Meal Planning Made Easy

Sometimes, feed a family feels like running a 24/7 restaurant for the pickiest clientele on earth. One kid won’t eat anything “green,” another will only eat foods cut into triangles, and you’re pretty sure the nanny deserves hazard pay for trying to navigate it all. Enter: strategic meal planning.

Whether your nanny helps prep, cooks daily meals, or just ensures snacks go beyond a pack of Goldfish, here’s how to make mealtime smoother, healthier, and less chaotic for everyone involved.

1. Create a Shared Meal Planning Template

Use a digital doc or shared app like Google Sheets or Plan to Eat. Build a weekly template that includes meals, snacks, and who’s responsible for what. Make space for dietary notes (e.g., “no dairy for Liam,” “Ellie only eats chicken when it’s shaped like a dinosaur”) so your nanny isn’t playing kitchen detective. Want to go old-school? Put everything meal-related together in a binder and keep it near the kitchen for easy access.

2. Do a Weekly Meal Planning Power Session

Set aside 20 minutes each weekend or Monday morning with your nanny, either virtually or in person. Review what worked last week, what's in the fridge, and plan the next week’s meals. Bonus: you avoid the dreaded 5 p.m. “what’s for dinner?” panic.

3. Keep a Running Grocery List

Make it easy for your nanny to add to your grocery list in real time. Use a shared app like AnyList or a good old-fashioned notepad on the fridge. Out of string cheese again? You’ll know before the meltdown.

4. Rotate Family Favorites

Create a “go-to meals” list of 10–15 family-approved dishes that everyone loves (or at least tolerates). Keep it in your meal planning doc or your meal binder so it’s easy to recycle favorites without reinventing the dinner wheel every week.

5. Prep in Batches, Not in Exhaustion

If your nanny is responsible for meal prep, consider scheduling batch cooking twice a week—think chopping veggies, pre-cooking proteins, or assembling casseroles. It’s a game changer when you only have to assemble meals during the week instead of starting from scratch.

6. Empower Your Nanny (Without Micromanaging)

Trust is key. If your nanny is comfortable cooking, give them creative license within boundaries, like “Meatless Monday” or “Mexican Night.” If not, pre-select recipes together and keep them in a binder or digital folder for easy access.

7. Plan for Flexibility (Because Life Happens)

Have a backup meal list for when schedules go haywire: freezer meals, breakfast for dinner, or a list of favorites from your local delivery app.

Meal planning doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. With a little structure, collaboration, and the magical powers of a great nanny, your family can eat well, save time, and maybe even enjoy dinner together without someone crying into the mac and cheese.

Visit www.monicare.com/blog for more great tips on managing your household!