Tips To Create And Stick To A Weekly Family Meal Plan

By Author: James Anderson
Total Articles: 56
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I have noticed my mom preparing a big list of recipes on Sunday nights. She called that list a meal planner and put in a lot of effort every day to religiously follow her planner. I've always wondered why she was spending so much of her time and energy in just planning for meals, that too small meals for 4 of us. Later, when I started cooking, I realized the importance of having a meal plan. This article offers you a few tips to help you create and stick to a weekly family meal plan.

In this fast-moving world, every little thing needs to be planned properly. A meal plan is essential for all kinds of families. A working mom has to spend some time with her family members to take care of their health and serve them the right nutritious food. This can be accomplished by preparing a meal plan that contains various kinds of food that are suitable for all members in the family. Here are some simple tips to get started.

Make a list of easy-to make dinners

Dinner time is the best time to connect with other members of the family as everyone sit together, talk about different things that happened during the day and ...
... enjoy their meal. It can be made more special only with good and healthy food which all members like to eat. Prepare food like pasta with cheese, noodles and spaghetti which kids love. Ensure that you prepare separate food that contains more of fiber, less cholesterol and less carbohydrates for the elderly. Also plan to have some easy-to-make dinners like Garlic Chicken, Lemon Chicken and Noodles, Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry with peanut sauce, Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with blackberry mustard, Chili Roasted Salmon with cilantro cream, Ham and Swiss Egg (only for kids), Linguine with easy meat sauce etc. Have a well-structured plan to take care of the nutrition and satisfaction of your family.

Use an online meal planner and shopping list templates

There are several online meal planners to help you draw up a perfect and healthy meal plan. All you have to do is sign up with a suitable meal planner by filling in all the details of your family members, like their health condition, dietary needs, age etc. These meal planners generate the menu program for the whole week with the details of the recipe and the nutritive value in each dish. They also send you reminders about the things you need to buy for making the dish and this will help in keeping track of your requirements for the whole week. There are some meal planners which have the functionality of shopping list generation too, helping you save time and money at the grocery store.

Keep the plan flexible

Your family may consist of a kid, a person above 25 years of age, a person above 40 years of age and even a person above 60. Food that a kid requires for good health may not be suitable for a person above the age of 40. So plan your meals according to the dietary requirements of your family. Your meals should be healthy, tasty and easy to prepare and also include the favorites of your family members. Remember that there will be times when you are not able to follow your meal plan. For instance, your kid may be bringing his/her friends home or you may be going out with your colleagues for dinner. There may also be times when there is leftover food which can't be wasted. Keep an alternative plan ready for such days, so that things go smoothly.

Encourage family members to take part in the process

Make meal planning a family activity. Prepare a meal plan by involving everyone in the family, including your kids, as each one of them has different favorites. Ask each one in the family to list out the foods they like and dislike. Keep these preferences in mind while planning your meals. Rotate their favorites on a regular basis so that they are happy about the food they eat. Kids need to be reminded from time to time that food which is healthy may not always be tasty but it is important to eat it without wasting, skipping meals or complaining. Try out new recipes now and then and ask your family for feedback and suggestions.

A proper meal plan is one of the ways in which a working mom can organize nutritious and healthy meals, save money, time and effort, make the best use of leftovers and get things done quickly within the short time that she has. Take efforts to stick to the meal plan to experience the happiness of healthy eating.

Author Bio :

How Does She Do It – offers free menus for a week by providing highly-customizable weekly meal planner with grocery list. Find out how a online weekly meal plan can save time and money.