Family meal planning might have a bit of an intimidating sound to it, especially if you’re the type who instinctively runs away any time you hear the word “planning”. But guess what? It really is far easier than you think once you get the hang of it. 

There’s a reason I sing the praises of family meal planning. Mastering it has been an absolute game-changer for me, reducing a significant source of stress, ensuring my family eats well, saving money, and freeing up time in my schedule. What mum doesn’t want that?

Here’s a quick guide to making your family meal planning a smooth, easy – and dare I say, fun – part of your routine.

1. Be consistent

Like many things in life, tackling this haphazardly isn’t going to get you the results you want. Choose a day for meal planning and stick to it. You might choose one day for planning and one day for shopping, or get it all out of the way together. Either way, sticking to a specific day will build habits that last.

2. Use your calendar

Always work on your meal plan with your calendar nearby, whether you’re doing it on paper or with help from an app. You need to keep the week’s events in mind, whether it’s the usual Thursday afternoon volleyball practice that cuts down on your cooking time dramatically or a special event like a school concert. There will be days you need to plan on having a ready-made meal which you’ve batch cooked or a freezer meal, so even if you think you know what’s coming up in the week ahead, take a look at your calendar just to be sure!

3. Choose the right meals

This is really the #1 secret to successful family meal planning. You need to choose the right meals in terms of not only simplicity but how hands on you need to be. Yes, grilled fish comes together very quick, but what use is it planning to cook such a dish when you know you’ve got a mountain of laundry to deal with? Now, baked fish would be a much better option. You can fold while it cooks. And it makes less mess too!

4. Cook when the kids go to bed

One trick I used to use when my kids were little and I used to have little free time (i.e. – time with them not hanging on to me 😁) was to cook for the next day after the kids have gone to bed. Cooking when your little ones are sleeping gives you time to make meals with multiple steps without distractions. If you pop in your favourite podcast or a good audio book and pour yourself a glass of wine, you can even make it feel like “me” time!
On day 1, it certainly won’t be easy because it will feel like you’re in the kitchen all day (since you’ll have to cook 2 dinners), but once you’ve got day 1 sorted, life is so much easier!

5. Use your ingredients wisely

If you have a bunch of tomatoes that are a few days old, or some ricotta in your fridge that’s expiring next week, these foods should form the basis of the meals you’re planning. And don’t forget to account for those recipes that only use a portion of perishable foods. For example, if your store only sells cabbage by the full head and you just need half a head to make some cabbage slaw for a side dish, plan on having cabbage soup the next night so none of it goes to waste.

Much of successful family meal planning is the result of trial and error – but that doesn’t mean it has to be you making all the mistakes! Hopefully you can learn from my successes and failures and let these tips guide you to week after week of stress-free and enjoyable family dinners!