Meal Planning Made Easy For Busy Families| ParentMap

dad in a kitchen prepping lunches for the week

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Mealtimes can be challenging for parents when children are picky eaters, and dinner planning is often rushed after a long day at work. This constant struggle to provide and manage meals contributes to parental stress, and can prevent families from savoring quality time together.

However, with the right tools and preparation, you can feel empowered with practical solutions that can help to save time, prevent stress and improve your family’s eating habits. From creating a master list of your family’s favorites, to making time for meal planning, read on to discover actionable tips that you can easily implement in your kitchen.

family having fun preparing dinner together — Spend less time stressing, more time making and eating dinner together as a family. Photo: iStock

1. Involve the whole family in meal planning

One of the most effective strategies to avoid stress is making sure that every family member engages in the meal planning process. This may reduce the number of dishes you have to make after a hectic workday. To encourage everyone to get involved, try the following:

Create a favorites list

Ask each family member to share their top three to five meal choices. This can be captured on a whiteboard, in a shared digital document or even on a piece of paper posted on the fridge. This will encourage participation and make everyone feel valued. Encourage family members to include seasonal fruits and vegetables in their meal preferences to promote healthier eating.

Invite kids to source recipes

Involving kids in meal planning can increase their willingness to eat healthy foods. Inviting your kids to choose recipes from chef websites, cookbooks and online videos can encourage them to understand their nutritional choices while learning how to cook.

Create a kitchen soundtrack

Kids can set up a playlist on a streaming platform that they can blast while helping with meals, making time in the kitchen together even more enjoyable for everyone.

child writing a list of her favorite family meals to help with prep — Ask the kids too! Include the whole crew in writing a list of family meal favorites. Photo: iStock

2. Stay organized

Organizing meals into categories and following a structured approach can save time and effort. Here are a few ways to increase your mealtime organization:

Create clear meal categories, such as:

Vegetarian: plant-based meals
Non-vegetarian: eggs, fish and meats
Quick dinner: meals that are prepared in less than 30 minutes
Comfort food: hearty and delicious meals that are healthy and nutritious

Call in tech support

Some useful meal planning apps such as Paprika, Mealime and Platejoy make it easy to keep track of meals with photo tags. Some of these apps let you use meal calendars for developing weekly meal plans to avoid the fuss every night after work.

Review and rotate the categories

Include variety in the meal categories and regularly review or update the list based on family feedback and seasonal ingredients.

Create meal planning templates

There are countless designs available online that you can explore based on your family’s needs. Here are two great options:

Free printable weekly planners: Live Craft Eat offers printable weekly planners in various horizontal and vertical styles. The planner has assigned sections for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a shopping list section. It even allows you to customize your planner in colors for weekdays and weekends.
Monthly planners: Google Sheets offers a more structured approach by providing a weekly meal planning option. It encourages users to categorize their favorite meals in fancy sub-sections like “Pizza Fridays” or “Comfort Mondays.”

glass food containers for meal prep — Good quality food containers are a solid investment in your meal planning success. Photo: iStock

3. Keep dinners fun and easy

Try themed meals

Organize fancy meal nights like Pasta Night, Taco Tuesday and Pizza Fridays to make your weekly meal plans fun while still keeping to a routine. Need some inspiration for your themes? Give these a try!

Taco Tuesday: Try these three deliciously different taco recipes.
Pasta Night: Here’s a slow cooker baked ziti recipe and an easy one-pot pasta meal.
Pizza Fridays: These nine pizzas kids can help make are sure to be a hit.

mom and child pulling a homemade pizza from the oven — Ready-made crusts and fresh toppings can make pizza night an easy and healthy family favorite. Photo: iStock

Quick meal strategies for busy parents

Identify the pain points in your schedule. Take note of the days when activities will impact family dinners, like special events or work commitments. Mark these days on your family calendar to plan meals accordingly.
Prep as much as possible. When you have a spare moment, cut vegetables, boil and cook chicken breasts, microwavable grains, and store them in good-quality containers. This will help reduce the cooking time in the evenings and conserve a lot of energy.
Revive leftovers. Reuse and modify leftovers in creative ways, such as using roasted veggies in a multigrain bread sandwich.
Utilize one pan recipes. Select sheet pans or skillet dishes for quick preparation and easy cleaning.
Cook in batches. Utilize the weekends by cooking meals in a larger batch. Using good quality, air-tight containers will ensure that the foods remain fresh for the entire week. Be sure to select recipes that freeze well, and start with dishes that take longer to cook or involve a lot of steps.
Don’t leave it up to memory. Label every container with details like the date of preparation, the name of the dish, and the timeline for re-stocking.
Make space. Assign a space in your fridge for batch-cooked meals so that you can locate them easily and have dinner ready in a pinch.

Clear glass containers in a fridge labled with dates for leftover foods. — Label every container with details like the date of preparation, the name of the dish, and the timeline for re-stocking. Photo: iStock

More resources to make family meal time fun and easy:

About the Author

By Akanksha Awadhesh Singh

Akanksha Awadhesh Singh is a health writer based in Adelaide, Australia. Her upbringing in India shaped her deep-rooted interest in wellness and nutrition. With a Master’s degree in Biotechnology and ongoing studies in Food and Nutrition Science at the University of Adelaide, she brings a strong academic foundation to her work.

Her passion for health and science is reflected in her diverse writing experiences, including roles as a freelance health writer for Health Today in New York and a sub-editor for OnDit Magazine at the University of Adelaide. Akanksha has also contributed as a guest writer for The Epoch Times in New York. She volunteered her talents to organizations such as You Belong in Basel, Switzerland, and One Up Nurse Writer LLC in the USA.

Having worked as a copyeditor at Pequish, Akanksha has honed her editorial skills while staying true to her mission of making health information accessible and engaging. Her ability to adapt to varied content styles, her cultural insights, and her attention to detail, positioned her as a dedicated and skilled writer in the health and wellness space.