Family Meals and Meal Planning

Written By: Tracy Pritchard (MS, CNS, LDN)

It is no secret that family life can be busy. Planning and preparing meals together takes time. You may find this time well spent and worth the effort so you can eat healthier meals while you catch up and communicate with your loved ones. If you consider the past several days, weeks, and months, have you taken the time to plan any meals? If you have that is great; if not, you can take some small steps to keep it simple and involve the family.

Keep in mind that every meal does not have to be a Thanksgiving feast or have a fancy Pinterest presentation. While dinner may be the obvious family meal to eat together, some families may find it more feasible to have a weekday breakfast or weekend brunch together.

Young kids can learn a lot about food through family meals by watching their parents and learning to eat what they eat. Family meals will usually include more vegetables and fruits than fast food and meals at restaurants. Meal planning may result in meals being more balanced leading to less mindless snacking. Picky eaters may be more likely to try new foods at mealtime when eating with others. Involving others in choosing and preparing meals may increase the chance they will try new foods. Even young children can help wash fruits and vegetables, toss salads, or set the table. Older kids may want to help find recipes or take responsibility for planning a meal now and then. You may even find them texting recipe ideas throughout the week knowing it may be something the family can enjoy together!

Preparing meals at home is an opportunity to teach kids about nutrients and cooking techniques that can shape future foods choices and contribute to smarter eating for life. If you are responsible for leading this effort and need support, there are endless prepping and cooking videos online and on television. Learning to plan and prepare is especially important for those who have a food allergy or sensitivity. It helps everyone learn what ingredients are safe and how to use them in meals that they enjoy.

You may also choose to compare the financial benefits of eating at home versus eating out. It can be a fun lesson to compare the prices on a restaurant menu with what you would spend at the grocery store to make a similar meal. If everyone helps with the grocery shopping they also gain knowledge and awareness that will help down the road for food budgeting. Planning and prepping may not only save money on one meal since meals can usually be doubled or tripled for leftovers. This will save time later in the week when the leftovers can be used for lunches or dinners on busy days. Of course, some people do not care for leftover meals but can still benefit from a planning and prepping mindset. It is simple enough to chop and prep extra veggies for use later in the week. Any leftover or extra baked chicken can be shredded and used in a new dish like a chicken wrap or chicken salad.

Mealtimes can also be a way to be creative. This will look different for each family based on schedules and preferences. Breakfast for dinner is an easy option. Another idea is to create theme meals such as taco bar, burger bar, pasta dinner, chili night, pizza night, or whatever sounds good to your family. There can be a lot of variety within a theme. For example, a burger bar one week might be traditional beef burgers while other weeks may include turkey burgers or vegetarian burgers that are store bought or homemade. Buffet style meals may work best for some families so everyone can pick the items they prefer. For example, some people at a taco bar may want to put everything in a burrito while others build a taco salad instead.

Another easy way to get family meals going may be to prepare simple crockpot or instant pot meals. Sheet pan meals are also a popular option. A sheet pan takes the place of a one-pot meal and uses a pan in the oven instead of a pot on the stove. It can save time and makes clean up easy. The basic idea is to cook around 2 pounds of protein, 2-3 cups of chopped vegetables, and 1-2 tablespoons of oil plus seasoning to taste. There is no wrong way to approach meal planning and family dinners.

Parents can also use this time to model the behavior they expect when the family comes together for a meal. This may include learning how to listen while other are sharing information and taking turns to talk. Try to include some open-ended questions to avoid yes-no answers. Instead of asking “Did you have a good day?” try something like “Tell me one great thing that happened at school today” to get more details. Another option is to make or find a list of conversations starters, cut into strips, and put all of the questions into a bowl or mason jar. Everyone can answer the same question at that meal or pick a new question. It is important to keep mealtimes relaxed and enjoyable, and not force anything.

Some small tips to help with meal planning and family meals include keeping a running grocery list where family members can add items. This will help to make sure you don’t run out of staple ingredients. Keeping the pantry and freezer stocked will also come in handy when you run out of time to plan or shop for your planned family meal but still want to spend time together. This may be a simple meal with pasta, jarred marinara, frozen veggies and some fruit for dessert. Dinner could also come from an extra meal in the freezer because you doubled the recipe the last time you made it knowing it could come in handy another time.

Some families may choose to start off with delivered meal kits that provide the ingredients and recipes while others may want to use a meal planning service that sends the shopping list directly to the grocery store for pickup or delivery. The important part is that you share the meal together.

Featured Recipe : Black Bean Turkey Chili

This is a family favorite! We make it on the stove and/or in the crockpot. Depending on the size pot you use, it is easy to double or triple this recipe to keep leftovers in the fridge or freezer. There are several options for vegetables and toppings based on what you and your family like. You can swap out the ground turkey for ground chicken or ground beef or use pinto beans or red beans instead of black beans. Have fun making this recipe your own!

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

2 (14.5 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (14.5 oz can) tomato sauce

1 cup frozen corn

2 Tbls chili powder

1 Tbls paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 ½ tsp ground oregano

salt and pepper to taste

*optional (any or all of the following vegetables):

1 tsp minced garlic

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2-3 carrots, diced

2-3 stalks celery, diced

Toppings ideas: shredded cheddar cheese, avocado/guacamole, sliced jalapenos, plain Greek yogurt, cilantro, crushed tortilla chips

Instructions (stove top)

1. Coat large stock pot with cooking spray. Over medium heat brown the ground turkey and break into smaller chunks. Once browned add any vegetables and cook an additional 5-8 minutes until soft.

2. Mix chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute then add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and black beans.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4. Can store leftovers in fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for months.

5. Serve with toppings you enjoy!

Instructions (crock pot)

1. Place ground turkey in the crockpot (you can brown the turkey first but not required).

2. Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Cook in a 6-quart slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

4. Break apart turkey and stir.

5. Serve with toppings you enjoy!