Meal Planning for Families
Meal planning can sound like yet another task to add to the already long TO DO list but the benefit of doing it really outweighs any extra effort. Once upon a time, I was flying by the seat of my pants when it came to deciding what was for dinner. My husband worked long days and we didn’t always have dinner together. So dinners were super simple and didn’t take too long to plan for or prep. Then we had kids … 4 kids … and things changed very quickly. Soon enough our weekly calendar became busier, there were more preferences to consider and more mouths to feed. That’s when I started meal planning on a regular basis and really started to see and feel the benefit of doing it. Planning meals can help you save time, money and lead to healthier choices. Overall, setting aside some time for planning your meals, particularly dinner, or whichever meal is the trickiest to get on the table, can make life easier. Your plan doesn’t have to be fancy or gourmet, it just needs to be realistic, do-able and sustainable. Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started and hopefully make meal times at your house a little easier.
First off, analyze your day to decide which meal is the hardest to get on the table. For most families, its dinner. So aim to plan that one meal, there’s no need to plan for every meal and snack, but your main meal and the one that takes the most work is the one I’d suggest planning for. For other meals, ensure you have staples on hand so that preparing those meals and snacks can be a no brainer too.
So here we go … lets start meal planning!
Designate a time each week to meal plan
Check your fridge, freezer and pantry to see what you already have on hand and can make a meal out of
Consider the week ahead and which nights require a quick and easy meal and which meals can be a bit more involved
Plan to use leftovers
Consider family favourites and add them to the plan, ask for input
Consider what’s in season or on special at the supermarket and include those foods in your plan
Use your meal plan to create your grocery list so you buy only what you need in addition to the staples you usually have on hand for other meals and snacks
Use a template (so many to choose online) to get you started, post for family members to see
To make your meals balanced, aim to include a variety of vegetables, whole grains and protein (meat, chicken, fish and plant based foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, tofu and lentils)
Consider creating a meal rotation, where you create a meal plan for 2-3 weeks and just rotate that plan
Add some fun, create theme nights so that everyone knows what to expect and it becomes easier to decide the components of each meal, for example …
Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Breakfast for dinner Wednesday, Sandwich Thursdays, Pizza Fridays etc.
Allow yourself to incorporate a take out or restaurant meal occasionally too, everyone needs a break from the kitchen from time to time.
I know it might seem daunting but creating a strategy for planning meals can really save you time, money and headaches! If this is something new for you, start off small, plan for a few nights a week and build from there, once you see and feel the benefits of doing it you can pick up the pace and before you know it, it’ll be second nature.
Need more help and ideas for your family’s meals? Connect with me to have a chat! Everyone has to start somewhere!