15 Large Family Hacks for Getting Meals on the Table Quickly!
Krystal Winn 
Are you looking for ways to smooth out your large family meal prep process?
As parents, feeding a family can be both a rewarding and challenging task. This duty can be even more challenging with larger families. With so many moving parts included in our daily routines, it’s easy to let meal planning fall to the bottom of our priority list. One thing we all know is that it's best to to keep a healthy balance between satisfying each preference and ensuring each member is being properly nourished. If you’re looking for some tips to keep the process smooth, check out the following 15 hacks for getting large family meals on the table quickly!
- Create Freezer Meals: Prepare and freeze several of your family’s favorite meals in advance. When meal time rolls around, all you need to do is reheat them.
- Use “Cook Once, Eat Twice” Method: Plan meals that can be used in different dishes. For example, use leftover grilled chicken for salads, tacos, or chicken soup!
- Plan Theme Nights: Create themed meal nights to help focus your planning. Get the whole family involved in choosing themes for each night. Get creative with themes such as “Pastel Foods Night”, “Italian Night” and “Finger Foods Night”.
- Embrace Batch Cooking: Dedicate an entire day to batch cooking and prepping meals for the week.
- Use Slow Cooker Liners: Slow cooker liners are an amazing invention that help make cleanup time a breeze. Invest in the and use them often!
- Create Sheet Pan Dinners: Memorize several sheet pan recipes. Teach them to your children as well. This will allow for easy and quick one-pan meals.
- Purchase Pre-cut Veggies: Buy pre-cut vegetables and fruits to save prep time.
- Use Bulk Cooking Basics: Cook a big batch of grains (rice, quinoa, pasta) to use as bases for various dishes throughout the week.
- Designate Meal Helpers: Assign family members to assist with specific meal prep tasks. For families with large age ranges, keep each task appropriate to the age.
- Plan Salad Bar Nights: Set up a large salad bar with various toppings and dressings, and dips for a quick and customizable light dinner.
- Utilize Online Grocery Shopping: Save time by ordering groceries online for pickup or delivery. There are so many large grocery chains offering online service that you are sure to find one that fits your budget. The extra fees are usually reasonable and well-worth the time saved!
- Premake Simple Breakfast Dishes: Overnight oats and premade smoothie kits are sure winners! Premade breakfasts are also simple for helping older children serve their younger siblings.
- Rotate Meal Plans: Create a rotating meal plan to repeat every couple of weeks to simplify menu planning. Type up the plan and post it where the entire family can see it easily.
- . Multitask Meal Prep Steps: While cooking one meal, use the wait time to prepare ingredients for the next meal!
- Teach everyone to cook!: From the youngest family member to the oldest, make sure each family member is comfortable with cooking something that the family can eat.
*Bonus Tip* Share Community Cooking Duties: Share meal preparation duties with other families in your community. Take note of special presences and dietary restrictions and see how you can help support each other!
With a little planning, meal prep and serving time can be a fun and adventurous time for families to grow together!