand We Have Found:

Top Tip:

You can reverse sear this roast using the method from Canada Beef for an extra juicy beef roast.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

Depending on if you want a hot roast beef lunch or a roast beef sandwich the methods will vary. For the hot lunch:

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.

Sunday 

Meal French Dips and a Garden Salad

For that recipe we will use thin slices of leftover roast beef in our French dips, also called beef dips in areas of North America. They are a diner style restaurant favourite menu item that we adapted to be friendly for our kids. The meal is sliced beef on a bun with onions and sometimes mushrooms, and a beef broth based au jus sauce to dip the sandwich into.

This meal allows us to finish up the gluten free hot dog buns from the subs, and the meat from the night before. We will put a garden salad with it but we will probably also have mashed potatoes and carrots leftover from the night before that I will want the family to finish up.

Brand We Have Found:

Little Norther Bakehouse Hot Dog Buns

Top Tip:    

The meat can be served cold or warmed up by letting it simmer in the au jus sauce while it cooks. The latter method makes the sauce extra tasty.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

When we send this to school we simply send it as a cold beef sandwich without the au jus. The kids risk spilling the au jus at school as the thermoses are too deep and narrow for them to dip and our other containers won’t keep the sauce warm.

We Love Feedback!

Did you make any of the meals from the meal plan week 40? 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.

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.