As a mother of five, I know how chaotic dinnertime can get. Between school runs, activities, and managing a home, figuring out what to cook every night can feel overwhelming. That's why I've embraced a simple yet effective meal planning system that takes the stress out of dinnertime and makes grocery shopping straight forward.
Here's how I meal plan, streamline grocery shopping, and use themed dinner nights to make family meals easy, enjoyable, and predictable.
How I Meal Plan (Using the Stellarize Meal Planner)
The key to stress-free dinners is planning ahead. I cannot stress that enough! Every Sunday, I sit down with my Stellarize Meal Planner and map out our meals for the week. I consider what we already have in the pantry, what fresh ingredients we need to use up, and what meals will best fit our busy schedule.
Having a dedicated space to write out meals not only keeps me organized but also saves time and energy throughout the week. It means I never have to scramble at the last minute, wondering what to cook. Plus, planning ahead helps me make healthier choices and reduces food waste.
Streamlining Grocery Shopping as a Busy Mother
To keep things simple, I do my main grocery shop once a week on a Monday. This ensures we're stocked up for the week ahead, minimizing extra trips to the store. I also do a quick top-up shop on Fridays for fresh produce, bread, or anything we have run out of. Sticking to this routine saves me time, keeps our kitchen well-stocked, and helps me stay on budget.
Another huge benefit to this system is that it allows me to delegate meal prepping and cooking when possible! If you have domestic help, meal planning makes it much easier to pass on some of the workload. For example, our nanny is often able to help with prepping ingredients, or even cooking meals when she has extra time during the day while I'm out with the children or running errands. Having a stocked fridge at the start of the week ensures that everything needed to meal prep is on hand. I've learned to delegate this task when possible, which makes evenings calmer - I feel more prepared and in control (and calmer) as a result.
The Clever & Fun Idea of Themed Dinner Nights
One of my favourite meal-planning tricks is using themes dinner nights. Having a set theme for every night of the week (or a few nights of the week at least), makes planning easier, adds variety, and gives the kids something to look forward to.
Here's how our themed dinner night look at the moment:
- Meatless Monday - Plant based meals like veggie stir-fry, lentil soup, curries or other Asian-inspired dishes.
- Taco Tuesday - A Mexican-inspired night with tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or fajitas.
- Wholesome Wednesday - Fresh and nourishing salads or bowls with grains, proteins, and colourful veggies.
- Traditions Thursday - Family-favourite meals that bring comfort and nostalgia.
- Family Friday - A fun, interactive dinner where we make homemade pizzas, burgers or a dish chosen by one of our kids. Mostly pizza at the moment though. That is our go to for Fridays!
- Speedy Saturday - Quick, stress-free meals like sandwiches (Brotzeit), falafel wraps, or one-pot dishes.
- Soup Sunday - Cozy, comforting soups or stews, perfect for winding down the week. But as we transition out of winter, we will switch to something like a Single-Pan Sunday, where we do pasta bakes, roast dishes, or sheet pan dishes for easy clean up.
By following this structure, meal planning feels less like a chore and more like an exciting part of family life. It also helps with grocery shopping because I know exactly what ingredients I'll need for each theme/meal. Of course there are weeks where we batch cook (ie make Chilli Sin Carne on a Tuesday and have the same meal for 1 or 2 nights more). So we do not tick all of these themes every week, but it gives me a fun guide to work towards.
Final Thoughts
Meal planning doesn't have to be complicated. With a little structure and a few clever tricks, dinnertime can become a smoother, more enjoyable part of your day. By using the Stellarize Meal Planner, sticking to a grocery shopping routine, delegating where possible, and embracing themed dinner nights, I've made mealtimes much more stress-free for our family. And you can too!
Another thing I've learned is that flexibility is key. We don't always eat the same meal as a family as tastes still vary a lot between the different ages of our children. But we always try to eat together at the same time. If we're doing Taco Tuesday, for example, my husband and I might have vegan mushroom tacos, whilst some of our kids prefer simple Mexican rice bowls where the ingredients overlap. The goal is to create a system that works for your family, so stay flexible and adapt meal planning to suit your needs.
Final Tip - One of my favourite cookbooks is East from Meehra Sodha. She has also just launched a new cookbook called Dinner. All of her recipes are accessible, vegetarian or vegan, straight forward and absolutely delicious. My kids do not east what we cook from her cookbook (yet) but you can always try with yours.
Happy meal planning!
