Meal Planning Strategies for the Busy Mom
Another dinner, another meal. The hunger never ends inside of us. It’s as if our innate desire for more manifests real time three times a day, or more.
As a mom juggling writing deadlines, Homeschool lesson plans, four children’s social lives, and sports activities, where is the time to plan the next meal?
Here I’m sharing my top strategies for how to get through a week with family meals, reasonable prep times, and nourishing moments around the table.
It is possible. It is worth the investment. It is the means to a greater end.
Overflow Creative Studio
Identify your meal categories.
Over the years, my number one meal strategy is to select and rotate meal categories. Having a Mexican food night, Protein + Veggies night, an Italian night, an Asian night, or an American night for example, creates guardrails and provides a game plan for meals even when you haven’t figured out the details yet. It helps you feel like you aren’t starting from square one. Plus, you have an answer when your child asks, “What’s for dinner tonight?” You simply say—something Mexican! See how that works?
I walk through these categories when planning, then I rotate a few staple recipes for each category to keep it interesting. If you file away 3-4 recipes for each category and rotate weekly, it carries you through an entire month! At the end of this blog, I have listed a few of our family staples and easiest recipes for weekday dinners to help you get you started and see how simple it can be for you.
Be mindful of your time commitments.
The challenge of preparing a meal is usually less about a lack of creativity and more about a lack of time. If we are honest, we fill our days with commitments that eat into (pun intended) our time to create a moment of proper nourishment with and for our families. Our lack of time leads to a lack of desire because we are already so exhausted, the last thing we have energy for is to make a meal. Can I get an ‘Amen’?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when looking at a meal plan for the week:
Which night(s) are reasonable for us to have a home cooked, sit down family meal at the dinner table?
Which night(s) work better for longer meal prep?
Which night(s) do I have more energy to cook?
Which night(s) is it best to grab and go while we are out and about?
For my family, I know I have more energy and time at the beginning of the week, so I use Mondays as the night for meals requiring more preparation. On Wednesdays, we have a rushed evening, so we always make a version of pasta that the kids have learned to do on their own. By Thursday, we are running on fumes, but I select an easy crowd-pleaser to get us through to Friday. By being honest about your time, you can better plan your meals in a realistic and sustainable way.
Involve your children as early as you can.
While it may be difficult to look ahead if you are currently in the toddler season, the earlier you can involve your children in either the meal prep or the kitchen clean up, the better. Trust me. Let them turn on the mixer, stir the pot, or set the table. Let them wipe down the counters, rinse dishes, and play in soapy water. Eventually they will be boiling water, chopping vegetables, and cleaning the entire kitchen.
We assigned each of our four children to a weekday night to have “kitchen duty”. That included the responsibility to work alongside of us in meal prep and to help clean up. It is almost unbelievable to type out, but I can honestly say our children fight over which night they want to help, because they love it so much.
Train now. Include them. You’ll thank me later.
Make it fun and turn it up.
The best way to create a fun environment for our family is to play music while we cook. We literally have playlists that we love to jam to during meal prep time. There are moments when we get distracted and start a dance party, but mostly it just keeps us focused on the fun side of cooking together.
Think about the ethnicity of food you are cooking and find some music to accompany you in the kitchen. From jazz to Gypsy Kings, a Paris cafe to acoustic hits, music can turn your everyday meal prep into a memory and dare I say tradition? Try it and let me know what you think.
Pick a cookbook and work your way through.
Each year I ask for a cookbook for Christmas and then throughout the following year, I cook my way through it. My favorite cookbooks I turn to time and time again are Bread and Wine and Half Baked Harvest.
I also find it helpful to have staple websites to consult during moments of failed inspiration or exhaustion. Here are a few of my go to’s: What’s Gaby Cooking, The Defined Dish, Half Baked Harvest, and Mel’s Kitchen. We like to use our cookbook recipes for Friday nights or Sunday evenings when we feast.
Recipe Ideas: Check out a few of our staples below.
Protein + Veggies night:
Our easiest kid-friendly fish we love as a family is Salmon. Spread a jar of Pesto on it for a gourmet feel or simply drizzle olive oil, lemon slices, and salt/pepper. Cook at 400 for 20 minutes, and serve with a side of rice/potatoes and veggies.
The easiest veggies we make are broccoli and green beans, tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, roasted at 400 for 20 minutes. The best thing is that it takes the same time you cook the salmon, so you can have the entire meal done in 20 minutes.
The easiest way we prepare sweet potatoes is to cut them in rounds, drizzle in olive oil, sea salt and cinnamon. Roast at 400 for 20 min. Done. See a pattern?
Place all of these on a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil and you also have a mess free meal! Now that is a bonus.
Italian night:
Butter/ Garlic pasta is the kids go-to recipe because they can make it on their own.
Use frozen meatballs from Costco and Rao’s sauce for a traditional spaghetti entree.
If you need a variation, try using tortellini or ravioli. My husband and I like spaghetti squash instead of noodles for a healthier version, and it’s delish!
We also enjoy making pizza at home with toppings on hand in the fridge. Slice a large loaf of ciabatta bread in half, or buy some homemade dough of your choice and get creative! Add red sauce, white sauce, pesto, any toppings of your choice, and mozzarella! It literally takes 30 minutes or less and is much more cost effective than ordering out constantly, plus it’s fun!
Asian night:
This is our favorite ethnicity of food to make and enjoy. We love rice bowls of any kind, so Thai bowls like these hit the spot any night. They are also a great way to add in veggies.
We love Korean dishes of any kind, so a version of this Korean beef bowl is on frequent rotation, and when you saute shredded carrots, zucchini, and spinach in some sesame oil, they make for a healthy addition. Don’t forget to top it with an egg!
Mexcian night:
Another favorite is anything in the Mexican food category. We love making chicken fajitas with this marinade, and eating them in rice bowl form, salad form, or taco form. The options are endless!
Our Mexican food nights would not be complete without my Cilantro Lime Rice. (Recipe posted at the end.)
Feeling in the mood for ground beef/turkey tacos? Brown some meat, add chili powder, paprika, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper and you are ready! Add your favorite toppings and you have yourself a fiesta!
American night:
Anytime I can have my husband grill meat out on the smoker, I do it. Chicken, burgers, you name it—add a salad and a baked potato. Done.
Pulled pork is also one that you can smoke or simply make in your oven. This pulled pork recipe is one of my favorites (other than my husbands smoked version) and the best part is the leftovers.
While the list is exhaustive, remember nourishing moments for your family during a busy week with these few simple strategies is doable. Identify what your most challenging obstacle is and find a strategy to address it.
Try one new thing each month and see which strategy works best for you. Have a tip you don’t see here? Do tell below.
Bon appétit!
