5 Sanity-Saving Hacks For Easier (& More Enjoyable) Family Dinners
“What’s for dinner?”
If this question sent you running to the kitchen in a panic, save your sanity! Discover these 5 hacks to make family dinners a breeze.
5 Hacks For Making Family Dinner Easy
1. Make A Weekly Meal Rotation
Creating a rotating family meal plan has significantly improved our dinner routine. And it makes it easy to keep consistent ingredients on hand for weekly meals.
Customize this plan to suit your family’s tastes and preferences. And deviate occasionally if you enjoy trying new dishes.
A rotating meal plan provides an easy and reliable plan when schedules get hectic.
Our weekly rotating plan looks like this:
- Monday: Pasta or easy oven bake
- Tuesday: Taco Tuesdays (or some easy variation on tacos)
- Wednesday: Easy crockpot meal
- Thursday: Leftovers from the week
- Friday: Pizza (for family movie night)
- Saturday: Eat out/snacky dinner/grill
- Sunday: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, bacon/sausage, waffles/toast, fruit)
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2. Prep Your Protein
Don’t let protein-related failures (a.k.a frozen chicken) derail your meal plans. Incorporating these hacks into your family meals streamlines preparation and ensures your meal is healthy.
- Transfer items needed for the week from the freezer to the fridge on Sunday night. This allows for ample time to thaw.
- Purchase a rotisserie chicken, shred it, and store it in the freezer for a convenient protein that can be put into many different recipes.
- Batch cook protein-rich foods like grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, or roasted chickpeas for the week. Double or triple the amount when browning meat and freeze the extra for later use.
- Opt for versatile protein sources like beans, lentils, and tofu. These can be easily incorporated into various dishes, from salads to stir-fries.
3. Delegate Tasks
You don’t have to tackle mealtime alone! Delegating tasks to family members fosters collaboration, builds life skills, and makes mealtime a shared experience.
- Get the kids involved by having them set the table, wash and chop vegetables, and stir ingredients.
- Divide meal prep duties with your partner. Decide on designated days for each of you to take charge.
- Assign tasks for cleaning up the kitchen post-meal.
Mom Hack: When mealtime starts, have everything already on the table to avoid constantly getting up for kids’ needs.
4. Utilize Easier Cooking Methods
Simpler cooking methods can lighten the load of meal preparation.
- Opt for one-pot or sheet-pan recipes to minimize cleanup and simplify cooking.
- Utilize kitchen gadgets like slow cookers, instant pots, and air fryers.
- Embrace quick and easy recipes that require less than 10 ingredients and have short preparation times.
Related: 200 Easy Dinner Meal Ideas and Easy Freezer Meals for Busy Nights
5. Take Short Cuts
Convenient items may cost more, but they can be a worthwhile investment. If they save you time and your family enjoys them, consider ‘splurging’ on:
- Rotisserie chicken
- Pre-cut vegetables
- Frozen pre-cooked grains like rice or quinoa
- Canned beans
- Bagged salads
Put Away Distractions and Connect
Dinner is ready and you have made it to the table! Now it’s time to disconnect from cell phones and turn off the TV. Keep the dinner conversation positive and light-hearted.
To keep things lively, our family loves using these discussion questions:
- Would You Rather Questions for Families
- Who is Most Likely To Questions
- What If Questions for Kids & Adults
- Fun True or False Questions Kids Love
It won’t be perfect. Spills, tough talks, and picky eaters are part of the package. But making time to slow down, share, and connect with loved ones is what truly counts.
What’s Next?
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