My Family Meal Plan Explained

Posted on May 27, 2014 | 0 comments

I have incorporated a few things into my Family Meal Plan

I do think it is very important to have family dinners together. The rule of thumb in my house is one meal a day together – which usually is dinner but sometimes not (albeit rarely!). It is nice to sit, eat together and chat about our day. We do a question at dinner that everyone has to answer, like “What was your favorite part of the day?” So I urge you to try to sit together at least once a day and come up with your own family question!

Also in my Family Meal Plan

Once a month I will choose a Monday night and there will be two dinners listed. A simple one for the children and then one for the adults. On this night I suggest you feed the kids and get them into bed as early as possible. Have a light snack if you or your mate need too. Otherwise get them in bed, then head down to the kitchen and either order in your fave take away or cook the suggested dinner together and just connect with your partner for a while. You will probably be exhausted and all “Monday Funday’d” out, but I promise once you get yourself in that kitchen and have a little smile together, maybe a glass of wine, the chemistry will flow from there.

And don’t worry about the conversation. There are so many people telling you not to talk about your kids or work… Screw that. Talk about whatever you want to and do your best to be light and funny about it. Challenge each other to see the humor in the other’s plights or just connect as parents and friends. The goal here is to remember that you are each very special to the other. Life comes at you fast and hard as a parent so it is very important – in my opinion – to take the time to let yourself and your mate know they do matter. No matter how tired you are make the effort… you will be so glad you did!

Similarly, once a month on my family meal plan I will have a date night. Get the sitter in, get a pizza for them and get out for a couple of hours! Even if your budget only allows for a picnic in the park – GO!!! If you have no sitters, consider asking a friend who has children around the same age to Friday (or whatever night) night swap-sitting. One week they get to go out and you watch their kids, the next vice versa. This can be loads of fun all around so don’t hesitate to ask. Whether we are comfortable or not to admit it, we all go through very similar things as parents so I am sure it will be a well-received idea!

My Family Meal Plan Tackles the Boring Lunch Box!

The lunches listed are usually what I pack for my children. For lunch, my husband and I will either have leftovers from the night before or I will throw together a salad using whatever is handy in my kitchen. On the last line in the lunch section of my family meal plan you will find either Salad or Leftovers – that is meant for the adult lunch!

Once a week we will either eat out or get take-in. It is so nice to have one night a week where I don’t have the stress of messing up the kitchen (cuz I do cause quite the mess), cooking. The kids like it, we sometimes will even be bad and eat in front of a movie!! It is just nice to change it up a bit. I will also include a recipe on this day just in case your family does not like to go out.

If you have any suggestions or questions for my family meal plan please let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you.

Til then Cheers and Happy Planning!
Malibu Mama Loves Xx