Family meal planning for the week made simple
There are many reasons why mealtimes can be stressful, one of the biggest reasons is the decision fatigue we feel when having to decide what to cook every night. Luckily, family meal planning is something we can do to make mealtimes easier.
This article will cover what meal planning is, why meal planning is beneficial, and how you can start a weekly food plan, including how to make time to meal plan, where you can write your meal plan, and it also provides some easy family meal planning tips.
Are you ready to start meal planning? If so, let’s dive in.
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What is meal planning?
Meal planning simply means having a plan of the meals you’ll make over a dedicated amount of time, for example one week.
You can plan for more than one meal, for example, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, or you can plan for a selected meal, like dinners.
When writing your meal plan, you list the days of the week, and the meals you want to cook each day.
Here’s some meal planning tips if you’d like to know more about meal planning for your family.
Why is meal planning beneficial?
Here are some top reasons to meal plan, some of which include:
- Reduces stress by not having to think about what to cook each night
- Helps you stay within budget when it comes to buying groceries
- Encourages healthy eating
- Reduces food waste
If you’ve decided that family meal planning for the week is for you, here’s how to make it easy, even with a busy family schedule.
Choose a day to plan
Choose a day that you have a 30 minute block of time to write your meal plan down, some ideas include a Sunday afternoon, Friday evening, or Monday morning. I do my family meal planning on Sunday nights, after the kids are in bed.
If you’re able to write your meal plan at the same time each week, it’s more likely to become a habit, and less of a chore.
Decide where to write your meal plan
Write your meal plan somewhere you can easily view it.
Some ideas include your phone’s notes app, in a detailed meal planner, a meal planning notepad, or even a dry erase meal planner attached to your fridge.
Refer to your calendar
Before choosing meals for the week, look at your family’s schedule to see what events may impact what you need to cook.
For example, if there’s a night that one of your kids have an after school activity, then you may want to plan something quick. If you’re out one night you won’t need to plan a meal at all, or if you have extended family over one night, you may need to cook a larger meal.
Do a kitchen stocktake
Before planning any meals, look in your fridge, freezer, and cupboards and take note of:
- What needs to be used
- Leftovers that can be used
- Staples that you can use
Doing a kitchen stocktake helps you reduce your grocery bills, and reduce food waste, because you’re planning around food you already have.
Plan dinners wisely
You don’t need to plan dinners for every night of the week, as there will be nights where you can eat leftovers, go out for dinner, or even use up any finger foods, which is a perfect dinner idea for fussy eaters.
When it comes to easy meal planning for families, start by planning 4-5 dinners for the upcoming week, which you can do by choosing:
Family favourites
Keep a list of dinners your family loves, then when it comes time to write your meal plan, choose a couple of dinners from your family favourites list.
I keep a family favourites list in a Google Sheet, with links to the recipes, then when I write my family’s weekly meal plan, I choose a couple of meals each week from this list.
Whenever you make a new meal that your family loves, add it to your family favourites list, so over time you build a large list of meals you can choose from.
Quick and easy meals
Another easy family meal planning tip is to choose meals that are quick and easy to make.
Some easy family meals include:
- Gnocchi
- Pizza
- Soup
- Spaghetti
Themed nights
Having themed nights is another easy family meal planning tip that I use to make meal planning easy, as it narrows down food choices, and helps to vary the types of meals my family eats.
Having themed nights means dedicating a theme to each night’s dinner, then choosing a meal that fits that theme.
Here’s an example of a themed night meal plan:
- Monday – Pasta
- Tuesday – Tacos
- Wednesday – Stir-fry
- Thursday – Spaghetti
- Friday – Pizza
- Saturday – Leftovers
- Sunday – Roast
Rotating meal plan
Using a rotating meal plan is another way to make meal planning for the week easy, it means creating two weeks of meal plans, and rotating them each week.
Consider a full meal plan
Consider adding breakfasts, lunches, school snacks, school lunches, dinners, and drinks to your family weekly meal plan, to ensure that all meals are thought of and purchased for.
Here are some meal ideas for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that you can add to your meal plan, if this is an option you’d like to consider:
Breakfast ideas
- Overnight oats
- Smoothies
- Toast with fried egg
- Yoghurt and fruit
Lunch ideas
- Leftovers
- Pasta salad
- Sandwiches
- Wraps
Snack ideas
- Boiled eggs
- Cheese and crackers
- Cheese sticks
- Pre-cut fruit
Write a shopping list
Once you’ve written your meal plan, it’s time to write a shopping list.
Look at your meal plan, and meal by meal write down all the ingredients you need, making sure you don’t include any ingredients you found when doing your kitchen stocktake.
Dividing your grocery list into sections makes it easier to find items once you’re at the grocery store, ensures you don’t add duplicate items, and can help you save money when meal planning.
You can divide your grocery list into the following sections:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Meat
- Fish
- Dairy
- Freezer
- Pantry
- Household
- Toiletries
Flexibility is key
One of the best things about family meal planning for the week is the flexibility it provides to make quick changes.
If there’s a night you’re too tired to cook, you can swap with a meal from a different night, which is quick to make, or you can have leftovers.
Family meal planning for the week – a recap
Family meal planning for the week doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming, with a little bit of time, you can create a meal plan that suits your family’s schedule and budget, and makes mealtimes less stressful.
Whether creating plans for every meal, or just dinners, planning ahead will make your week run more smoothly.
From reducing grocery bills and food waste, to encouraging healthier eating, the benefits of meal planning are too good to ignore.
If you decide to plan dinners, you don’t need to plan dinners for every night of the week. Keeping a list of family favourites, choosing easy meals, using theme nights, or considering a two week rotating meal plan, will make dinner meal planning super simple.
It’s also worthwhile remembering that meal planning is about making life easier, so being flexible by swapping meals around, using leftovers, or taking a night off, will help make meal planning enjoyable.
I hope you decide to give family meal planning a try, and that it makes mealtimes a breeze.
What’s your biggest challenge when planning meals for your family?
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