As moms, we wear so many hats. One hat that often falls on us is planning meals every day. When we are already so busy, preparing meals can get pushed to the back burner. However, when you take a few hours each week or month to plan upcoming meals, you’ll feel more in control and organized. How do you do this when you are already wearing so many hats? By seeking easy-to-prepare meal ideas, you can make your life significantly more manageable. Here are some of my favorite meal ideas for a large family. These meals are easy to prep and can make dinners feel like a breeze, even on the busiest days.
Have you found yourself drowning in everyday chaos? The baby hasn’t napped, the dishes need doing, work is piling up, and then you realize you forgot to decide what to make for dinner. We have all been there. That is where these easy-prep meal ideas and tips can help you feel more organized and prepared as you face another hectic week of parenting.
How to Prep for Meals When You Are a Busy Mom
Preparing meals when you are already a busy mom can feel daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! Many tips can help you feel put together, confident, and organized. All you have to do is implement these ideas into your life, and before you know it, you will be tackling meal prep like a pro every single month. Here are the steps I take every month to feel prepared for meal prep with a large family.
Read: How to Become a Calmer Mom
First, I look at My Recipe Box.
You may remember the physical recipe box your grandma or mom kept on the counter back in the day. Today, many options don’t require writing down each recipe by hand. Who has time for that? If that’s not your style, then you can do what I do. I keep an electronic recipe box organized on my phone. It categorizes each meal and includes snacks. After adding the meals we love and new ones we want to try, I can easily review each one every month.
After refreshing my memory and adding new recipes to our recipe box, I take a look at the upcoming month as a whole. I add in any days where I know we will be out of the house, visiting someone, at a birthday party, or eating out. I also look at our busiest days of the week and put a crockpot meal on those days.
This step will be one of the longest tasks you may have, aside from grocery shopping. However, once it is complete, you will feel accomplished and more prepared! Take some time to plan what you’ll eat each day of the month. You can write these meals down on a physical calendar. However, a meal planning app can make it easy to click and add each meal to the day with a tap from your recipe box.
Now, each week, look at it to plan your grocery list, and you are well on your way to preparing each meal.
To take the organization a step forward, you can keep these tips in mind:
- Choose sheet-pan or crockpot meals to make dinner easy to prep and forget about.
- Casseroles are simple to make and feed a large family.
- Cook in bulk so you can freeze extras for those hectic days.
- If possible, set aside a day to meal prep for the week (like cutting veggies and meat) to make cooking faster.
Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast is often one of those meals we push aside. Mornings can feel rushed, and it’s easy to grab a prepackaged muffin pack or sugary cereal. Yet with careful planning and intention, these breakfast ideas are healthier and tastier than any bowl of sugary cereal.
- Almond butter energy balls
- Bagels
- Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Breakfast biscuit cups
- breakfast burritos
- Cinnamon toast breakfast quinoa
- Copycat Egg McMuffin
- Eggs
- Meal prep egg bites
- Mini crustless quiches
- Frittatas
- Mini crustless quiches with kale, mushrooms, and feta
- Muffin tin omelets
- No-bake granola bars
- No-bake breakfast cookies
- Muffin tin omelets with bell pepper, black beans, and jack cheese
- PB banana waffles
- Pumpkin spice muffins
- Quinoa breakfast cookies
- Sheet pancakes
- Zucchini bread
- Apple steel-cut oatmeal
- Banana coconut energy bites
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Banana protein muffins
Lunch Ideas
Whether you are eating lunch at home or packing for work and school, these ideas will save you in a pinch. They are easy to make and delicious. You will find yourself looking forward to opening your lunchbox and enjoying a tasty midday meal, instead of skipping it altogether.
- Air fryer chicken tenders
- Air fryer taquitos
- Bean and cheese burritos
- Breakfast soft tacos
- Chicken Caesar wrap
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Butter chicken and rice
- Copycat Chipotle chicken
- Copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets
- Homemade baked fish sticks
- Fried shrimp
- Creamy ham and potato soup
- Creamy stove-top mac and cheese
- Grilled Cheese
- Strawberry and peanut butter taco sandwiches
- Homemade baked chicken nuggets
- Ham and cheese sliders
- Green veggie bowl and chicken and lemon tahini dressing
- Ham and cheese pinwheels
- Individual sausage casseroles
- Mini calzones
- Texas toast pizza
- Three-cheese grilled cheese and basil tomato soup
- Turkey grilled cheese
- Turkey or chicken lunch wraps
- Bacon ranch chicken salad
- Bagel skinny pizzas
Dinner Ideas
Dinner can be one of the hardest meals to prepare if you don’t approach it with intention. By the time dinner rolls around, you may realize you forgot to lay out the meat, or worse, decide what to make, making it easier to dial the local pizza joint and spend extra money on a large, cheesy pizza. However, don’t fret; these ideas will help you feel more prepared as you approach your workweek.
- Air fryer chicken parm
- Hamburgers
- Carnitas Burrito Bowls
- Chicken broccoli cheese rice casserole
- Chili
- Cocktail meatballs
- Sweet and sour meatballs
- Crockpot beef stew
- Crockpot pepper steak
- Creamy white chicken chili
- Chipotle chicken bowls
- Doritos taco salad
- Egg roll bowls
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Honey sesame chicken bowls
- Hot dogs
- Crockpot lemon chicken
- Mediterranean meal bowls
- Mediterranean pasta salad
- One pan Italian sausage with veggies
- Pork, pineapple, and onion skewers
- Pot roast in the crockpot
- Sheet pan chicken tinga bowls
- Sheet pan shrimp fajitas
- Skillet chicken and chickpeas
- Slow cooker chicken and dumplings
- Slow cooker cowboy casserole
- Crockpot jambalaya
- Taco soup
- Slow cooker potato soup
- Crockpot cilantro lime chicken tacos
- Slow cooker pulled pork
- Crockpot salsa chicken
- Slow cooker tortilla soup
- Spaghetti
- Steak and potatoes
- Taco salad
- Taco Skillet
One Last Note
Being a mom comes with a host of to-do items to check off every single day. Sometimes, the simplest tasks get pushed to the back of the line. However, armed with a simple plan, you can tackle each month with ease and confidence when it comes to preparing three meals a day. Browse through each of these meal ideas, ranging from quick and easy options to crockpot plans that are easy to prepare and go. Write out your favorite meals and plan a month’s worth. It may seem daunting at first, but trust me, you’ll thank yourself when a hectic day rolls around and you no longer have to worry about what you are making for dinner!
These quick and easy meal prep ideas can be a lifesaver for busy moms. Do you have a favorite that you would add to these lists?
