I want to serve my family hot, healthy, home-cooked meals. But being a busy mom, business owner, wife, friend, etc., means that I wear a lot of hats, and I don’t always (read: rarely ever) have time to spend an hour or two in the kitchen every night . . . And I know I’m not alone.
Meal planning can be a big challenge for moms, not because they don’t know what to cook but because they feel too busy. But if you make a habit of meal planning, it is not as difficult as you think. You just need a few ideas on how to get started!
Meal Planning for Moms Made Easy: 4 Simple Steps
Below are tips to make meal planning for moms easy, as well as a whole week of recipes and a meal plan to follow!
1. Spend a Few Minutes Thinking about the Meals You Can Cook for the Entire Week
It only takes about 10 minutes to do some initial planning. This initial planning does not need to be time-consuming or complicated. Make it a habit to plan your meals for the week. The more you practice, the more quickly you can decide what to cook with minimal effort.
2. Make a List of Foods That Your Home Loves to Eat
Keep a list of the foods you love to eat. This will save you time planning next week because you can use the previous menu. To stave off boredom with a particular meal, alternate it every other week, or get creative and jazz it up. Try substituting some of the ingredients or adding new flavors. Customization also saves time because you only have to think of a few components to replace the other contents of the menu.
3. Let Other Members of the Family Help You
It is easier to plan meals if you can delegate some of the tasks to other family members. For example, you cook and prepare, and another family member can shop for the foods you listed. You can even ask them to clean the areas after you cook. My two sons, Jackson and Warren, love to “help” in the kitchen, and I love that they can be involved in making healthy food with me.
4. Cook Foods That You Can Serve Twice
Doubling up the dishes is best if you haven’t planned ahead. It is also an excellent way to save time. You can store the cooked foods in the fridge or freezer and reheat them for another meal later in the week. Keep your foods fresh and safe by storing them in airtight containers.1
7 Meal Prep Recipes to Get You Started
- Hard-boil/bake some eggs for breakfast or a snack, or use them in recipes later.
- Use your crockpot for buffalo chicken and place it in a covered container to use throughout the week for wraps, salads, or low-carb quesadillas.
- Protein pancakes are a staple in my house, and they take just minutes to make. I usually make a double batch for breakfast, snacks, or dinner on Sunday night. If any are left over after a few days (which rarely happens), I freeze them.
- Protein muffins are great for snacks and breakfast on the go! Most muffins can be made in 30-40 minutes and use many of the same ingredients as pancakes, so go ahead and make them simultaneously.
- Chili is great to make ahead, and you can always freeze whatever you have left, so we always make a double batch!
- Breakfast cookies have only a few ingredients and take a few minutes to assemble. I usually make enough for two days. I have breakfast ready for two days, and it only takes me 5 minutes Sunday night. That’s my kind of meal!
- I’ve started making homemade guacamole recently. I can’t believe I never made it before, but now that I do, I can’t go back to store-bought. It takes just minutes, and it’s absolutely delicious! I can use it on wraps, taco salad, as a veggie dip, and more!
Download a complete grocery list with a week of recipes and a meal plan!
