6 Moms Reveal How They Plan A Week's Worth of Dinners — Without Any Stress

When it comes to dinner, don’t overthink it. Leave that elaborate recipe you have pinned to the top of your Pinterest page for the weekend. Pick the five proteins or dishes you know your family loves, and plan your weekly menu around them. Once you get a menu in place that works for your time and budget, you can repeat it again each week.

Adults aren’t the only ones who get down with #tacotuesday. In fact, every mom we interviewed mentioned taco night as part of her weekly routine. Why is this meal such a hit with the mamas? Your kids can pick which fillings they want, and which to ditch, leaving everyone with a happy (and full) stomach.

The best part about sticking to a weekly menu is that you’ll almost always need the same ingredients. Before you make your shopping list, do a thorough inventory of everything you have in your pantry and freezer. It’ll keep you from doubling up at the grocery store and help to prevent any food waste.

Relax, Emeril. No one needs to know that you’re cheating a bit. Keeping ready-made ingredients on hand, like frozen meatballs, chicken strips, frozen veggies and pre-made burgers will save you a lot of time. Just kick them up a notch with a few fresh ingredients and some spices. BAM! Dinner is served.

This tip is great for two reasons. For starters, no one will know that you’re actually just heating up leftovers when you make dinner the next night. For example, if you serve chicken and steamed broccoli on Monday, you can add that extra steamed broccoli to your pasta dinner for Tuesday. Second, you won’t be hearing any complaints from the picky eaters at your table if you can easily exclude some of the ingredients from their meal.

“I love going to the grocery store,” said no one ever. Once you’ve done your weekly inventory and planned your meals, split up your shopping trips into two runs. Sundays are for dry goods, meats you can freeze and your first round of produce. Come Wednesday, you’ll only need to replenish your fresh ingredients — allowing you to get in and out of the store in a flash. Side note: This will also save you money on gas! Win-win.

We know your Nonna may not approve, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. We are firm believers that a good jar of marinara sauce is a true ace in the hole when it comes to weeknight cooking. Our favorite mom-approved hack is to use the sauce for pasta one night, and pizza bagels for lunch the next day.

Who says a mise en place is only for the big dogs? Chop-up all of your veggies and herbs at once and you’ll be ready to lock-and-load all week long - saving you time to get some quality face-to-face with the kiddos. Worried about keeping them fresh? Store them in water in the fridge.

We know that grocery shopping, menu planning, and prepping ingredients may not be your favorite way to spend a Sunday, but your weekday self will thank you tremendously. Successful weekly meal planning heavily relies upon getting ahead. Spend your Sunday, wisely!

This tip is especially great for the work-from-home moms. There’s nothing easier than setting up your slow-cooker in the morning and letting it do the work for you *all day long*. Need some slow-cooker inspo? Check out these recipes.