We asked Kathrine Lynch at Busy Happy Kids to put together a few easy weekly meal plans to get you through the month while keeping dinner interesting. Kathrine was able to put together these affordable recipes for feeding four adults, or two adults and three kids. All of these recipes can be prepared on the weekend and then frozen, so you simply need to defrost the night before and pop the thawed ingredients together in the slow cooker a few hours ahead of dinner. You’ll find a full shopping list for each weekly meal plan below, just copy it down or print it out and take it with you when you swing by your nearest PAK’nSAVE.

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 1

1. Monday:

Slow cooker mince bolognese

This Italian classic isn’t what you typically expect from a slow cooked meal, but it packs loads of comforting, familiar flavour. With very little prep time and affordable ingredients, this is a staple for many Kiwi households made even easier thanks to the crock pot.

2. Tuesday: Curried sausages

Sausages are a great way to feed a crowd on a budget, and this curried sausages recipe helps you keep dinners exciting and new. Because this recipe only uses four ingredients, it’s perfect for cooking on a budget and feeding a lot of hungry mouths.

3. Wednesday: Crock pot chicken casserole

Chicken drumsticks are an affordable cut with lots of rich flavour, and the addition of bacon pieces means this casserole is teeming with tasty morsels. This is the ideal recipe for a midweek pick-me-up!

4. Thursday: Beef casserole

Use your favourite stewing cut for this tasty beef casserole. The addition of frozen veggies makes this extra simple to put together and easy to customise - just use your favourite mixed bag.

5. Friday: Beef stew

End the week with a treat. This beef stew brings flavour from every direction and makes sure to warm you from the inside out. Serve it up with your favourite mash, a few slices of bread or in a crispy pie shell.

Week 1 shopping list

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 2

1. Monday:

Lamb casserole

Start the week with something comforting like this slow cooked lamb casserole. After just 5-6 hours, the meat will be wonderfully tender and gently coming away from the bone.

This slow cooked lamb casserole uses lamb shoulder chops as a flavour-packed budget-friendly cut that becomes meltingly tender after 5-6 hours in the slow cooker.

2. Tuesday: Sweet and sour pork

This Chinese-inspired sweet and sour pork recipe shows just how much variety you can get in your slow cooker meal plan. The sauce should thicken up nicely in the slow cooker, giving you sticky sweet and sour goodness. 

3. Wednesday: Chicken teriyaki

From China to Japan, your Wednesday night should get you pumped for the rest of the week. This slow cooked chicken recipe is sweet, tangy and full of flavour. Serve with udon noodles or a warm bowl of rice.

4. Thursday: Burrito mince

This tasty Mexican-style burrito mince makes little-to-no effort to prepare and can be used in all sorts of ways. We recommend wrapping it up with veggies and cheese but you can also serve it on top of corn chips for nachos, or layered between wraps for a savoury tortilla stack.

5. Friday: Beef stroganoff

Settle into a warm bowl of creamy mushroom and beef stroganoff and kick up your feet on Friday night. Stir in a bit of sour cream just before serving to add richness and creaminess to the stroganoff sauce.

Week 2 shopping list

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 3

1. Monday:

Meatballs

Who’d have thought you could even make meatballs in the slow cooker? After rolling your meatballs, place them in a snaplock bag with the sauce ingredients and freeze until you’re ready to cook. 

2. Tuesday: Honey garlic chicken

Using bone-in thighs for this sticky, sweet and savoury chicken recipe means you get succulent pieces of chicken even after four or five hours of cooking. The meat should fall off the bone and pick up all of that delicious sauce on the way to your mouth.

3. Wednesday: Italian sausages

Use your favourite type of sausages to make this delicious Italian-inspired sausage casserole. If you prefer, skip the frozen vegetables and instead steam some fresh veggies to plate up just before dinner.

4. Thursday: Sweet chilli chicken

With just a little bit of heat and loads of sweet, gooey flavour, these sweet chilli chicken drumsticks will have everyone coming back for seconds. With capsicum, carrots and baby corn, there’s plenty of veggies to help you hit your 5+ A Day.

5. Friday: Black bean beef

There’s no mistaking the salty, sweet and funky flavour of Chinese black bean sauce. Celebrate the start of the weekend with this unbeatable slow cooker recipe for black bean beef - it’s almost too easy.

Week 3 shopping list

Slow cooker meal plan: Week 4

1. Monday:

Green chicken curry

Thai green curry is spicy, bright and fresh, and so easy to make in the slow cooker. This flavourful curry will help to wake you up and get the blood pumping for the rest of the week.

2. Tuesday: Red beef curry

Red curry is a staple in Thai cuisine and often made with chicken - but there’s no reason you can’t use beef. Any cut of stewing beef to lend lots of extra flavour to your curry sauce.

3. Wednesday: Vegetarian curry

A vegetarian meal every now and then ensures you’re eating plenty of healthy veggies. Serving this vegetarian red curry up alongside some freshly steamed green beans will have you feeling fit as a fiddle for the rest of the week.

4. Thursday: Apricot chicken

Apricot chicken is sticky and sweet, and goes down a treat with the whole family. We’ve managed to get this recipe down to just three ingredients, so if you’re struggling to get past Thursday this will be sure to take some stress off your shoulders.

5. Friday: Chicken hot pot

At the end of a long week, it’s so comforting to be able to sit down and dig into a warm bowl of chicken, veggies and super tasty broth. This hot pot recipe is easy to make and hard to put down. 

Week 4 shopping list