Running out of time (or ideas) for family dinner? This easy family meal plan gives you seven quick meal ideas, perfect for busy week nights!
Some days – or even weeks – you have time to go all out with your meals. You might be adventurous and try some new recipes or maybe you pull out a few favorite recipes that require a little extra time to prepare. Maybe you even have time to get all fancy with the side dishes!
Those times are fun – and I wish they happened more often. But let’s be honest, there are a lot of weeks when you have little time and are just happy to get all your family members fed. You need some super simple recipe ideas so that you can feed your whole family without spending much time or prep work.
Today’s post is for one of those weeks.
First we’ll talk through some time saving strategies for meal planning and cooking for your family. Then I’ll share a simple menu plan and grocery list that you can use the next time you need some simple meals!
(Just cooking for one? Check out this sample meal plan for one person.)
Time Saving Tips For Feeding Your Family
Make a plan
Taking the time to make a meal plan at the beginning of the week is key. The last thing you want is to get to the end of the day and have no clue what to make for dinner.
Making a plan (even if it’s just a list of simple meal ideas) will save you both time and money. When you plan out your menu, think about which days you’ll be the busiest so that you can be sure to save the easiest meals for those days. Otherwise, if you’re like me you may end up making all the easiest meals right off the bat and being left with meals you don’t feel up to making later on in the week. (and then eating out, oops!)
Do prep work
A little prep work goes a long way and makes serving your family home-cooked meals every day a little more doable. Simply cooking up some of your meats (we’ll talk about this more when we get to our easy meal plan below) and washing/cutting up your produce can save you a lot of time later on.
For example, spaghetti with meat sauce is a super quick meal if you’ve browned your meat ahead of time. Just dump the browned meat into a pot with some store bought pasta sauce and slowly heat it on one burner while you cook up some quick spaghetti in another pot. The whole process is only as long as it takes to cook the pasta and toss it with a bit of olive oil. Easy!
Cook once, eat twice
I love to divide a full size casserole (we love poppyseed chicken and million dollar spaghetti) into two 8×8 dishes. I’ll cook one and stick the other in the fridge or freezer to cook another day. This is a great way to save time and effort! (The same concept applies if you have a large family – just double the recipe and make two 9x13s.)
Similarly, if I have to brown a pound of ground beef I’ll go ahead and brown several pounds (if I have them on hand) so that I have some already prepped in the freezer for other recipes later on.
Stock your freezer with a few easy meals
Finally, keeping your freezer stocked with a few delicious meals (kid-friendly meals if you have kids!) can be a real life saver when you’ve had an extra busy day or week and need an easy way to feed your family without spending on fast food.
You may also be interested in: Stocking Your Freezer Before Baby
Easy Meal Plan for Family – Sample 7 Day Menu
Below are some of my favorite family meals that require very little prep work. I’ve included seven meals so that you have a complete week’s worth of meals, even though I personally don’t often plan for seven meals because I know we’ll have leftovers one night or I’ll end up choosing something different.
Now, I know that everyone has a different definition when it comes to easy meals so I’ll try to be specific about the prep work that each meal requires. And remember, if all else fails scrambled eggs or cereal are also totally legit options. 😉
Note: To save time, you can prep the meat for most of the meals below ahead of time. You’ll want to brown up 3 pounds of ground beef and separate it into three equal amounts. You’ll also want to cook a whole chicken (I often use my slow cooker for this) and then take all the meat off the bones and shred it.
1. Slow cooker drumsticks with potatoes and carrots
Thanks to the slow cooker, you can throw this meal together in only about five minutes in the morning and it will be ready for you to enjoy by dinner time.
If you’re really crunched on time don’t worry about searing the drumsticks first – just toss them in your crockpot along with some quartered potatoes (red or yellow potatoes don’t need to be peeled), and some baby carrots, dash in a few seasonings or just salt and pepper and it’s good to go!
2. Ground beef quesadillas
This is a super fast meal if you have ground beef that’s already been browned. Just heat it up with a bit of taco seasoning (or other favorite seasonings) and layer the ground beef between cheese in your tortillas for an elevated and delicious quesadilla.
3. Taco quiche
This is a meal that’s come in handy for me many times when I just need to make something easy that everyone loves. Again, like with the ground beef quesadillas you’re just going to cook or heat up your ground beef with some taco seasoning and then follow the rest of the recipe. I can usually have it ready for the oven in 5 minutes and then it cooks for 20-25.
4. Ground beef fried rice
With pre-cooked meat, precooked rice (I try to always keep some brown rice cooked and ready in the freezer) and frozen veggies, this family dinner is a breeze to throw together. Don’t forget the soy sauce!
5. Salad kit + chicken
I love a good salad kit. Add some shredded chicken on top and you have an easy, complete meal, perfect for summer or really any time of the year.
6. Creamed chicken (simple white sauce + chicken) on rice
Make a simple white sauce, add in your shredded chicken, and serve over rice or toast! So easy and filling.
7. Pasta with shredded chicken
This is my go-to easy recipe when I don’t have much left in my pantry. Cook up a box of pasta, then drain and add some melted butter, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese, and then stir in some shredded chicken. It’s not fancy but my kids love it and it’s easy on the food budget!
Easy Family Meal Plan Grocery List
This grocery shopping list includes everything you need for the above meals with the exception of some kitchen basics like flour, salt, basic spices, etc.
I should also note that in many of my meal plans I include the prices but the purpose of today’s post is just to share some of my favorite easy meals so I’m not posting all the prices. However, these meals are all still quite frugal!
Meat
1 package chicken drumsticks
1 large whole chicken
3 lbs. ground beef
Produce
1 onion
Garlic
Bag of potatoes
Baby carrots
Salad kit of your choice
Bag of frozen mixed veggies
Bag of frozen green beans
Dairy / Refrigerated
Shredded cheddar cheese (16 oz.)
Eggs
Milk
Dry Goods
1 bag brown rice
Box of pasta
Tortillas
Parmesan cheese
Note: I’ve not included sides in this grocery list, but some easy ideas are a bag of frozen green beans, applesauce, bread and butter, or raw veggies.
Additional Meal Plans and Resources
Did you like this weekly family meal plan? See all my free weekly meal plans and grocery lists here.
Helpful Meal Prep Resources
Check out the articles below for more help with meal planning and feeding your family on a budget:
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