The Meal Plan Week 9 is made for long weekends and camping. In Canada, we are coming off a long Weekend on Monday and in the US it is a long weekend coming up. We are sharing some of our favourite recipes on Monday and the weekend for long weekends, bbqing, and camping. For camping we do a lot of the prep beforehand so it is easy on the road to make dinner and relax a bit.
Other than making sure the pulled pork is made before the pulled pork sandwiches and the ramen the other meals can be moved around to suit your schedule. This will help for anyone celebrating either Victoria Day in Canada or as it is fondly called May 2-4 in Ontario or Memorial Day weekend in America.
Meal Plan Week 9
Monday - Burgers on the BBQ with a Vinaigrette Coleslaw
Tuesday - Boneless Dry Garlic Pork Bites, Rice, and Stir Fried Veggies
Wednesday - Pulled Pork with Smashed Potatoes and Air Fryer Carrots
Thursday - Ramen with Leftover Pulled Pork
Friday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cut Raw Veggies and Hummus
Saturday - Tacos in a Bag (Using our Taco Salad Recipe and Safe Taco Chips)
Sunday - Roasted Chicken Barbecued, with Herb Roasted Potatoes and a Greek Salad
Meal Plan Week 9 In-Depth and Top Tips
Monday
Burgers on the BBQ with a Vinaigrette Coleslaw
We use Keg burgers because they are safe for us and readily available. I have heard that the Costco Burgers are great but haven’t tried them nor have we confirmed the ingredients or lines for our allergies.The buns we found that are safe for us as they are both gluten free and top 8 free. Little Northern Bakehouse buns work really well, they are a bit expensive as the kids are starting to eat 2 burgers now. We usually keep our buns in the freezer and to maximise the buns due to cost we will be making the burgers with double patties for our biggest eaters.
For the coleslaw we use a vinaigrette rather than a creamy coleslaw. That is down to my personal preference, I don’t like the creamy kind so we only make that for parties. We use our Vegan Coleslaw without mayo recipe for this side salad.
Top Tip:
If the prepackaged tricolour shredded cabbage bags are safe for you save loads of time by using these instead of chopping or using a food processor for the shredding. The Fresh Express Cabbage only lists 3 ingredients but we haven’t yet verified with the manufacturer for shared lines and cross contact. It can take a bit and we spend enough time in the kitchen and embrace this shortcut. Get the ones without the dressing as the dressings are not top 8 free. Check with the manufacturer for cross contact as come may be made in facilities with nuts, wheat, dairy, and eggs or other top allergens. Use the extra cabbage for the pulled pork and pulled pork sandwiches.
Tuesday
Boneless Dry Garlic Beef Bites, Rice, and Stir Fried Veggies
The night before we have Boneless Dry Garlic Beef Bites we'll be marinating and trimming the beef with the other dinner or before bed. The actual making of the boneless dry garlic bites is really quick so it is the perfect midweek meal. For the rice use whichever rice you prefer we will be using basmati or whole grain rice as that is what we have on hand already.
The Stir fried veggies we will fry up a few different kinds of vegetables, baby corn, red pepper, and snow peas will probably be what we use. We fry them up in a bit of safe neutral oil until they are tender but still have some crunch. Coconut aminos, like these from Bragg, (instead of soy sauce), a bit of diced garlic or ginger can be added for flavour if you wish.
Top Tip:
If you want to use a tougher cut of meat the key to making them tender and tasty is to marinade the meat for up to 24 hours before cooking them. This is the perfect dish for
Wednesday
Pulled Pork with Smashed Potatoes and Air Fryer Carrots
This Pulled Pork is an easy slow cooker meal for us for midweek. The pulled pork on the first night we eat as it is piping hot from the slow cooker, with potatoes, usually, and a vegetable. The kids like to mix it with dill pickles but it is just a serving suggestion.
To make smashed potatoes use gem or baby potatoes in any colour combo. I like the plain one, like the Boomer Gold from the Little Potato Company. They are the best colour to use as I can tell when they are crispy by their colour. Leave the skin on the potatoes. First I boil the cleaned whole potatoes for 10 -20 minutes in salted water that covers the potatoes. They should be fork tender then drained. Run cold water over the potatoes until cool enough to touch.
On a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper, place the potato and press it flat to ½ inch with the heel of your hand. The potato skin will split, repeat this for each potato. Drizzle or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil in the oven for 4-10 minutes or until the edges brown. Watch them carefully as they can burn quickly.
For the vegetable we have with dinner we may have Air Fryer Carrots, but if other veggies are on sale we may use them in the same recipe. Brussels Sprouts are delicious done this way as are spectacular, as is broccoli and cauliflower.
Top Tip:
Save enough pulled pork for the sandwiches on Friday and a bit extra for the Ramen.
Thursday
Ramen with Leftover Pulled Pork
When we found Lotus Ramen Noodles at our closest Costco it was revolutionary for us. 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.
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.
Toppings, we leave up to each person. We have used cooked beans, peas, corn, pulled pork, seaweed, green onions/scallions, carrots, or roasted chicken.
Top Tip:
If you cannot find Lotus brand rice Ramen noodles, the clear rice vermicelli noodles can be used in place of the other ones.
Friday
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cut Raw Veggies and Hummus
We use the leftover cooked pulled pork and serve it cold on top 8/Gf safe buns. Top it with vegan mayo, dill pickle rounds and a bit of shredded cabbage. If mustard is safe for you it can also be used.
For the cut veggies we will use cucumber rounds, carrot sticks, celery sticks, cauliflower or broccoli florets, and grape tomatoes, whatever we have on hand, really. This is a way to use up the veggies we send the kids to school with in their lunches. The hummus can be homemade from The Mediterranean Dish we love making this recipe, or if there are prepared hummus tubs that are safe for you, those work well, too. Check the ready made kinds well as many use soybean oil. If sesame seeds are not safe for you try this recipe from The Wholesome Dish it is tahini (sesame paste free).
Everything can be made ahead and packed in a cooler for camping or travelling for the Memorial Day long weekend.
Top Tip:
Use up any leftover buns from the burgers. They are great in the freezer so you don’t need to worry if they will last until Friday from Monday’s dinner. Use up the undressed cabbage from the coleslaw on Monday. This is a great way to repurpose leftovers so they are never boring.
Saturday
Tacos in a Bag (Using our Taco Salad Recipe and Safe Taco Chips)
Using the ingredients in our Taco Salad From Leftovers we make tacos in a taco chip bag. The ingredients can be dairy free shredded cheeses, like Dayia or Violife, and lettuce or jalapenos. Use an individual bag for each person so they can make their own however they like it. We use Gluten and top 8 allergen free La Cochina taco chips as the base. We have yet to find them in individual bags so before we leave I proportion the chips in medium freezer size Ziploc bags as they are a bit thicker.
The kids love this meal as they can choose their own toppings. They feel like it is a huge treat that we only make for barbecues or camping. I love them because they are easy to make with little cleanup.
Top Tip:
Cook the meat ahead of time and bring it pre-cooked. It can be eaten chilled, like on a salad. It is also really easy to reheat in a campfire safe frying pan or an aluminium foil packet with a steam vent. Add a ¼-½ cup of drinking water to the taco beef and cook until the water is cooked off.
Sunday
Roasted Chicken Barbecued, with Herb Roasted Potatoes and a Greek Salad
We make Whole Roast Chickens on the BBQ all the time. The Herb Roasted Potatoes go on the top rack for indirect heat. The chickens go on stands to stand upright on the grill. We use a BBQ safe disposable aluminium tray to catch the drippings. We use a hole free tray to keep the fat dripping off the chicken away from the flames from the barbecue. If left to drip the whole chicken can ignite and get burnt. This needs to be watched carefully, we designate this as Rob’s job to hang out on the deck and do all the barbecuing.
For a Greek Salad we roughly chop tomatoes, peppers (any colour you have works I like orange for the colour and sweetness), onion (white or red both work. The red is stronger in flavour), English cucumber (we don’t bother seeding or peeling this kind but if a field cuke is used it will need it). We also add in whole or halved black olives. Violife makes a dairy free Feta cheese that works well but we don’t use it as the kids didn’t like Feta before allergies. The dressing is 2 Tbsps olive oil, 2 tsps white wine vinegar (or a safe vinegar for you), ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ ground and dried rosemary, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, Salt and pepper to taste. Play with the spices until you find your favourite combo, that is the best part with homemade dressings.
Top Tip:
Use leftover chicken for lunches for the week. It can be made into roast chicken or chicken salad sandwiches. To make a chicken salad filling mix a 1-1.5 C of diced cooked chicken with ¼-⅓ cup vegan soy free mayonnaise like Mama Yo! Or Hellman’s. Add salt and pepper and a finely diced celery rib or ¼ of a small onion (or one green onion/scallion). We also love the roast chicken leftovers in our Curried Chicken Papaya Salad.
We Love Feedback!
Did you make any of the meals we did 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.
- Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie - GF/DF/EF, Top 8 & 9 Free
- Gluten Free Tabouli (Tabbouleh) - GF/DF, Vegan, Top 9 Free
- Tomato Free Pasta Sauce - GF/DF, Top 9 Free
- Mashed Oven Roasted Acorn Squash - GF/DF, Top 9 Free, Vegan
- Gluten Free Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb - GF/DF, Top 8
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.