How to Plan Meals for a Big Family

Planning meals is not always easy, especially if you have a large family. It's best to try to work together to decide what you are going to prepare. This article will help others who have inherited a large family or someone who has one and still does not know how to do the planning.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pen
• Paper
• Poster board
• Markers to add color
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Ideas for meals
• Super self-sticking notes or colored paper
• Glue

How to Prepare the List of Meals

1. Inspect your kitchen to find out what you already have. You do not want to spend money on items you do not need or already have.

2. Make a list of foods, spices, dairy products and condiments that you already have.

3. Get together with family members and ask them what they would like to have for meals throughout the week. Write it down on a piece of paper or a tablet. Then purchase what is needed to prepare those meals.

4. After making the list and making sure you have everything needed, organize it into rows and make up at least a week's worth of meal planning. You can either make the list for evening meals or you can make it for lunch and supper.

5. After organizing the list of meals, check the chore chart to see who cooks on each day and discuss with them if your choice of meals for each of them is what they want to prepare.

6. Begin to design your chart or schedule according to the draft you prepared on paper.

7. Place the name of the person for each day and then write the meal they are to prepare. Use different colors for each person to add some flare to the chart. You can also get your best artist or artists in the family to draw pictures to go along with each meal.

8. Use some colored paper to have a drop-down menu for an alternate meal just in case something comes up and they have to prepare something else.

9. You can use numbers or letters to show references at the bottom of the chart if there are instructions needed for preparation of the meals. Usually the meals that are chosen do not need a lot of instructions unless it's the younger adults cooking.

10. When writing the instructions, make sure you use the right color so it is even easier for them to refer to the number at the bottom of the chart.

11. Finish it by covering it with clear self-sticking plastic. This keeps the chart clean in case greasy fingers skim over the chart. It is also good when little ones are around and they like to touch the chart just because of all the colors.

12. Hang the chart in the kitchen if you have the wall space. If not, do like we did and hang it in the hallway next to the kitchen. If you are not real formal, you can hang it in the diningroom.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to use permanent markers or it could end up being a smeared mess.
• Make sure all agree on the choices on the draft before doing the chart.
• Choose meals that are simple on most days.
• Save the more complicated meals for the experienced cooks.
• If someone decides to take everyone out, save that meal for the next week.
• Try to have everything needed ahead of time.
• Making the chart is fun. Let the kids get involved.
• To make it even better, do a month's worth of meals.
• DO NOT make the final chart without making sure everyone agrees.
• Try not to forget all the ingredients needed for each day.
• Do not repeat meals too often. Everyone will get bored with it.
• Don't just throw it together, the flashier it is the better.