The Family Meal Planning Hack I Wish I'd Started Years Ago
- Christa Rainey
- 13 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Imagine a world where, on any given day, you never had to dread answering the age-old "What's for dinner?" question because you not only already knew the answer, but you also had your pantry and fridge at the ready to cook family favorites every night of the week!
Over the years, I found myself caught between two extremes when it came to menu planning. On one hand, I would do the meal-prep-madness on the weekends -- left feeling plenty prepared but also plenty exhaused. That strategy also seemed to take the creativity right out of our family meals, leading to burnout for all the way around. On the other hand, I would overextend my creativity (and budget) by making a new meal from scratch every night -- delicious, but not sustainable.
I wanted a world where we didn't have to experience burnout from meals that repeated too often, but I also didn't want to feel like I had to reinvent the wheel every time I cooked. Tell me I wasn't alone!
Fast forward to today, where I'm writing this blog post sharing what I have now used for months to take the guesswork out of weekly meal planning, yet keeping flavor and creativity alive and well in my kitchen! Not to mention, has made it possible for my other half to jump in on nights where I'm taking the chef hat off to focus on other needs.
If this sounds like something you need in your life, check out what I've created and committed to memory below, along with a quick description of the mindset for each (which I must say is equally as important to ensure this works for you!)
So simple. So adjustable. So not boring!
And don't worry, I've made a printable-fillable PDF for you ;) I also included some of my favorites from Half Baked Harvest below for inspiration!
— T H E M E N U —
MEATBALL MONDAY — for us, this is usually a traditional spaghetti night and sometimes I love to mix up the type of noodle, doing something like bowtie with a vodka sauce or even penne with a mushroom sauce. The point is here it's time for pasta in any way you feel like serving it up!
TACO TUESDAY — exactly like it sounds, because it's pretty hard to beat a good taco night and since there are so many ways you can make tacos, it's nearly impossible to get tired of them! Our go-to is a traditional lettuce, tomato, cheese with ground meat. But when I'm feeling creative, I'll do a chicken taco with pita bread instead of a crunchy shell, or even steak street taco with a chimichurri sauce!
WHATEVER POT WEDNESDAY — on my best (wednesdays), I'm throwing something in the crockpot, setting it and forgetting it. That being said, if I'm running behind that morning, I'll just wait til evening and do a quick white-bean chili or creamy stew for the win!
TRAY BAKE THURSDAY — for whatever reason, this has turned into my favourite night to cook. There's somethign so satisfying about chopping veggies and prepping protein just to throw it all on one sheet pan. I love to do chicken thighs with roasted asparagus and carrots or even a pork chop with brussels and butternut squash.
FRIDAY PIE DAY — another night where we often opt to hit the easy button with a trip to our favorite places for a good slice of "pie." Otherwise I'll do a chicken pot pie, meat pie, or even make a homemade pizza depending on everyone's mood, including mine!
SATURDAY SURPRISE — this is usually when we'll do a "whatcha craving?" kind of night or even a date night out! It's perfect to grill out or do whatever is convenient as a majority vote. We'll also often times make a trip to a specialty grocery store and make up our dinner menu based on what looks good in the produce and protein sections.
SUNDAY SOUP — after a long week and heading into another round, I have found that a soup is the perfect thing to ease into the week ahead. Options here are endless so just pick something that's easy to cook; you may notice meals become family favourites you can start repeating before you know it!
Say it with me: Meatball Monday, Taco Tuesday, Whatever Pot Wednesday, Tray Bake Thursday, Friday Pie Day, Saturday Surprise and Sunday Soup!
Please enjoy this fillable printable along with a month's worth of sample menus I have used and BONUS, I've included a ChatGPT prompt that I use to get my menu set when I'm not repeating one I've previously made. I'll like to have it link recipes for me and then give me a shopping list!
Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or any AI app, otherwise, you can curate your own menu. Sometimes I'll even stick to a certain blog I love, like 'Half Baked Harvest' and work that into the prompt as well.
ChatGPT prompt:
"I'm ready to set my menu for the week, please link easy recipes using this outline and give me a grocery shopping list as a printable pdf: Meatball Monday, Taco Tuesday, Whatever Pot Wednesday, Tray Bake Thursday, Friday Pie Day, Saturday Surprise and Sunday Soup!"
Fillable Printable Weekly Menu Download:
Last but not least, the hack I also live by is COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE! Meaning, have or pack leftovers for lunch the next day!
Oh! And a couple of my kitchen favorites I couldn't live without:
Smithey Cast Iron Skillet
Cheers to more meaningful meals in your house, because sharing life and sharing food are some of the best memories to make! Enjoy.
xo,
Christa