What time is it? 4:45? Dinner in an hour. But what will we eat?
"Mommy! Read Hop on Pop, please!"
"Okay, just one minute..."
It's so hard to think when the baby is fussing and the toddler wants to read Hop on Pop for the umpteenth time today. You're hungry, so they are probably hungry, too, even if they don't have the words to say it yet.
"Mommy! Hop on Pop, please!"
"Yes, I hear you, let me just get your baby sister settled, and then we can read."
Should I cook? What do we have? I think there are some frozen chicken thighs in the freezer...but they won't defrost in time. Maybe I can throw some chicken nuggets in the oven for the toddler, and me...?
"Mommy!"
Well, I can eat later. Or just have the chicken nuggets, because he probably won't finish them anyway. But that's what we did for lunch, and it was unpleasant, to say the least.
"Mommy!!!!"
Okay, now it's 4:50. Running out of time. What about when the husband gets home from work? He's probably hungry, too. Okay, whatever, let's order a pizza.
Sound familiar? This was me for a long time, too. Until finally, one day, I had enough. We are now a meal-planning family, and for the most part, those days are behind us.
Meal planning sounds impossible when you're a busy parent (or a busy anyone!), but I promise you can do it. Here are a few tips from this stay-at-home mom of two young kids to make it work - and KEEP it working long term.
1. Create Your Meal Plan, Grocery List, & Weekly To Do List/Calendar Together
If you create your meal plan, grocery list, and weekly to-do list at the same time, you'll be an efficient meal planner.
This might sound like a lot to do, but getting it done simultaneously keeps everything manageable (and it can even be enjoyable!).
Click for how to meal plan step-by-step (5 steps based on my own routine)
Choose a cookbook for the week. Prepare post-its for each meal you need this week. I generally use four Post-its labeled "Lunch," "Monday," "Tuesday," and "Thursday" because these are the four meals I need to cook each week. Lunch is usually one big pot of soup to eat every day.
Flip through the cookbook to find interesting recipes for each meal. Try to find recipes that you are excited to cook and that use the same ingredients. Stick the appropriate Post-it on each meal.
As you choose your meals, write down all the ingredients on a grocery list. I like this one, but you can also just use a piece of paper.
Read through each recipe to identify any prep work outside of cooking the meal itself. For example, a piece of meat might need to marinate overnight. Add any tasks you'll need to complete outside of the actual meal-cooking time to your weekly to-do list on the appropriate day.
Decide on "dinner time" for each day of the week. Review each recipe for preparation and cooking times (adjust them accordingly to be realistic for YOU) and determine what time you need to start cooking each meal. Write the "start cooking by" time on your weekly to-do list/calendar for each day.
That's it! All meal-planned and prepped for the week.
If you struggle to keep a weekly to do list, check out Artful Agenda. I've tried and tested many digital and paper planners over the years before finally landing on this one. I absolutely love it.
2. Turn Meal Planning into a Ritual You Enjoy
One of the most difficult things about meal planning is staying consistent. I find the best way to make sure I get it done every week is to turn into something I enjoy.
First, pick a day of the week you will meal plan. I make my meal plans on Fridays for the upcoming week.
Next, pair meal planning with something you like to do. I love physical books, nice pens, and my morning espresso. Every Friday morning, I choose a physical cookbook from my selection and flip through the pages while I drink my coffee.
I genuinely enjoy the sleek pages of a cookbook, the beautiful photographs, and the various "chef's notes" throughout the books. I look forward to perusing them every Friday, especially when I've recently added a new cookbook to my collection.
As I flip through, I use one of my favorite pens to write out my grocery list and label my Post-its. This is such a simple, probably silly, thing to mention, but I love smooth pens, so it helps me see meal planning as something enjoyable.
Consider what YOU can incorporate into meal planning to make it an enjoyable ritual. Maybe it's an album or song to listen to while you work. Maybe you enjoy perusing online recipe blogs. Maybe it's as simple as sitting in peace and quiet while your kids are asleep.
Whatever it is, find the things that bring you joy and make them part of your meal-planning ritual. every week
3. Be Realistic When Creating Your Meal Plans
Stay realistic when choosing your recipes for the week. Otherwise, your meal plans might become unsustainable or discouraging when they don't work the way you intended.
Ask yourself the following questions before you start:
How many meals do I REALLY need this week?
Do I have the ingredients/tools/time/expertise for the recipes I selected?
Did I choose affordable and cost-efficient options?
Is there something in every meal that everyone in my family will eat?
Did I select enough items for every meal to make it a complete and fulfilling dinner?
Did I factor in leftovers?
Here are a few hard truths I had to face about myself to create better meal plans:
I'm probably going to order in once a week. Realistically, I just know myself, my husband, and my family, and we will want take-out one night. In my meal plan, that day is Friday.
I don't need more than three dinners weekly. Between leftovers from those dinners and having dinner once a week at my in-laws, any more than that is just too much food for us. Some of it will go to waste.
I can only have one meal per week that requires something fancy or something new. I love to cook and explore new recipes, but if I choose something new and wildly unfamiliar every night, it just becomes too much.
I like to eat soup for lunch. Instead of trying to switch it up or get creative, I now make a big pot of soup and eat it all week.
My toddler is not going to eat everything on my meal plan. I need to have something separate for him if I want him to eat, especially if we are having a meat-based meal. That usually looks like a little bit of chickpea pasta with tomato sauce and some fresh fruit. Sometimes chicken nuggets.
4. Order Groceries Online (If Possible)
I know not everyone has this option, but if you do, seriously consider it. We've used Pea Pod (through Stop & Shop), and Fresh Direct (also owned by Stop & Shop, I think), and both were great experiences.
We stuck with Fresh Direct long term because I find they have better availability for the things we need, and I get fresher produce from them. I should also mention that I use their app because the Fresh Direct webpage is super glitchy.
I meal plan on Friday and place our weekly grocery order before Saturday at 8 pm. Our groceries are delivered between 5 and 7 am on Monday mornings. I love it because when I come downstairs around 6:30/6:45, all the food for the week is waiting outside the front door.
We've saved so much money since switching to online ordering. Not really because the prices are lower, but because we only purchase exactly what we need. No impulse buys or temptations as we wander the aisles.
5. Incorporate Your Kids into Meal Prep & Cooking
Meal planning would not work for me if I didn't get my kids involved because I just wouldn't have the time. The easiest way to do this is to plan any required meal prep into your daily routine with the kids.
Here are a few ways I keep my toddler engaged while I cook:
Make meal prep something fun to do together. In our house, Mondays are for cooking! We bake bread for the week, cook a big pot of soup, bake a batch of mini-muffins (from a box), and prep our fruits and veggies for the week. My toddler is actively involved in cooking with me all morning and gets very excited to "help" - especially with the bread and muffins. Having him work with me instead of getting bored and fussy helps me get everything done and teaches him good life habits.
Click for suggestions to keep young toddlers busy at the counter
"Watching" things happen (the Kitchenaid mixer spinning, bread rising, etc.)
Cracking an egg into a separate bowl (in case there are shells)
"Helping" you pour ingredients into a bowl
Counting the items you are putting into a bowl
Identifying the color or other characteristics of ingredients
Watching things bake in the oven
Mixing things (or helping you mix)
Keep a toddler kitchen stool in front of a clear counter. We use this one, but there are many others online or on resale at Facebook Marketplace. We keep his stool in front of a counter that remains clear (for safety) or against the wall outside the kitchen. We also put some toy cooking supplies on the counter for him to play with in idle moments.
Strategically plan screen time. I try pretty hard to limit screen time to an hour or less daily. It does not always work, but we try! I plan our screen time to be during the windows when I am prepping dinner. That way, he is occupied even if he doesn't want to "help" at the counter.
What tips do you have for planning and cooking meals for your family? Drop them in the comments! And, take the poll below to let me know if you think I should post our weekly meal plans for others to use :)
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