Easy Choice meal planner & recipe book
Are you struggling with the rising cost of food?
Many New Zealand families are struggling to keep to their weekly food budget. Love Food Hate Waste can help you.
Introducing Easy Choice – Family Kai.
Easy Choice – Family Kai is a free seasonal meal planner and recipe book which helps families shop for, cook and eat nourishing and affordable food. There are versions available for all four seasons. Our Winter cookbook features family favourites such as chicken noodle soup, corned beef, nachos and meatloaf. Or try something different like satay tofu noodles or nasi goreng.
The cookbook contains four weekly meal plans, with each week consisting of five dinner meals. Each meal will feed a family of six (two adults and four children under 10) or four adults.
The ingredients for each week should cost approximately $90, although this may vary based on produce prices, the supermarket you shop at and weekly specials.
All of the recipes are nutritionally balanced and include plenty of healthy ingredients such as vegetables, beans and wholegrains.
The meals are designed to be zero waste – all of the ingredients you buy should be used by the end of the week so no food should go to waste. If something is leftover at the end of the week, we give you suggestions of how to store it and what to use it for. Click here for more tips on how to meal plan.
80% of people agree Easy Choice has helped them to reduce food waste and 82% also agree that it has helped them save money.
Check with your local council to see if they have any printed copies still available. Otherwise download or print these PDF versions of Easy Choice – Family Kai here:
- Spring: Mobile version | Print at home version | Shopping lists
- Summer: Mobile version | Print at home version | Shopping lists
- Autumn: Mobile version | Print at home version | Shopping lists
- Winter: Mobile version | Print at home version | Shopping lists
Making a difference at dinner time
Auckland mother Kimberley Manning with daughter Fleur
For West Auckland mother Kimberley Manning, Easy Choice was a life saver when she became unemployed and found herself struggling financially.
“I thought I had hit the jackpot when I started using Easy Choice,” said Manning who was introduced to Easy Choice through the pilot programme run last year by Healthy Families Waitakere and the Fresh Choice supermarkets in Ranui and Glen Eden.
“I was surprised that I could make so many meals for only $65. It has made a real difference to our financial situation as the meal planner ensures that we can stick to our food budget.
“What I like most about it is that it is easy and healthy – it tells me what I need to buy and I know that I am going to get a tasty meal. At first I wasn’t sure that I would like some of the meals that had beans instead of meat in them, but many of the vegetarian meals have ended up being my favourites.”
