New Routine: Sharing the Meal Planning and Cooking with my Family

Meal planning is without a doubt the absolute hardest thing for me to do.

I don’t enjoy it.

It doesn’t inspire me.

I get no satisfaction from doing it. Not even when it is completed.

I don’t mind cooking, but my head isn’t full of 100s of recipes to pull from which makes meal planning onerous.

This is how my family created 1-month of meal planning in one family meeting.

A Moment of Brilliance

One day recently, it hit me — why am I carrying this load alone? I have family members! So, I called a family meeting (actually brought the topic up over supper) and recruited my family to help with planning, shopping, and cooking suppers.

They were happy (only mildly reluctant) to come on board with my (brilliant) idea of each of us having our own nights to make supper. Three each for my partner and myself leaving one for our 11 yo daughter. Each of us plans the meal and shops for the ingredients needed. Then he or she prepares it with or without assistance on their assigned evening. (With kids, I’ve learned to be specific on what is expected.)

Planning the Meals and Shopping

After supper, we sat together and created the 7-day meal plan, drew it up on paper, and posted it on the fridge where it will guide us for . . . a whole month!! Woohooo So simple!! (Ok, so it took me WAY too long to come up with this, but it is still good.)

On shopping day, we each take a look at the plan, the pantry, fridge, and freezer to write our individual shopping lists. After that, we’re off to the store where we each grab a trolley and go our separate ways to find the ingredients we need meeting up near the check-outs when we have our shopping completed.

Before checking out, we (I) look over the contents in the trolleys for contraband (unauthorized items usually sweets) and significant duplicates. (We go through 3 jugs of milk in a week, not 3x 3 jugs of milk.) Once everything is approved, we check out, head home, and everybody helps put the food away. This way we each know where to find our ingredients on our day.

Then, it’s just a matter of following the plan.

The Meal Plan

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday are my cooking days. Wednesday is daughter’s day. Saturday, Sunday, Monday are my partner’s days.

Monday — the paper says chips, eggs, and sausages but I don’t remember eating that. I think it was mostly leftovers. Tuesday — chili con carne or a slow cooker recipe (These are comfort foods for me. yum) Wednesday — beef tacos or taco salad Thursday — chicken, and potatoes with green winter veg steamed, lots of seasonings make this one of our favourite meals Friday — fish (salmon or white fish) and roasted winter veg Saturday — fried rice (This started as a basic recipe a couple of years ago and has been curated into another family favourite.) Sunday — roasted chicken and winter veg

As we are coming to the end of this month, it is time to plan for next month. Including my family is definitely a new routine I will keep and add to my collection of habits and routines that I use to manage my life and the house.

I will keep the chili on Tuesdays and chicken on Thursdays and find a new recipe for Fridays for my cooking days. I will let you know next month what the new recipe is.

How does meal planning happen at your house? Do you share the planning, shopping, and cooking with your family members? I’d love to see your favourite recipes.

This is the recipe that was the kick-off for what became our favourite chicken and potato with a green veg meal: Parsley Red Potatoes Recipe