10 Meal Planning Tips For Families
We asked over 100 families from all over the nation about tips they could give for meal planning and creating food for their families: Here are the results:
1. Keep it simple.
“Don’t feel like just because you’re planning ahead that it means you can’t put “grilled cheese & soup” on the menu. Plan the easy meals, too. Plan the family favorite. And plan only one or two new or adventurous or complex meals per week. No need to overwhelm yourself with all this planning and prepping.” —Cathy
“Plan easy meals (like crock pot or instant pot meals) into a few nights every week, and then add in meals that take a little more work to the nights you aren't as busy. Also start a food rotation schedule so you can just follow that every 4 weeks.” —Breanna
“Break it up into twice weekly. I used to do it all on Sundays & it was such a daunting task!! “ —Lauren
2. Involve the family.
“My kids and I sit around the kitchen table on Sunday and all have our input on what dinner and lunches they will enjoy. We collaborate as a team and every voice is important.” —Sunshine
“Involve the whole family. Get meal requests and what meals people want to eat as well as cook. It gets everyone excited for dinner together and gets everyone involved. They are also less likely to complain about the menu knowing they got a say in it.” —Britt
3. Use family favorite recipes and also try new ones.
” Use favorite recipes for ease and family comfort but also try new recipes each week to gain cooking skills, introduce new flavors, implement healthier food options and make dinner time a little more exciting. “
—Andy
4. Plan around food items that are already in your fridge and pantry.
”Use ingredients in the house - there are many websites that let you type in an ingredient so you don't waste food.” —Elizabeth
“Start with what you have. It’s always surprising how much food you waste in the freezer and in the fridge. I can usually meal plan for at least 2-3 days with stuff we already have.” —Ellen
5. Plan less meals than nights and plan for leftovers and eating out.
“I pick about 3 recipes a week to do, and make enough for leftovers. Then I don’t have to worry about 7 days of meals.” —Molly
“Don't plan for seven dinners a week. Something's going to come up and the food you bought will go bad.”
—Katie
6. Write it down.
“Post the meals for your family to see. As working parents we just look at the board and we can each help make sure meat is defrosted or if one gets home first they can start dinner without calling the other person asking what to eat.” —Kristen
7. Use your Freezer.
”Get a chest freezer. Make double portions when you cook and freeze the extra. I hate to use canned foods so I make my own diced tomatoes/broths/stocks/etc. and then I put them into mason jars with plastic lids and freeze them. I also prep minced garlic, diced onions and some veggies and freeze portions of those so that I can quickly dump them into the recipe. Basically, when you have extra moments to prep/freeze food, do it. “
—Tailor
“Frozen veggies are your friends. They are almost as good as fresh these days, they're cheap and way better than the canned kind. Best part they won't spoil in the fridge crisper drawer and you can use as much or as little as you want.“ —Michelle
9. Prep ahead.
“Cook proteins as prep a couple days before as they take longer.” —Christine
“Just chop the veggies! You will use them all if you just chop before hand.” —Eliza
“When you are in the kitchen cooking a meal, think about the next meal and what you can go ahead and do to prepare for it. Can you brown ground beef while you are cooking something else in the oven? Can you chop veggies while something is baking?” —Katie
8. Shop Online.
“Online grocery shopping has helped me to meal plan & stick to my grocery list at the beginning of the week.”
—Ashlee
“If you can't get out of the house, or don't have time to go grocery shopping, use grocery delivery!!” —Kate
10. Practice and give yourself time to learn.
“Try out a meal kit service, learn how to get comfortable prepping and be inspired by new dishes.” —Meagan
“Reevaluate what's working at regular intervals - life is always changing and what works in one stage may not work in another.” —Katie