How to Plan Dinner Menus for the Family

“What’s for dinner?” might be the last thing you want to hear after a long day at the office or chasing around a couple of toddlers. Having a regular dinner schedule, however, invites a peaceful end to what may have been an otherwise hectic day. They key is to do as much of the planning and preparation ahead of time as possible, so you can get dinner on the table quickly. Make sure to get everyone involved in the process as well, so they’ll be more eager to eat what’s on their plate — and maybe more appreciative of the time you spend together at the dinner table!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setting up the Week’s Schedule

1
Discuss with your family members before planning an event for the week ahead. On Saturday or Sunday, check to see, which nights you may have to work late, when your daughter has soccer practice or if your spouse is volunteering at the animal shelter after work, and so on. Keep these evening events in mind as you plot out your dinner menu for the week. That way, you can save the slightly more time-consuming dinners for slightly less hectic days!^{[1]XResearch source}
- If you don’t have one already, create a weekly family event calendar and post it in a conspicuous location, like near where everyone’s shoes, keys, etc. are kept.
- Of course, if you don’t work a Monday through Friday schedule, your “weekend” might be a Wednesday — and that’s fine! Plan for the week ahead however it works for your family.
2
Get everyone’s input on the menu. What’s the point of working to get a meal on the table if no one wants to eat it? Each weekend, ask for menu suggestions from each member of the household. You might even let each family member choose the dinner menu themselves for a single night — but you might want to keep veto power just in case!^{[2]XTrustworthy SourceDairy Council of CaliforniaResource center focused on providing nutrition education to help consumers make healthy choices about eating and lifestyle habits.Go to source}
- Especially when you’re dealing with kids, getting them involved in the process—and letting them feel like they have an active and valuable role—usually increases their enthusiasm for the project (in this case, dinner).
3
Stick with recipes that suit your tastes and circumstances. While it’s great to try new things, save most of your kitchen experimentation for the weekend, when there’s more time to whip up spaghetti or scrambled eggs if the main course falls flat. Tuesday nights usually aren’t the best time to try sous vide cooking for the first time or convince your kids that turtle soup is delicious!^{[3]XTrustworthy SourceDairy Council of CaliforniaResource center focused on providing nutrition education to help consumers make healthy choices about eating and lifestyle habits.Go to source}
- Once you find a recipe that everyone likes, put it into the regular rotation. Most kids don’t mind eating foods they like regularly, so a 4-week rotating menu of recipes should be plenty for a typical family.^{[4]XResearch source}
4
Schedule 1 or 2 “off” days each week. Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to put a full meal on the table each and every weeknight. It’s okay to take it easy once or twice per week, especially on days that are particularly hectic. Figure out the busiest evening for the week ahead and make it eat-out or take-out night. The kids won’t mind, and you’ll still be eating together!^{[5]XResearch source}
- Even if you’re determined not to eat out weekly, set aside one night near the end of the work week (perhaps Thursday) as “leftovers night.” You’ll almost certainly have food left from the previous few nights, so let each person reheat what they want or create quick new dishes out of leftovers (search for recipes online).
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Shopping and Prepping Food Beforehand

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Shop based on your menu once per week. A plan-ahead menu does you little good if you don’t have what you need to make that night’s meal. You’ll save time and money by planning out your weekly menu first, then writing down what you need and shopping for those items. You can, of course, also add staple foods and healthy snacks to your shopping list—but do specifically list them to reduce the urge to make impulse buys.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourceDairy Council of CaliforniaResource center focused on providing nutrition education to help consumers make healthy choices about eating and lifestyle habits.Go to source}
- Involve kids in creating the actual shopping list and then finding each item in the store, as if it is a scavenger hunt. This may help limit the number of times you hear “I want this!” or “Why can’t we get that?” while grocery shopping.
2
Do as much prep work as you can over the weekend. Once you have your menu and your groceries, figure out which parts of meal preparation you can do 1 or more days ahead of time. Chop produce, cube or shred cheeses, trim meats, or even prepare sauces that you can quickly reheat when needed. Every minute you spend prepping on the weekend is 1 less you have to find time for during your busy work week.
- You can go one step further and try batch cooking, in which you prepare the components of full meals separately, then label and refrigerate or freeze them so that you can put together healthy dinners even more quickly.
3
Become good friends with your slow cooker. A slow cooker (e.g., a Crock Pot) can be a great time saver for busy weeknights, especially if you tend to have a bit of time available in the mornings. You can prepare your ingredients, throw everything into the slow cooker, set it to cook while you’re away at work, and arrive home to find a fully-cooked dinner waiting for everyone.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Most slow cookers come with a small recipe book, but you can easily find thousands of slow cooker recipes online.^{[8]XResearch source}
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting More Ideas or Help

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Find weeknight recipe ideas online. Rest assured that you’re not the only busy parent looking for help in putting nutritious dinners on the table. There are several websites that offer constantly-changing, weekly dinner plans that you can download. Consider, for instance, http://www.myrecipes.com/menus/weeknight-meal-planners.
- You can also find complete, one-month rotating dinner menus for download, which you can probably repeat over and over again without much complaint.
2
Connect with other busy parents. Use the power of social media to your advantage. Swap recipes and dinner ideas with friends, family, co-workers, and even total strangers. Share your family dinner successes and laugh together about your supper fiascos.
- You might even want to more actively join forces with a close friend or neighbor. Work together to build each of your weekly menus, go shopping together, and take turns at each other’s homes starting the prep work on your family’s meals for the week ahead.
3
Sign up for a meal kit delivery service. If you’d prefer to have someone else do the planning, shopping, and prep work (and you don’t have room in the budget for a personal chef!), there are now numerous meal kit delivery services (such as Blue Apron and HelloFresh) operating across the U.S. and elsewhere. The details and prices vary, but basically you’ll get a box shipped to your door that has all the ingredients you’ll need and step-by-step cooking instructions.^{[9]XResearch source}
- In addition to saving time, you may also (perhaps surprisingly) find that you get fresher ingredients this way.
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Expert Q&A

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How can I create a balanced meal plan?
Claudia Carberry, RD, MS
Registered Dietitian
Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010.
Claudia Carberry, RD, MS
Registered Dietitian
Expert Answer
When meal planning, use ChooseMyPlate.gov as a guide. Imagine your plate divided into sections: 50% of your plate should be vegetables and fruit, 25% of your plate should be a carbohydrate or starch, and 25% should be a protein. You can opt to have milk or yogurt with your meal as well.
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Review your current menu as you create any night's dinner and pull out what you'll need for the next day. For example, if today is Tuesday and you'll need chicken for Wednesday, take that out to thaw as well as any side dishes (such as potatoes for mashed potatoes) while making tonight's dinner.
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Making the day before you go grocery shopping leftover night is a great way to clean out the fridge.
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Leftover night does not have to be a drag. Make it an event the family can look forward to by letting them know they can have their favorite dishes from the previous day(s).
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