Busy, natural-minded eaters, look no further! What follows is a four-week menu plan I use for my family. I hope it can be helpful for other families wanting a jump-start on meal planning with whole foods! And even better, it’s completely free!
Good Combo derives its name from the combination of healthful diets incorporated, but also because it’s a compromise between eating nourishing food, but having a reasonable budget, between working hard in the kitchen, but having the occasional break, and between cooking at home as much as possible, but also taking advantage of convenience food.
Perks of the Good Combo Menu Plan
- Planned for a large family. (Approximately a family of 6; my family has 8 people, but three of them consume little.)
- Friendly to gluten-, egg-, and dairy-free needs. (Shop accordingly; check/adapt recipes as needed.)
- Weight-loss friendly for adults. (Adults can easily adapt it to keto/low-carb.)
- Takes advantage of whole foods, potentially keeping healthcare costs lower.
- Quick, nourishing lunches.
- Easy for teens and children to implement!
- Packed lunch for kids one day a week.
- GAPS, WAPF, Keto, Paleo, Low-Carb, and THM adaptable and friendly
- Once-a-month shopping trip, with a brief perishable shopping list each week.
- Budget-friendly, averaging less than $2 per person per meal!
Tricks and Tips
- Supper leftovers? Eat them as breakfast or a snack the next day, add them to soup, or freeze them for a quick lunch.
- Keep a dry-erase board in your kitchen to write down menu plan changes.
- Laminate menu plans and hang in your kitchen.
- Print recipes and three-hole punch. Place in a binder for a custom recipe book.
- When you’re cleaning up after a meal, make plans for the next meal.
- Before bed every night, make sure everything is prepared for breakfast in the morning and leave meat out to thaw.
- Almonds, dates, GF flour, protein powder, and dairy substitutes are among the more expensive foods in this plan. If you need to save money and don’t have food allergies or weigh issues, feel free substitute cheaper options.
- Following the menu-plan keeps you from needing to splurge to eat out. The next meal will always be ready! Save eating out for special occasions and traveling.
- Modify the shopping list if you have other sources for food, like frozen game, home-canned fruit, or a farmer’s market CSA.
- Use paper napkins/dixie cups daily for snack time to reduce dishes. Use paper plates once a week to catch up in the kitchen.
- I use my Vitamix blender multiple times a day! It comes in very handy for these recipes! Invest in the best blender you can afford. However, I use a mixer rarely in this menu plan. The $5 version from Walmart works just fine for my purposes!
- If I need to cut costs, I will leave vanilla extract off of my shopping list and omit in the recipes.
- Choose natural/organic meats as much as possible and as budget allows. Plan to use 2–3 pounds of meat and 1–2 pounds of frozen veggie for each supper.
- Note: I’ve used this menu-plan for three months in a row with great success! At the end of each month, we’ve had slightly more frozen veggies and ground meat than needed. Otherwise, the proportions for foods on the shopping list and foods needed for the recipes is extremely close!
- While I hope this plan is helpful for your family, please look it over prior to shopping. I cannot be held responsible for any mistakes in this menu plan. Please use it at your own risk. Reach out on our website contact form if you have any feedback for me.
Overview of the Good Combo Menu Plan
Breakfast (Optional: Add keto coffee for adults)
- Sunday—Cold Cereal with Smoothie or Hot Rice Cereal with Protein Powder
- Monday—Scrambled or Fried Eggs with Homemade Sausage or Bacon or Ham
- Tuesday—Chia Pudding or Tapioca Pudding
- Wednesday—Hard-Boiled Eggs and Hashbrowns
- Thursday—Manna Toast with PB or Banana Bread with Butter
- Friday—Clafoutis/Egg Bake
- Saturday—Pancakes or Banana Peak Pancakes
Morning Snacks
- Ants on a Log
- Jello
- Fruit
- Optional protein shake for adult included in shopping list
Lunch
- Soup and Side (Optional: Low-carb adults can eat soup only or leftovers from supper the night before)
Soups:
- Beef Stew
- Chili
- Tusca Zoppata
- Ham and Pea
- Herb Pork
- Stuffed Pepper
- Chicken
Sides, served with 4T butter or coconut oil/honey spread daily:
- Almond “Corn” bread
- Corn tortillas
- Flax Bread
- (GF) Crackers
Afternoon Snacks
- Blueberry (GF) Muffins
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sunflower Cake/Carrot Cake
- Yellow Cupcakes
- Chewy Cinnamon Almond Cookies
- Date Balls
Supper
- Meat, Pseudo-Starch, Side-Dish, Ferment
Meat Choices:
- Fish Filet (Salmon, Tilapia)
- Grilled: Burgers (Beef, Turkey)/Hotdogs (Chicken, Beef, Turkey)
- Special: Drumsticks (Chicken)/Slow-Cooker Loins (Turkey, Pork)/Stuffed Peppers (Ground Beef or Turkey)/Ribs (Pork)
- Spaghetti or Pot Roast (Beef, Pork)
- Chicken: Breasts (Balsamic, Honey Mustard, Asian, Italian), can be cut for stir-fry;/Crispy Chicken-skinned Thighs
- Ground Meat: Meatloaf (Beef, Turkey)/Meatballs (Beef, Turkey)/Sloppy Joe Meat (Beef, Turkey)
“Starches”
- Beets
- Lentils
- Squash
- Peas, pea salad
- Cauliflower, cauli rice, mashed cauli
- Zucchini Noodles
- Lentil Noodles
- Carrots,
- Applesauce/Fruit Salad
- Creamy tomato or squash soup
Sides:
- Mixed Roast Veggies
- Frozen Veggies: Broccoli, California Mix, Green Beans (Bake, Fry, or Steam)
- Sauteed Kale
- Lettuce Salad
- Coleslaw
Convenience Foods
(These treats increase the overall cost of implementation, but are cheaper than buying treats while out. They also keep me motivated and accountable to following this menu plan.)
Once-a-Week Packed Lunches for Kids:
(Listed in parenthesis on Shopping List; feel free to leave off of your list if you don’t need them.)
- PB and Jam on (GF) Bread OR Lunchmeat in tortilla (Coconut wraps for low-carb parents)
- Trailmix OR granola bar
- Applesauce OR peaches
- Popcorn OR (GF) Pretzel
- Juice box
Treats for Adults:
- Carbonated water and dark chocolate square daily
- Tea
- Nuts
- Meatsticks
- Bottled water (especially for outings and shopping)
Download the Good Combo Menu Plan now!
