One Week Meal Plan - Example Menu for Planning A Week Of Meals For One

The sample menus that follow include certain foods that you need for a balanced diet. These foods come from the following groups: Milk-Cheese, Meat, Vegetable-Fruit and Bread-Cereal. The types of foods chosen and the serving sizes are based on the Suggested Daily Eating Guide.

Some foods are repeated throughout the weekly menu to avoid waste and to meet limited storage space demands. For example, ground beef is a repeated menu item for entrees like, Hamburgers, Meat Tacos and Quick Sloppy Joes.

Use the sample menus as a guideline for planning your own menus.

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Saturday Orange Juice ½ cup
Fried Eggs, 2 (2 ounces)
Milk, 1 cup
Whole-Wheat Toast, 1 slice
Coffee/Tea
Grilled Cheese Sandwich (one 1 ounce slice Cheese - 2 slices Enriched Bread)
Vegetable Soup, 1 cup
Plain Cookies, 4
Coffee/Tea
Minute Steak (4 ounces)
Mashed Potatoes, ½ cup
Mixed Vegetables, ½ cup
Roll, 1
Milk, 1 cup
Fruit Cocktail, ½ cup

Sunday Orange Juice ½ cup
Quick Oatmeal, ½ cup
Milk, 1 cup
Whole-Wheat Toast, 1 slice
Coffee/Tea
Quick Sloppy Joes (4 ounces Ground Beef, 1 hamburger roll)
Tossed salad medium
Potato Chips, 10
Peaches, 2 halves
Coffee/Tea
Ham Steak, (4 ounces)
Small Whole Potatoes, ½ cup
Green Beans, ½ cup
Roll, 1
Milk, 1 cup
1 Slice Pound Cake with Topping

Monday Orange Juice ½ cup
Bran Flakes, ½ cup
Milk, 1 cup
English Muffin, 1
Coffee/Tea
Chicken Sandwich (2 ½ ounces Chicken, Lettuce, 2 slices Enriched Bread)
Carrot Sticks, 3 - 4 strips
Apple, 1 medium
Coffee/Tea
Spaghetti (4 ounces Beef, ½ cup tomatoes, ½ cup cooked spaghetti)
Tossed salad, medium
Roll, 1
Milk, 1 cup

Tuesday Grapefruit, half
Omelet, 2 (2 ounces)
Milk, 1 cup
Whole-Wheat Toast, 1 slice
Coffee/Tea
English Muffin Pizzas, 2: (2 ounces Ground Beef, two 1 ounce slices Cheese, 1/2 cup Pizza Sauce, English Muffin cut in half for two pieces
Fruit Salad, ½ cup
Coffee/Tea
Fried Chicken, one 3 ounce piece
Broccoli, ½ cup
Cabbage Slaw, ½ cup
Biscuit, 1
Milk, 1 cup
Plain Cookies, 4

Wednesday Orange Juice ½ cup
French Toast, 2 slices
Milk, 1 cup
Coffee/Tea
Tuna - Stuffed Tomato: (3 ½ ounces Tuna Fish, 1 large tomato)
Wheat or Rye Crackers, 4
Apple, 1 medium
Plain Cookies, 4
Coffee/Tea
Meat Tacos: (4 ounces Ground Beef, 1/3 cup tomato sauce, 2 Taco Shells)
Mixed Vegetables, ½ cup
Peaches, 2 halves
Milk, 1 cup
Ice Cream, ½ cup

Thursday ½ Grapefruit
Scrambled Eggs, 2 (2 ounces)
Milk, 1 cup
Whole-Wheat Toast, 1 slice
Coffee/Tea
Skillet Frankfurters and Beans (2 Frankfurters, 1 cup Beans, 1 medium Tomato)
Biscuits, 2
Coffee/Tea
Golden Fish Fillet, (4 ounces)
Green Beans, ½ cup
Carrot-Raisin Salad, ½ cup
Whole-Wheat Bread, 1 slice
Milk, 1 cup
Pound Cake, 1 slice

Friday Orange Juice ½ cup
Pancakes, 3
Milk, 1 cup
Coffee/Tea
Hamburgers: (2 ounces Ground Beef, 1 Hamburger Roll, ½ medium Tomato, Lettuce)
Potato Chips, 10
Fruit Cocktail, ½ cup
Coffee/Tea
Ham-Zucchini Skillet: (4 ounces Ham, 1 small Zucchini)
Rice, cooked, ½ cup
Milk, 1 cup
Brown-Sugared Apples

Food Preparation Tips

Before you start, here are some tips for preparing the planned menus.

All Foods

When storing extra food or leftovers in the refrigerator or the freezer, be sure to wrap food securely in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or store in plastic covered containers.

Write the name of the food and the date on the package.

In the refrigerator, use leftovers within four days; in the freezer, use them within one week.

Breads

Buy a box of baking mix to make pancakes, biscuits and bread. It's easy to use, fast, and comparable in price to home prepared products.

Breads and rolls will stay fresh longer if they are frozen. Bread will toast nicely straight from the freezer, or thaw within a short time at room temperature.

Vegetables

Instant potato flakes are inexpensive and make mashed potatoes within minutes (YUCK)

When the recipe calls for a small amount of chopped vegetable, chop the entire vegetable and freeze the extra in a plastic bag for another recipe.

Refrigerate extra tomato sauce in a plastic container and save for recipes like Top of Stove Meat Loaf or Meat Tacos.

Use extra shredded cabbage in tossed salads, vegetable or cream soups, or cook in a small amount of water over a low heat for 10 minutes.

Meats

Save time by pre-cooking one pound (16 ounces) of ground beef. Use half in Quick Sloppy Joes, divide the second half in two portions. Refrigerate or freeze the two (4 ounce) portions for Chili or Meat Tacos.

Buy one pound ground beef. Shape into four 4-ounce patties, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze. Remove the desired number of servings and thaw in the refrigerator. This lets you cook just what you need for Hamburgers, Spaghetti Sauce or English Muffin Pizzas.