How to Start a Family Meal Planning Routine That Works
If you are tired of the daily, “what’s for dinner?” stress or spending too much money on last minute takeout, it’s time to build a family meal planning routine that will actually work for you. The good news in it all is it doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few simple strategies, you can create a system that saves time, reduces food waste and brings your family back to the dinner table.
Below you will find a few practical ways to begin meal planning for your family and create habits that last.
Start With a Weekly Meal Planning Day
Pick one day a week, I prefer Friday or Saturday, to plan your meals. Block off 30 minutes to sit down with your calendar and decide what to cook based on your schedule.
Pro Tip: Use a printable weekly meal planner to make this step easier.
Choose Dinner Theme Nights
Try making meal planning fun with predictable themed nights like:
- Make Ahead Monday
- Taco Tuesday
- Wellness Wednesday
Themed meals reduce decision fatigue and can help you create various meals with ease.
Take Inventory of Your Cabinets and Refrigerator
Before meal planning, check what you already have. This reduces food going to waste and helps build meals around what is already on hand instead of buying more groceries.
Pro Tip: Keep a running inventory list of items in your cabinet to reference back to when meal planning.
Plan Around Your Family’s Schedule
Busy practice night on Mondays? That is a slow cooker or leftover night. Planning meals around your life and kids extra-curricular activities ensures the routine is doable, not stressful.
Involve the Family
Let everyone choose meals for a specific day or assign each family member to a “pick” night. With everyone involved, they are more likely to eat what’s served and maybe, fingers crossed, if they are old enough, volunteer to cook a meal or two.
Prep Ahead When You Can
Even small prep tasks such as chopping vegetables or marinating meat can make weeknight dinners come together much faster. Batch cooking on the weekends can also help with saving time.
Be Flexible
Do not stress if plans change. I have swapped days, used leftovers strategically or have a backup freezer meal ready when things don’t go as planned. Flexibility is key to sticking with a meal plan long term.
Beginning a family meal planning routine that sticks can take time but it is about progress over perfection. Keep it simple, stay consistent and give yourself grace. With time, your new routine will feel second nature and dinner will be one LESS thing to worry about.
Want to JUMPSTART your meal planning?
Download your Weekly Meal Planner today and receive printables that make meal planning, shopping and cooking easier every week.
