One of the things I don't do that well over the summer is menu planning. While I don't completely stop menu planning during the summer, it's definitely not as structured. So, that being said, menu planning is back in full gear. You can find weekly menu plans saved to my Instagram highlights under meal plans as well as "what's cooking" each night in my highlights.
Menu planning can be so overwhelming, especially if you have kids. Let's face it, kids are so picky and temperamental when it comes to food. One day they like something, the next day it grosses them out. Plus, add dinner time sports practices and you might feel like grabbing some chicken nuggets at McDonalds is just so much easier. So, I thought I would write down some tips and tricks that we use in our home that really help make menu planning and dinner time way less daunting!
Here are ten tricks that might help make your menu planning and dinner time a bit more pleasant and successful.
1. Make a list of all the foods your family likes to eat. Use that at as a reference so that you aren't eating dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets every single night. Slowly add new meals every now and then and if they are a hit, make them again the following week. Last Spring, Weston decided that bacon cheeseburgers were his jam (except, he can't have cheese so eating this at restaurants can't happen). Suddenly he was asking for sliders and I was able to add another meal option to our list.
2. Take advantage of Pinterest. Start a board just for dinner ideas and as you see them, pin them. It's way quicker than perusing magazines for a recipe, plus you can see comments on the pin and the original post. You can easily search dairy free options, paleo, or if you have a hankering for some orange chicken you can search for it easily there. There are other clubs, like e-meals, that you can subscribe to for a small fee that help a lot. And then, if you really wanted to make things easy, there are meal delivery services like Hello Fresh that help big time with meal planning (and shopping.
3. Take note of your calendar. Keep in mind when you are menu planning the things happening during the day (i.e. your busy days or your crazy evenings). Don't plan a dinner with a lot of steps if you aren't going to have time to prep and cook or if you aren't even going to have time to eat it. Save those meals for nights when not much is happening. Use your crockpot or your instapot on those busy nights. I try to plan meals that are easy to prep and throw in bento boxes for soccer nights. We eat salads, paninis, stuffed sweet potatoes, and stir fry a lot on these nights.
4. Make your Grocery List at the same time you plan your meals. I typically click on the link of the recipe I want to make and check to see if it's even doable. Then, I go through the ingredients and write them down, especially the ones I know we don't have. Then, when I finish menu planning, my grocery list is also finished.
5. Set rules for eating. We have a three bite (not nibble) rule in our house, where before you can say you don't like dinner, you must eat three bites. After that, if you still don't like it, you can make your self a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now, let me be honest: this does not mean, dinner times are always peaceful and carefree. There are still tears and frustration over three bites, but once it's done, they are okay. They survive. We also don't allow them to eat chicken nuggets 2 nights in a row. This rule is fairly new and it is working amazingly! Sometimes, they even discover they like what we are having for dinner, sometimes they don't. Don't take it personally.
6. Don't always cater to one person. It's hard to please everyone and sometimes we want to eat something we know our kids won't touch. That's perfectly fine. Plan for your kids to have chicken nuggets or a corn dog and have your self something delicious without worrying about your kids yelling at you. Tonight I made salmon, even though my not so picky child (who loves fish) can't have salmon because it makes him sick (recent discovery. . . he's really sad). Everything worked out.
7. Eat the rainbow. Find ways that will get your kids to eat their veggies and incorporate that into your menu plan. We roast our veggies a lot and I am amazed that my oldest will devour some butternut squash and brussels sprouts like they are going out of style.
8. Plan for the unexpected. I always try to keep a few "emergency" dinners for nights when nothing goes as planned. . . like forgetting to get out the meat, or busier than normal day. Always have some Trader Joe's Orange Chicken in the freezer just in case.
9. Know your budget. Don't go out and blow your budget in the first week. Figure out where to shop for the best foods for the best prices. I spend way too much time shopping between my several go-to stores (Amazon Prime is a game changer when it comes to Whole Foods!), but stores like Walmart are starting to offer some really good clean options and you can have your whole order brought to your car. I am a huge fan of Trader Joes and Sprouts, as well as Target (If someone would just tell them how much better their pick up service would be if they did cold stuff!). Every now and then, I venture into our local Grocery Outlet because every now and then they have some great non-dairy, non soy finds for way cheaper than I can find else where. It's worth the hunt sometimes!
10. Don't get discouraged. You and your family need to eat and scrounging around trying to find something for dinner at the last minute makes your evening more stressful. Having a meal planned and ready to cook makes you more likely to eat healthier and together as a family. Don't give up the first week. It takes 28 days for something to become a habit. Not every week is perfect, but hang in there, you will find your groove and what works for you and your busy schedule.
Meal planning is definitely something that I find important. If I didn't menu plan, I might make Jon pick up Chick Fil A on the way home every night. Ha Ha. I hope these tips help you out.
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