I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to cook for yourself, picky kids and possibly a partner that doesn’t have the same diet as you.
So, how do you meal prep for a family? Here is some advice the WWL communitiy suggests: Use fast resources like Pinterest and Instagram for ideas! Meal prep is definitely the best way to go. Find one or two days out of the week when you’re the least scattered and just go for it. There are a ton of Instagram and Pinterest accounts that make meal prepping cheap, simple, and fast. -Ryan from Texas with one son
And if you don’t want to scour the interent in search of recipes, I recommend looking intothe WWL Meal Prep Program. We have over 600+ meal prep friendly recipes that can all be made omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. If you want to meal prep for a family, this is an amazing resource!
Busy Mom Food Prep
Remember to grab pre-prepped proteins at the grocery store! Semi-prepped meats from the supermarket (like shredded chicken and turkey carnitas) makes for easy protein. I make 10 or so freezer crock pot meals at a time so I have a stash whenever we have a busy week. I think ahead about what I’ll need for dinner and will chop veggies, etc. to make dinner prep faster the next night. My 2-year-old is always up on the counter while I cook. -Jessica from California with one kid
One-pot meals are your BFF: My husband and I alternate which days we cook. I cook one night, he the next. Most of the time we try to make meals that require one pot and little clean up. At least once a week we’ll do a crockpot meal that we start when we leave for work so it’s ready when we come home. – Darla from Arizona with two kids Try some of our favorite one-pot meals!
“What should I make for dinner tonight?” should never be a question: Think of the recipes you want to cook before the week starts. I usually write down the dishes I will cook for the week. This even goes for breakfast and lunch. Each meal of the day is planned ahead so I don’t have to spend time thinking “what should I cook today?” I also chop up all the vegetables on Sunday to save time during the week. – Shweta from Houston, one child
Easy Meal Prep Recipes
Know your go-to meals and have those groceries on hand: My biggest tip is to plan out five supper meals for the week. You don’t have to set a specific meal for a specific day, but just know what five meals will work for the week and have those groceries on hand. If I make a roast one week I’ll freeze half to have something different with it the following week. -Kayla, Manitoba, Canada, two kids
Grocery shopping & budgeting tips from parents: Think about how to repurpose bulk items: I use the weekly ads to buy produce and protein where they are on sale, and I know what items are priced at each store. Use items twice. So if I buy a big bag of kale, one day I’ll use it for a white bean and kale soup, two days later use it for kale Caesar salads. -Rachel, California, two kids
Your list is your grocery spirit guide: We have a local produce delivery that we get weekly. Eggs included. Sprouts always has great produce and meat sales. We buy bulk meat and freeze it from Costco (salmon, pork loin, chicken, meatballs.) I never go to the grocery store without a list! It keeps me focused. -Jessica, California, one child Making your own baked goods is the way to go: If your not picky, frozen fruits and veggies on sale can be a great option for families. Buy in bulk, shop what is on sale and menu plan around that. Stay away from pre packages items that can be more expensive. Make your own cookies, muffins etc instead of buying pre packaged snacks. –Kayla, Manitoba, Canada, two kids Try out some of our favorite baked goods:
Day Meal Prep For Weight Loss • A Sweet Pea Chef
How to handle cooking for different preferences in your family: Find the common ground to make cooking faster and easier: Most of my own meals are often whatever my daughter doesn’t eat. But if everyone has a common ground it can be easier. For example if I’m cooking a shepards pie for my parents, I can keep aside some mashed potato for my sister and my daughter to add to their meals. Its mostly about optimising what I can to feed everyone. -Heather, Dublin with “one insane toddler” Why food can be fun and how to ease into more adventurous meals: Experiment, experiment, experiment. I’m the more adventurous eater, but my wife is a lot more cautious so I either pull out the puppy dog eyes or just get her in the kitchen with me. We dance, she tastes things as everything is being prepared and I just try my best to make food fun.Make a list of about 20 meals everyone will eat. Slowly add more adventurous items, and pair something new with something familiar. Make it colorful — people are more likely to eat pretty food. -Ryan, Texas, one child
Split up leftovers based on food, health anddiet priorities/preferences: My husband and I have similar tastes, although I’m more of a veggie eater and he loves his meat. Our plates have different portions of meat, carb, veggie, but we all eat the same thing. If there are leftovers, he gets more meat and I get more veggies. Avery eats everything we do- tonight she spit out her broccoli, but I still put everything on her plate so she has the option to try it when she wants. -Jessica, California, one child
Be strategic about getting your fam to try new foods without changing the dish too much: With some foods my family doesn’t enjoy, I’ll still include them and leave them to pick it out, but only with ingredients that don’t actually drastically change the flavor (legumes, mushrooms, greens). For other things like spiciness, I’ll put the spice or sauce on the side to be added for personal taste. Everyone actually tries more variety with these methods. -Joyce, Pennsylvania, two kids (and one more on the way!) Let your family build their own dishes (buffet style) to accommodate everyone’s needs: I would have them do “parts” for meals. For example, I recently made Talia’s shrimp stir fry. My husband isn’t too keen on pasta right now and my daughter detests shrimp. We made the meal so the veggies, meat and pasta were all separate and you could “build your own” dish. This really worked for us because is accommodated everyone in our family. -Darla, Arizona, two kids
Easy Vegan Meal Prep Bowls
A little compromising never hurt anyone: Compromise! Plan on cooking some meals that all of you love. It can be boring to eat the same thing over and over, so sometimes you have to cook separate meals. You can use Talia’s trick where she keeps the main component of the dish same but utilizes it in different ways to accommodate different taste and dietary preferences. For example, I am on gluten free diet. When making pasta, all of us eat gluten free pasta. My fiancé’s daughter does not like any sauce on her pasta, so I put some olive oil on hers and serve it with vegetables she likes. -Sweta, Texas, one child If your kids help, they’re more likely to try new things:
Get your kids involved in cooking. This helps them see what goes in their food and what it looks like before and after it is cooked. If they are involved, they are more likely to try something they “cooked.” My daughter would not eat the beef stew I made. The following week I had her “help me” make it (put the cut veggies in and pour pre-measured ingredients in the pot). When it was done I told her I was so proud of the stew she made. She ate it and asked for “ew” the next day, haha. -Leigh, Pennsylvania, one child
Prep the easiest meal to save time and make family dinners fun: I usually prep lunches for the week because lunches are usually the easier meals to make. Pinterest is my best friend when it comes to making meals more kid-friendly for my son. He loves when I make little animals out of his meals. Dinner can be a bit tougher because three days out of the week are insanely busy, but I do love to make an event out of it. We set the table together, we cook together, we BLAST music together (usually Disney tunes) and there’s a no TV rule as well so we can all stay connected. Then, for the finale, we’ll bake cookies or make ice cream together. -Ryan, Texas, one child Make a meal prep system and stick to it: Friday’s, I
Easy Chicken And Vegetable Meal Prep
How to handle cooking for different preferences in your family: Find the common ground to make cooking faster and easier: Most of my own meals are often whatever my daughter doesn’t eat. But if everyone has a common ground it can be easier. For example if I’m cooking a shepards pie for my parents, I can keep aside some mashed potato for my sister and my daughter to add to their meals. Its mostly about optimising what I can to feed everyone. -Heather, Dublin with “one insane toddler” Why food can be fun and how to ease into more adventurous meals: Experiment, experiment, experiment. I’m the more adventurous eater, but my wife is a lot more cautious so I either pull out the puppy dog eyes or just get her in the kitchen with me. We dance, she tastes things as everything is being prepared and I just try my best to make food fun.Make a list of about 20 meals everyone will eat. Slowly add more adventurous items, and pair something new with something familiar. Make it colorful — people are more likely to eat pretty food. -Ryan, Texas, one child
Split up leftovers based on food, health anddiet priorities/preferences: My husband and I have similar tastes, although I’m more of a veggie eater and he loves his meat. Our plates have different portions of meat, carb, veggie, but we all eat the same thing. If there are leftovers, he gets more meat and I get more veggies. Avery eats everything we do- tonight she spit out her broccoli, but I still put everything on her plate so she has the option to try it when she wants. -Jessica, California, one child
Be strategic about getting your fam to try new foods without changing the dish too much: With some foods my family doesn’t enjoy, I’ll still include them and leave them to pick it out, but only with ingredients that don’t actually drastically change the flavor (legumes, mushrooms, greens). For other things like spiciness, I’ll put the spice or sauce on the side to be added for personal taste. Everyone actually tries more variety with these methods. -Joyce, Pennsylvania, two kids (and one more on the way!) Let your family build their own dishes (buffet style) to accommodate everyone’s needs: I would have them do “parts” for meals. For example, I recently made Talia’s shrimp stir fry. My husband isn’t too keen on pasta right now and my daughter detests shrimp. We made the meal so the veggies, meat and pasta were all separate and you could “build your own” dish. This really worked for us because is accommodated everyone in our family. -Darla, Arizona, two kids
Easy Vegan Meal Prep Bowls
A little compromising never hurt anyone: Compromise! Plan on cooking some meals that all of you love. It can be boring to eat the same thing over and over, so sometimes you have to cook separate meals. You can use Talia’s trick where she keeps the main component of the dish same but utilizes it in different ways to accommodate different taste and dietary preferences. For example, I am on gluten free diet. When making pasta, all of us eat gluten free pasta. My fiancé’s daughter does not like any sauce on her pasta, so I put some olive oil on hers and serve it with vegetables she likes. -Sweta, Texas, one child If your kids help, they’re more likely to try new things:
Get your kids involved in cooking. This helps them see what goes in their food and what it looks like before and after it is cooked. If they are involved, they are more likely to try something they “cooked.” My daughter would not eat the beef stew I made. The following week I had her “help me” make it (put the cut veggies in and pour pre-measured ingredients in the pot). When it was done I told her I was so proud of the stew she made. She ate it and asked for “ew” the next day, haha. -Leigh, Pennsylvania, one child
Prep the easiest meal to save time and make family dinners fun: I usually prep lunches for the week because lunches are usually the easier meals to make. Pinterest is my best friend when it comes to making meals more kid-friendly for my son. He loves when I make little animals out of his meals. Dinner can be a bit tougher because three days out of the week are insanely busy, but I do love to make an event out of it. We set the table together, we cook together, we BLAST music together (usually Disney tunes) and there’s a no TV rule as well so we can all stay connected. Then, for the finale, we’ll bake cookies or make ice cream together. -Ryan, Texas, one child Make a meal prep system and stick to it: Friday’s, I
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