Meal Plan Week 44

Excited to share our meal plan week 44. We heard the BEST phrase this week- Planned-overs! Instead of leftovers using this new term. We are going to use leftovers this week. It has been so cold this past week and it is going to get a little warmer so we are switching away from soups and stews.

Meal Plan Week 44

Meal Plan Week 44 In-Depth and Top Tips

Monday

Meal Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup 

For this dinner we will be serving our roasted yellow pepper soup with Gluten Free Rolls. It is a top 9 free recipe that is perfect for winter months. 

Brands to Check out:

Gluten Free Rolls

Little Northern Bakehouse

Promise Soft White Rolls (some contain eggs)

Carbonaut Buns

All products should be thoroughly checked out for all allergens in the products through labelling, ingredients, and for shared facilities and lines with the manufacturer.

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 insulated metal thermos that is easy for them to open independently and safely. 

Pre-warming the container with warm water is the key to keeping the contents hotter for longer. We heat the soup 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 soup. Send it with a spoon. 

Tuesday 

Meal Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

An effortless hands off meal for during the week is crock pot chicken tacos. This slow cooker meal can be made with a cut of beef, like a brisket, or pork tenderloin or roast, if chicken is not your style. We usually use gluten free soft tortilla shells for our tacos and top them with any of the following: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, yellow or orange peppers, sliced jalapenos, black olives, onion, salsa, avocado, and dairy free shredded cheese.

Brand We Have Found:

All products should be thoroughly checked out for all allergens in the products through labelling, ingredients, and for shared facilities and lines with the manufacturer.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

We send our kids with a taco salad for lunch with mild salsa as the dressing. It goes in an airtight container with the salsa in its own container on the side. We have an easy recipe for taco salad made with leftovers.

Wednesday

Meal Taco Topped Baked Potatoes and Grapefruit topped Salad

Our kids have really been into having leftovers on a baked potato lately. We use both baked sweet potatoes or Russets. We bake the potatoes in the oven or air fryer and heat up the taco meat in a frying pan. Then add any leftover toppings from the night before.

A fabulous fresh flavoured salad for this time of year is one that is topped with fresh grapefruit slices, avocado, rocket, dairy free feta cheese crumbles, and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. We will use an oil and vinegar dressing of 4 parts olive oil to one part vinegar of choice (not all vinegars are gluten free and allergen friendly be sure to check them well).

Brand We Have Found:

Dairy Free Feta Cheese

Daiya - New formula contains Oats

Violife

Earth Island/ Follow Your Heart

All products should be thoroughly checked out for all allergens in the products through labelling, ingredients, and for shared facilities and lines with the manufacturer.

Thursday

Meal Quesadillas and Leftover Soup

If we have any leftover chicken taco meat we will add it, few veggies, like diced tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. We use a very mild salsa, whipped guacamole, dairy free sour cream for dipping our quesadillas into. 

We will also reheat any leftover soup from our freezer to have with the quesadillas. 

Brand We Have Found:

All products should be thoroughly checked out for all allergens in the products through labelling, ingredients, and for shared facilities and lines with the manufacturer.

Friday

Meal Lamb Tikka Masala with Rice

A fabulously hearty meal, Lamb Tikka Masala, this is one of our favourites with lamb. It works well with beef, or chicken instead. We always serve our tikka masala and lamb with rice. We tend to make basmati or jasmine. When reheated the tikka masala may split a bit, due to the dairy free substitutes.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

Place all the Tikka Masala Lamb meal parts together in a frying pan to reheat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan. Reheat over medium heat for 4-5 mins while covering the pan with a well fitting lid to keep the steam in.  To let any remaining water cook off after initial warming, take off the lid and continue to heat for about 2 -3 mins. 

Have a thermos prewarmed with hot water, drain and dry the inside. Layer the food in the thermos. Seal with the lid. We usually don't send rice for food safety reasons as it will not stay hot enough.

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 to pack a spork.

Saturday

Meal Roast Chicken Dinner, Broccoli, and Steamed Potatoes

We will have two Roast Chickens so we can use any breast meat for lunch during the week. Any extra thighs will be in our soup the next night. The roast dinner will be steamed potatoes, and broccoli.

The potatoes will be new potatoes that are cut and steamed then served with dairy free buttery spread and salt and pepper. Waxy potatoes work best for this cooking method. Rob washes them well and leave the skins on.

The broccoli florets we steam with water in a wok with the lid on until almost fully cooked. Then we will remove the lid and let the water evaporate. Pour in a bit of avocado oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of minced garlic. Mixed well and fried up for a couple of minutes until cooked and bright green with a bit of a toasted colour on some pieces. If the kids aren't having it we add chili oil instead of just avocado oil and a sprinkle of red chili flakes.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

We thinly slice the breast meat and layer it on gluten free bread with a bit of vegan soy free mayo, a bacon strip. A leaf of lettuce and tomatoes slices on the side so the kids can put them on the sandwich and the bread won't be soggy.

Another way we send the leftover chicken, besides on a salad with dressing on the side, is to make a 'lunchables' type meal. This mini charcuterie is slices of chicken breast cut in triangles, a piece of dairy free cheese cut in circles using a cookie cutter, and top allergen friendly crackers. Our kids love the Laiki brand but they can be hard to find. Made Good stars also work well so do cut outs of gluten free tortillas.

Sunday 

Meal Chicken Noodle Soup

One of our favourite made from leftover meals is Chicken Noodle Soup. We use the chicken carcasses to make our own stock, like in this Homemade Chicken Stock recipe. We add our homemade broth to our own soup. It is a light dinner that we pair with cut fresh veggies and a bit of Ranch Dip.

How to pack it for lunch the next day:

Start by warming up the chicken noodle soup an insulated container, like a thermos, by filling it with hot water. 

Over medium-high heat, in a pot on the stove bring the desired amount of chicken 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. 

We Love Feedback!

Did you make any of the meals from the meal plan week 44? 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.

A Reminder About the Meal Plan Week 44

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 and ingredients for all products to make sure they are right for you and your allergies. We encourage you to contact the manufacturers in addition to check 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.