6 Meal Planning Tips for Working Moms

by Katie Pierce

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Life as a working mom sure is hectic. Juggling job-related responsibilities with tending to the needs of the kids, sometimes you might not have time to cook for the family. Well, we’ve got an answer to that: meal planning. 

We’ve compiled some of our own best tips on meal planning to help you save both time and money without compromising the nutritional value and flavor of your meals. 

Tip #1: Tailor Meals to Your Needs

It is important to take your and your family’s needs into consideration first. Whether someone in your family needs to follow a special diet, or you just want everyone to hop into healthier food choices, meal planning can be a great way to take everyone’s needs into consideration. When you do meal prep, you can make sure that all the meals are balanced and to the tastes of all of the family members. 

It is important to take your and your family’s needs into consideration before even beginning to plan for your weekly meals. Preparing nutritious dishes is not only good for kids’ growth, but also for avoiding sickly-looking skin. Meal prep helps you accommodate a family member’s special diet. It could also get your family into healthier food choices. It promotes good food practices, and can improve your family’s overall well-being.

Tip #2: Get Organized 

Being organized when cooking saves a lot of time. Whether you are experimenting on new flavors or going back to our tried and true ways, =always make sure to write the recipe down. Here’s a good tip: you can write down all your favorite recipes in one notebook to plan your meals for the week, which can serve as your inspiration. You can also organize it based on meal types, cuisines, and of course, your family favorites!

Planning meals on a budget? Well, meal planning is an excellent way to keep track of your budget. Now that you have your meals planned, you can predict your list of ingredients, and you can work your grocery list around that. On the flip side, you can first take stock of what you currently have and then plan your meals from there. It will save you the money you spend on buying double ingredients, and you’ll have less food waste that way.

Tip #3: Make Doubles 

We can try to be creative in the kitchen by innovating our leftovers, but we can take it one step further. A good tip is to make double batches! Double batches are life savers, especially when there’s not a lot of time to cook or prepare meals. 

There are two ways to do it. First, you can make double batches of ingredients for two different dishes. You can make double portions of ground beef and turn half of them into homemade patties, half into meatballs for your spaghetti. The second way is to make double batches of your favorite freezer-friendly meals. Whether it is your favorite curry dish or a hearty soup, you can always make double batches of it so you can freeze and enjoy it for another day! 

Tip #4: Have Meal Prep Containers 

Meal prep containers don’t have to be all that fancy as long as they’re air-tight, food-grade, and freezer-safe. You can choose to recycle your old glass jars to save a couple of bucks. Plastic containers are fine too, but you better be careful when you load them into the dishwasher. But you can also invest in good meal prep containers that are durable and can last your meal prep adventures! Some good meal prep containers are weck jars, Glasslock containers, and stasher bags.   

Tip #5: Check your Calendar

It is also essential to know what your upcoming week looks like. When you plan your meals, it is crucial to point out days when you’re not expected to cook, whether it’s date night, a family meal out, or you’re just in the mood for some take-out. This would save you time, energy, and of course, money on ingredients. 

This is great when you’re not only making dinners for the kids but also preparing their meals for school tomorrow. Preparing meals for the week is an excellent activity to include in your back-to-school routine. There are plenty of fun snacks that you can plan and ready ahead of the school day to avoid stress in the morning. Sundays are usually a good day to prepare your kid’s meals for the week, but you can choose any day that works best for your schedule.

Tip #6: Check the Weather 

This might be a bit of a weird tip, but it’s also very important! If you’re expecting to get rain in the upcoming days, then perhaps it’s a good idea to add hearty meals and soups to your meal plans. Or, if you’re expecting some hot summer nights, then maybe throwing in an extra dessert element would be great! Plus, when you know what you’re expecting, you can adjust your grocery days and would know if you need to stock up on extra ingredients or supplies.

Key takeaways

Meal planning is a budget-saving and hassle-free way to ensure that your family is eating right. For an efficient meal prep, remember to consider your family members’ needs, be organized, prepare doubles, invest in good meal containers, consider your schedule, and check the weather forecast.

Written and submitted by Katie Pierce