Weekly Meal Plans and Family-Friendly Recipes

Filed in archive Health on February 15, 2010

Credit: Anna Williams

Until recently, I have constantly struggled with meal preparation. It's not the actual preparation that I find hard; it's coming up with ideas on what to prepare in the first place that beats me. Often it felt like I was just rotating a dozen or so recipes, and on uninspired days, we end up ordering pizza or other take-aways... which happened often. Much too often.

So this year, I vowed I will be more organized with meal planning. On Saturdays, I now make the meal plan for the entire week and make one big shopping expedition for the ingredients, except for those that I'd need t buy fresh. So far, it's working. Not only are our meals more balanced (it helps that you see what your family eats on a weekly basis), I've discovered that this exercise actually helps us budget-wise. I know exactly what I need and I buy those. No more of those oh-let's-get-another-pack-of-(insert ingredient here)-just-in-case, which eventually ends up rotting at the back of the fridge anyway. But the main perk? Less stress on meal ideas! Instead of frantically searching for recipes every single day, I just need to spend half an hour or so per week to prepare the meal plan as well as the shopping list.

If you'd like to try it, and are looking for recipes to include in your meal plans, here are 50 kid-approved recipes you might want to consider. Here are also some books on family meal planning you might want to check out:

The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget

The Best of Let's Do Dinner: Plan-ahead Meals Your Family will Love!

FitKid7- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child!