Family Meal Planning: Simple Strategies and 12 Favorite Family Recipes

It’s Wednesday at 6 p.m., and I just wrapped up my last meeting for the day. I head to the kitchen to look in the fridge and realize we ate up all the food I prepped over the weekend. The fridge is looking like bachelor pad meets busy working mom. My husband comes in and asks, “What is for dinner tonight?” and my daughter grabs a few snacks and runs out the door to dance.

Does this sound familiar?

The bane of running a busy household is the constant chore of keeping food on the table and in the fridge.

Why Family Meal Planning Feels So Hard

Many families have complicating factors, like:

• Food allergies and sensitivities

• Picky eaters or different taste preferences

• Tight budgets for feeding a family

All of these factors can make mealtime stressful and planning overwhelming.

My goal with this blog is to share some helpful habits to make food prep and meal planning less stressful and more attainable.

My 4 Habits for Easy Family Meal Planning

I have a few habits that help me with food prep and organization:

• I plan my week and make a grocery list.

• I like to have a backup meal handy.

• I aim to choose meals that can work for everyone.

• I rely on favorite family recipes for our weekly rotation.

How do I plan my week?

Each week, I get an email from my CSA, Full Circle Family Farm, letting me know what veggies they are delivering in the upcoming week. I look at the list and make a plan based on the veggies we are getting.

• Cauliflower can go into a cauliflower and chickpea roast.

• Carrots and celery will make a nice base for a soup.

• Spinach can be thrown into a pasta sauce.

• Beets I usually make into a simple beet salad with olive oil, vinegar, and salt for a side dish.

Then I make my grocery list based on the recipes and meals that will work with the produce. I also add staples to that list, like yogurt, hummus, popcorn, etc.

My family has a shared Notes list on our iPhones, so we can all add needed groceries as they come up throughout the week.

Keep a backup meal handy

Even with all the planning in the world, there are days when we need something fast and easy. Like my Wednesday night above, life is busy, and we can't always plan.

It is important to keep some core ingredients in the pantry and freezer for those nights when nothing is prepped and you need a busy weeknight dinner. It is OK to keep convenience foods handy to feed your family, i.e., pasta sauce, frozen veggies, canned beans, prewashed salad greens, frozen fruit, and hummus.

Nothing is worse than looking at an empty fridge with your blood sugar dropping!

Busy Weeknight Dinners I Always Have On Hand

Here are some of my favorite modern family dinners that I always have available:

Pasta – Banza pasta, Rao's pasta sauce, and ground meat. I will do a quick defrost of the meat in water, and then voilà! If I have carrots, I can shred those into the sauce. If I have frozen greens, I can wilt those on the side.

Black bean quesadilla – Tortillas layered with cheese and rinsed canned black beans, fried up on the griddle. Serve with salsa or guac! I aim to always have a jar of salsa in the pantry. You can freeze leftover tortillas so they are handy when you need them.

Chicken nuggets and steamed veggies – We like Just Bare chicken nuggets with steamed green beans or broccoli. If I don't have fresh veggies, we usually have some frozen peas to use!

Choose family food that works for everyone

If you have folks in your family with different tastes, choose meals that can be tailored. Building a meal on your plate allows folks to tailor it to their preferences.

Family food needs to be flexible food! 

The other benefit of "make your own" meals is that they take less prep and more time setting out various ingredients.  They help with easy family meal planning.

Build-Your-Own Modern Family Dinners

Taco night – Ground beef cooked in taco seasoning, rinsed canned beans, preshredded lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, and guacamole. Use lettuce wraps, corn tortillas, or flour tortillas.

Salads – Lettuce, veggie toppers, croutons, dried fruit, nuts, grilled chicken, tuna salad, and hard-boiled eggs. Check out my blog on salads HERE.

Buddha bowls – Cooked rice or quinoa, steamed edamame, coleslaw, roasted sweet potato, rotisserie chicken, shredded carrots, red onion, and tahini sauce or tzatziki sauce.

Baked potato bar – Baked potatoes, rinsed black beans, salsa, sour cream, ground turkey, bacon bits, chopped tomato, and chopped red onion.

How i find new favorite family recipes

I aim to keep a list of our family's favorite recipes so I don't forget about them! Once we find a good one that is fairly simple to prep, I want to keep it in rotation. I encourage you to do the same. When you eat a fabulous meal, jot it down.

We do pay for a membership to NYT Cooking. I have yet to find a recipe with 5 stars and over 2,000 reviews that we don't like.

This is my go-to formula for finding new recipes: NYT Cooking + 5 stars + over 2,000 reviews.

You can also plug a few ingredients into a Google search, and many recipes will pop up.

12 Favorite Family Recipes in Our Rotation

1. Paleo Leap's Buffalo Chicken Casserole 

   My dear friend who is a personal chef shared this recipe with me.  We love sheet pan meal and this recipe has a lot of flavor.  We usually have sweet potatoes in the pantry and chicken in the freezer.

2. 10 Spice Lentil Salad (see recipe below)

   This is from my colleague Kathlen Lambert.  It has a really unique flavor profile, most of the ingredients have a long shelf life so it is easy to make in a pinch.  The nuts are interchangeable if you prefer another variety.  If you are prepping for one person, I recommend cutting the recipe in half.

3. Oh She Glows Chickpea Salad 

   Another vegetarian, plant forward lunch dish that is easy to prepare and sort of tastes a little bit like vegetarian tuna. 

4. Kiss My Spatula French Green Lentil Soup 

   This recipe was shared by a close friend many years ago.  We keep French green lentils and tomato paste and onions on hand in the pantry and our CSA often brings carrot/celery so this recipe is easy to throw together mid week.  I usually add more tomato paste and I double the lentils in the recipe.  Also when a recipe calls for water and broth I usually use all broth.

5. Rebecca's Homemade Granola (recipe below)

   James and I love putting this granola on yogurt with fruit.  It is a lower sugar recipe so if you are used to store bought granola this will be much less sweet.

6. Cookie and Kate's Crispy Baked Tofu

   We use this baked tofu like a snacking food.  I think this is a great intro recipe for someone who is new to tofu because it packs flavor and has a nice texture.

7. NYT Cooking Turkey Chili 

   We use this baked tofu like a snacking food.  I think this is a great intro recipe for someone who is new to tofu.

8. The Real Food Dietitians Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad 

   This is a great family friendly recipe for getting a side dish of broccoli and cruciferous veggies.  Real Food dietitians has several varieties, one mayo-free, one dairy-free.

9. Smoked Trout Chowder (see recipe below)

   This is my husband's favorite recipe. I have made it with nondairy coconut milk and with half and half.  Trader Joe’s has the best priced smoked trout.

10. NYT Cooking Lemony Greek Chicken, Spinach and Potato Stew 

    I usually double the chicken in this recipe and keep the potatoes about the same.  I like a high protein to starch ratio. The lemony flavor is delightful.  It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and is lovely reheated in the winter.

11. NYT Cooking Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake 

    If you have some frozen fish, canned coconut milk, all you need to purchase at the grocery store is limes and cherry tomatoes.  We love an easy sheet pan meal.

12. Recipe Tin Eats Slow Cooker Carnitas

    This recipe makes a whole lot of pork carnitas.  Store cooked carnitas in the fridge and fry it up when you are prepping dinner to serve hot with tortillas, cilantro, red onion, salsa and avocado.  Steam some veggies on the side.  

My apologies, but the NYT Cooking recipes are behind a paywall.

Additional Recipes

Rebecca's Homemade Granola

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup raw nuts, chopped (I like any mix)

• ½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

• ½ cup hemp seeds

• ¼ cup oat bran

• 2 scoops whey protein powder

• ¼ cup PB Fit

• ¼ cup coconut oil

• ⅓ cup maple syrup

• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• ½ tsp sea salt

Check out my Instagram post on this!

Instructions

Soften/melt the coconut oil over low heat if it is not already in liquid form (in the summer). Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Pour the mixture into a small square glass or ceramic dish. Tightly pack the mixture into the pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and break up the mixture. Put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes.

Remove from the oven, cool, and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

10 Spice Lentil Salad

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

• 2 tsp each salt and pepper

• 2 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp each cumin, dry mustard, and curry

• ½ tsp turmeric

• ⅛ tsp cinnamon

• 1½ cups dry French green lentils

• ⅔ cup dried currants

• ⅓ cup capers

• 1 cup finely chopped red onion

• ¾ cup pistachio nuts

Instructions

Boil the dry green lentils in water, being careful not to overcook them. Let cool.

Meanwhile, mix the oil, vinegar, and spices and set aside.

Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl. Add the cooled lentils and toss with the dressing.

Refrigerate.

Smoked Trout Chowder

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, chopped

• 2 medium onions, chopped

• 1½ pounds gold or red potatoes

• 3 celery ribs, chopped

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 10-ounce package frozen edamame

• 1 10-ounce package frozen corn

• 2 tsp arrowroot

• 1½ cups half-and-half or coconut milk

• 1–2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 pound smoked trout, skinned, boned, and flaked into 1-inch pieces

• 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves or fresh dill

Instructions

Step 1

In a 5-quart pot (or larger), cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring until crisp. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into ¾-inch cubes. Add the potatoes, celery, and broth and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add the edamame and corn and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.

Step 2

In a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot in the half-and-half or coconut milk and stir into the simmering soup with the Worcestershire sauce.

Bring the soup to a boil, stirring, and add the fish. Stir in the parsley or dill.

Soup may be made 2 days ahead (cool uncovered before chilling covered). Reheat gently.

Bringing It All Back to the Table

Family meal planning doesn’t have to be perfect. Some weeks I’m on top of it, with a plan built around my CSA box and a full fridge. Other weeks, it’s Banza pasta and frozen peas at 6:15. Both count.

The goal isn’t a picture-perfect dinner every night. It’s getting nourishing food on the table with a little less stress, so we can actually sit down and enjoy it together.

That time at the table matters more than we often realize. It’s where we slow down, check in with each other, and actually taste our food. I wrote more about this in The Mindful Eating Table.

In midlife, many of us are feeding everyone else while trying to take care of our own changing bodies. Meals with plenty of protein, fiber, and color work for the whole family, and for you too.

Try this week: Write down three meals your family loves, and stock the ingredients for one backup dinner. That’s a meal plan.

If you’d like help building meals that support you through perimenopause and menopause while still feeding everyone at your table, Kate and I would love to help. Book a free strategy call to get started.