6 week budget meal plan (+ shopping list) for £15 a week

If you are receiving Free School Meal Vouchers, this 6-week meal plan and shopping list will help with ideas to keep in the £15 budget.

Into the second lockdown, we are getting pretty used to feeding our hungry kids!

It still doesn’t make it easy!

So many families have taken a hit financially.

Some have faced a 20% drop in income due to furlough, some have been excluded from any government help, and others have sadly lost their jobs.

One benefit that has helped many working families are the £15 free school meal vouchers. 

If you receive certain benefits (even if you’ve newly applied), you could apply to your child’s school to get £15 of supermarket vouchers to spend on school lunches.

But how is best to use them?

Budget meal plan – £15 a week

Teresa Mercer, Community and Business Health Promotions Officer for St Helens Borough Council has shared budget meal plans for six weeks’ worth of lunches to help with ideas.

Each week, the £15 free school meal vouchers are fully used, with weeks 2, 4, and 6 adding mince, pasta sauce, and pasta to the list as this allows for extra food to be purchased.

The meal plan is designed for one child and can easily be increased if you have other children.

They have also provided a meal plan and a shopping list, the cost of which was £15, based on June 2020 prices at Asda.

The meal plans can easily be adapted if your child likes different things.

While it may not be thought of the cheapest place to shop, M&S is boosting the value of the vouchers to £20 and have created a meal plan and shopping list. Their plan feeds two kids breakfast and lunch for £20.

Week 1

Breakfast – Toast/cereal with milk

Monday

• Eggs and soldiers.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Tuesday

• Cheese sandwich.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Wednesday

• Beans on toast.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Thursday

• Cheese omelette.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Friday

• Potato waffles and eggs.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Shopping list

• 500g cheese*
• rice snaps*
• carrots
• cucumber
• milk
• apples
• bread
• 3 cartons of orange juice
• 3 cartons of apple juice
• 6 fromage frais
• reduced salt beans 4 pack*
• 12 eggs*
• 12 pack of potato waffles

Week two

Breakfast – Toast/cereal with milk

Cereal* from week one.

Monday

• Bake potato and beans*.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Tuesday

• Cheese* on toast.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Wednesday

• Tuna mayo baked potato.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Thursday

• ◊ Wedges and beans*.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Friday

• Fish finger sandwiches.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Shopping list

• carrots
• milk
• pears
• bread
• 3 cartons of orange juice & 3 cartons of apple juice
• 6 fromage frais
• tuna
• 12 fish fingers
• mayo
• ham
• 4 pack baking potatoes
• mince beef
• pasta sauce
• pasta

Week three

Breakfast – Toast/cereal with milk

Monday

• Cheese wraps.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Tuesday

• Fish finger* sandwich.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Wednesday

• Beans* on toast.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais

Thursday

• Cheesy bean* wraps
• Carton of juice
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Friday

• Baked potato with tuna mayo.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Shopping list

• 500g cheese*
• multigrain hoops*
• butter
• carrots & cucumber
• 4 pack baking potatoes
• milk
• bananas
• bread & wraps
• 3 cartons of orange juice & 3 cartons of apple juice
• 6 fromage frais

Week four

Breakfast – Toast/cereal with milk

 Cereal* from week three

Monday

• Hotdog noodles.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Tuesday

• Hotdogs on buns.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Wednesday

• Cheese* rolls (hotdog buns).
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Thursday

• Fish finger* sandwiches.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Friday

• Beans* on toast.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Shopping list

• carrots & cucumber
• milk
• apples
• bread
• 3 cartons of orange juice & 3 cartons of apple juice
• 6 fromage frais
• noodles
• hotdogs
• hotdog buns
• mince beef
• pasta sauce
• Pasta

Week five

Breakfast – Toast/cereal with milk

Monday

• Fish finger sandwiches.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Tuesday

• Baked potato with beans.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Wednesday

• Cheese toasty.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Thursday

• Baked potato with tuna mayo.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Friday

• Wedges◊ and beans.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Shopping List

• 500g cheese*
• wheat bisks*
• butter
• carrots & cucumber
• milk
• pears
• bread
• 3 cartons of orange juice
• 3 cartons of apple juice
• 6 fromage frais
• reduced salt beans 4 pack*
• 12 fish fingers*
• 4 pack baking potatoes
• tuna

Week six

Breakfast – Toast/cereal with milk         

Cereal from week five

Monday

• Potato waffles and eggs.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Tuesday

• Ham and cheese* omelette.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Wednesday

• Potato waffles with cheese* and beans.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Thursday

• Poached egg on toast.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Friday

• Fish finger* sandwiches.
• Carton of juice.
• Piece of fruit.
• Vegetables.
• Fromage frais.

Shopping list

• Carrots & cucumber
• milk
• bananas
• bread
• 3 cartons of orange juice
• 3 cartons of apple juice
• 6 fromage frais
• 12 pack of potato waffles
• Eggs*
• 400g ham
• mince beef
• pasta sauce
• pasta

The meal plans can easily be adapted and ingredients substituted based on diets, allergens and food intolerances.

If you’re looking for other meal plans and food ideas, St Helens Council offers recipes for food parcels as well as Christmas.

St Helens Wellbeing service can give free help and information on healthy eating, physical activity and wellbeing.

Other meal plans

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