10 Innovative Tips for Feeding a Large Family

Mommy what’s for dinner!

“Mommy what’s for dinner?” This daily and never ending question can be yelled, whined and/or politely asked in households everywhere. In fact, I sometimes field this question right after breakfast!

Some days it feels like nails on a chalkboard, while on others the response comes out quickly and decisively. The latter of those days rock and I am giving multi-tasking mama vibes! On my best days, I think about the dinner the night before. I remember to set out the frozen meat in the morning while also setting out the necessary spices and canned goods on the counter. By chow time everything is out and ready to be prepared with little thought.
While these magical days are sanity saving, it takes time and planning with a large family. Without having to reinvent the wheel, these 10 tips are the perfect way to answer the ever present question: “Mommy what’s for dinner?”

Taking the time to plan what meals (breakfast lunch or dinner) that will work best for your family on any particular week is an absolute lifesaver. The super busy weeknights that come complete with late work meetings, soccer practice and/or dentist appointments will be more manageable when meals are taken off your mind.
Set aside a cup of coffee and an hour to sit and arrange meals based on store sales, family favorites, or quick hitters. Meal planners make this part an breeze.
Jot down your meals while also checking each one for ingrediants. Having your meal planner and grocery list side by side is a must. This speeds the process while staying super organized.

What in the world is that? Plainly put, it is cooking large amounts of specific foods to be used later. This method works extremely well and saves so much time!
For example, if you plan to have 4 meals using ground beef in a week, cooking all of it at once can cut down on your daily meal prep time. All that’s left to do is separate, season and label the meat according to meal with tupperware. This also works great with sides or veggies.

Who doesn’t love a great breakfast? Having it for dinner is a fun twist during a weeknight. It’s also super budget friendly with tons of options.
By using your favorite store bought or homemade mix, you can crank out mountains of fluffy waffles, pancakes or biscuits in no time. Batch cooking a package of bacon or sausage ahead of time is the perfect compliment completes this of Use short paragraphs when answering
Breakfast casseroles are also a fantastic choice when feeding a large and growing brood. Batch cooking comes in handy again when thinking about this option. Throwing in a precooked meat or pre-cut veggie makes meal prep on crazy weeknight bearable! The combinations are endless and you can tailor it to your family’s tastes.

Having a weekly themed dinners offer a nice sense of stability and ease when feeding your family. Take a quick survey of everyone’s favorite type of food. Then assign that type to a day: voila! Theme nights are born!
Another great way to use this idea is to introduce new types of foods to your family or to practice cooking some of your personal favorites. For example, if you pick a day for trying new foods Use short paragraphs when answering
Examples of themed dinners might include: Italian night, Mexican night, Asian night, Pizza night, Seafood night, Sushi night, Soup/Sandwich night, Meatless, night, Casserole Night, Slow Cooker Night.

Buying in bulk is an absolute must when feeding a large family. Heading to the grocery store 2-3 times a week is incredibly time consuming and expensive.
Make mental or physical notes of the foods an/or items your family consumes the most. Then, join a warehouse club such as Sam’s Club to easily and efficiently shop for your family. Sam’s club offers an app that makes shopping so easy and cost effective. Impulse buying is avoided by selecting only your needed items in the app. Pick-up is just as easy with their grocery drive up pick-up service.

When making meals for a large family, it’s important to think big! Doubling and even tripling some reciepes ensures that everyone leaves the table with a full belly.
It also lends perfectly to filling that freezer! Pulling out and thawing a ready-made meal in the morning is such a stress reliever
Soups, stews and chilis are awesome quick hitters, easy to double and triple and a breeze to freeze!

Don’t feel the need to get too fancy when cooking for a large family – simple dishes are often just as delicious as more complex ones! Hello spaghetti and meatballs!
Focus on creating easy-to-make recipes with minimal ingredients so that you don’t spend too much time in the kitchen each night preparing dinner for your loved ones.
Simplicity can be your very best friend when it comes to feeding your brood.

Get everyone involved in meal planning by having each person choose their favorite dish for one night during the week!
This will give everyone an opportunity to contribute their own ideas while also giving mom or dad a break from having to come up with all of the recipes themselves every single night.
This is such a fun and engaging way for kids to share in the responsibility of mealtime.

Investing in the right cooking gear is an everyday necessity and especially important when cooking for a large family.
Durable heavy duty pots, pans and tools to are a must when consistently preparing large amounts of food. Though your wallet may be sore from spending, your sanity will be intact!
Time savers such as crock pots and instant pots are great for cranking out big batches.

Leftovers are the superhero of meals! Taking those leftover spaghetti noodles and baked chicken and throwing them into a new pot of chicken noodle soup is genius.
Or, taking leftover hamburgers, crumbling and seasoning them to create a taco and nacho night is what dinner time dreams are made of!
The time and money saved by taking the “old” and making it new is just magic.

Although feeding a large family can seem like a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be! Incorporating meal planning, batch cooking, and buying in bulk are all effective strategies for streamlining dinner time. While keeping it simple and repurposing leftovers can provide your family with tasty meals without breaking the bank.
Large family living can be busy and delicious at the same time. Now go forth and tackle dinnertime like a boss! What’s your favorite meal to make?