Juggling Meal Planning for a Blended Family: Tips and Tricks for Success

Meal planning for a blended family can be quite the juggling act. It's a constant balancing act with picky eaters, fluctuating family sizes, and diverse preferences. Whether you’re whipping up budget-friendly meals for five or enjoying a special steak night for two, planning ahead is critical. My family by no means has it all figured out, but here’s what works for us. Try some of our tips and tricks with your family and see if it helps! 

Embrace Flexibility

The first rule of meal planning for a blended family is to embrace flexibility. Some days, you might be cooking for just you and your partner, while other days, the house is full of kids. Add in baseball games, school lunches, and friends sleeping over; it can feel impossible to plan. Create a meal plan that can quickly adapt to these changes.

Have Ingredients that could make multiple things. Staples like ground beef, chicken breasts, pasta and rice. Maybe you had an elaborate fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken and a salad planned but life got in the way, you’re exhausted and you can’t imagine spending more than 20 minutes in the kitchen. Plain old spaghetti with Prego sauce it is! 

Plan for Leftovers

Leftovers are a lifesaver, especially for busy families. Plan meals that can be easily reheated or repurposed for another meal. But this has to be done at the right time. My husband’s pet peeve is when we have a huge Tupperware dish of pasta made for the kids sitting in the fridge for the five days they’re with their moms. It’s wasteful, and there’s nothing I hate more than the smell (Or sound) of old food being dumped down the garbage disposal. 

Think Chili, Soups, and meatballs! Whatever your large dish is, make sure it’s one your kids love. Now is not the time to try and convince them to try new things. Take it from me; those new things will end up in the Garbage disposal in 5 days!

Go easy on yourself on Hangover Day.

I refer to the kids' first day back at the other house as a hangover day. Luckily for me, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually been hungover, but I remember the feeling well. You’re tired, sometimes sick, stressed, or anxious about all the things you did and all the things you have to do. For us, every other Monday is our hangover day. Before then, we’d spend 5 days with the kids. We prioritize our time with them, ensuring we don’t take it for granted, knowing that we only have them for 50% of the summer, the school year, and their lives. So, for those 5 days, it can feel energy draining. On Mondays, we’re tired and drained, and the last thing we want to do is plan an elaborate dinner. Mondays are for takeout, leftovers, or going out to eat. 

Choose sure-fire Family-Favorite Meals.

I get it; sometimes, the rotation of our usual meals gets old. I usually go online, pull off a new recipe that looks good to me and has all the familiar ingredients our kids typically like, and then 6:15 rolls around, and the kids just stare at their plates and ask, “What’s this?”. Before I had kids, I understood the importance of trying new things. Not letting kids with questionable pallets run the show. But after I became a stepmom and suddenly had to plan and feed three very opinionated kids, I threw that stance out the window. 

There’s a time to try new things, but in this season of life, it’s not likely that time is now. If you want to try a new menu item, only do it once. Make sure it’s something you and your partner will enjoy regardless of your harsher smaller food critics, and do it at the end of the week. That way, if there’s anything left over, you have your meal for your hangover day. 

Special Nights for Two

Remember to plan special meals for just you and your partner. These nights are a great opportunity to cook something a bit more indulgent or try new recipes. Try a new gourmet recipe that you know would just be looked down on by your little food critics, or grill that flank steak that is a little too expensive for the pallet of someone who would rather be eating chicken nuggets anyway. 

Allowing yourself these elevated nights with you and your partner makes it easier to stick to the routine of kid-friendly meals. 

Quick and Easy Meals

• Make sure to plan at least one meal that’s quick, easy, and keeps longer than a week if you end up not cooking it. For us, it’s usually hotdogs, burgers or pasta. This comes in handy when plans change. One night, during our transition day dinner, we ordered pizza with the wrong order. Our kids have allergies, and we couldn’t see what had been delivered. So I quickly threw in some pasta, and although they were disappointed it wasn’t pizza, at least they weren’t hungry!

Conclusion

In conclusion, meal planning for a blended family is definitely a challenge, but there are things you can do to make it more manageable. I hope these tips and tricks were helpful. If not, there’s always pizza night! Happy meal planning!