Cook Just One Meal For the Whole Family. Yes, Really.

Dying to know how to make one meal for the whole family? Read our top 7 tips that will have you spending less time cooking like a short-order chef & more time enjoying dinners with your family!

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One of the most asked questions from the parents in our community is how to make one meal for the whole family.

We parents are so over having to be a short-order cook for all the different people in their household. We understand the pain!

Some nights, getting any dinner on the table takes a lot of work. It can be so disheartening to have our kids reject it.

I like to keep the bigger picture in mind. With five people at a table, it's unlikely that everyone will love every part of the meal. My job is not to be a restaurant and earn a five-star review.

My job is to provide a healthy meal (and hopefully a loving atmosphere in which to eat that meal). Each person at the table is responsible for eating until they are satisfied.

Here are 7 expert tips that help our dinnertimes run smoothly:

1. Talk about it and set expectations.

If serving just one meal for the entire family will be a change, set expectations beforehand.

Have a conversation with your family at a time when your kids are relaxed and otherwise happy. Experts agree that a casual tone, with a brief explanation of why we are making changes, is a great way to begin. Keep it age-appropriate without a bunch of extra explanations.

Setting expectations for what you expect at the dinner table is important, too. For example, my kids are required to be polite about what's served. Instead of saying, "This dish looks disgusting, and I hate it," my kids can say, "I've tried one bite, and that's all I want tonight."

They sometimes still tell me certain things are gross, but I can remind them of our family rules. This generally keeps them from spiraling out of control with the negative talk. 

In our house, we also talk (often) about how not every family member will love or even like every meal every night. Each person's job is to find  foods they can tolerate on the table.

Being able to compromise for the sake of a group is an important skill to learn, and it can be discovered at the table. 

We like to talk about how my husband doesn't particularly enjoy tacos. But since my kids and I love them, we still have tacos at least once a month. He eats some parts of the meal on the table without complaining. Our kids like to see that we parents follow our own rules. 

2. Create a routine around eating.

Kids who graze all day long are far more likely not to want to eat planned meals.

For one, they just aren't that hungry. If your child has had three snacks between lunch and dinner, they may not be physically hungry for dinner. 

I fell into this trap for a while. Kids would come home from school starving and eat a huge snack late in the afternoon. It took me a while to realize they were just not that hungry at dinnertime an hour later. 

Secondly, kids usually don't love sitting anywhere for long periods. If they can eat while they are in the car or at the playground, it's an obvious kid choice. 

From a healthy meal perspective, a more structured routine, like three meals and scheduled snacks, is preferred to grazing anytime. This structure will help kids be truly hungry at mealtimes.

As a bonus, kids will likely have a similar structure in elementary school, so you can be happy to know that you are setting them up for school success.

3. Evaluate your snack choices.

I realized we had a problem when my toddler started saying things like, "I don't want lunch. I want a snack". We had inadvertently fallen into the rhythm of having healthier whole-food options at meals and "snackier" things at snack time.

You can learn from my mistake!

Make snacks more like mini-meals and include some snack-type items at meals. You don't want your kids to ignore your delicious meal because they are holding out for trail mix or goldfish.

I've started incorporating more snack-type foods into meals and more fruits, veggies, and leftover meals into snacks.

I have had great success keeping at least a few healthy snack options in the pantry.

We buy freeze-dried fruits carrots, and fruits with nothing else added. They are more expensive than the fresh options, but they are crispy like chips and come in "snack packs," so they are fun like chips. If my kids want something crispy and snack-like but I want them to have something nutritious, these types of foods can be a great compromise.

Other healthy pantry options include packets or containers of no-sugar-added nut butter, wholesome trail mix or nut mixes, no-sugar-added dried fruit, dried seaweed, or kale chips.

(By the way, we recommend serving healthy fat or protein with each snack whenever possible to ensure your kiddo isn't hungry two minutes later.)

Here are some of our favorite healthy packaged snack options!

4. Meal Plan.

This is one of the most impactful tips for making one meal for the whole family. Many people feel that meal planning is a huge time commitment. But people who meal plan find that it actually SAVES them time overall—as much as 2 hours per week!

More importantly, for this topic, when you plan your meals at least the day before, you can talk about what's on the menu. Kids are generally more receptive to what's on their plate if they know it's coming.

We keep our weekly meal plan near our fridge. We often talk about what we will have for dinner or lunch at breakfast.

If we will be having a dish that is not a favorite, we can talk about when we will be making their favorites. Or we can give them a choice of side dishes to be served. 

More recently, as my kids have gotten older, we have started to involve them in the planning process.

As a family, we decide on meals for breakfast, school lunches, and dinners for each day of the week. Our meal planning calendar lives near our fridge, so the kids know what to expect. 

Want help with meal planning? Check out this article or our meal plans here. 

5. Serve "deconstructed" meals.

Some kids don't like foods that can be touched, and many kids love to feel in control of what they eat. Serving meals deconstructed appeals to both types of children.

Instead of making tacos with the beans, lettuce, and cheese already stuffed into the shell, put each ingredient in a separate bowl on the table. Let kids build their tacos at the table. (Or help them build their taco, but ask for input on the ingredients.)

As a bonus, this type of dinner is less work than pre-assembling meals! Here's one such meal that we love.

Virtually any meal can be served this way.

If you are making chicken with a sauce over rice and broccoli, serve it that way for the adults. For the kids, add each part of the meal to their plate in separate sections. The sauce can go in a little bowl for them to add.

6. Include at least one food that each family member likes.

If I'm cooking a meal I'm not sure my kids will love, I ensure they have at least one or two side dishes they like. This gives my kids confidence when they sit down at the table.

It means everyone has something to eat, and nobody will go hungry.

I recommend serving hard-boiled eggs, whole wheat toast, brown rice, or other filling (but very easy) side dishes that your kids eat. We also keep sliced, raw veggies in the fridge, which I pull out at most meals. I feel good knowing that my kids have a few different sides that they know and tolerate.

7. Make dinnertime fun!

Mealtimes can be stressful for parents, especially if we are very involved in what our kids eat-- or don't eat.

Buy some fun plates and utensils for your kids to use at the table.

Cut fruits and veggies into adorable shapes with mini cookie cutters.

Play games like "I Spy" or "Tongue Twisters." Eat outdoors or have a picnic.

Try to channel your calmest friend and remember the bigger picture.

A relaxed atmosphere takes the pressure off kids and parents. As a bonus, you'll have more fun, too. Isn't that part of the point? More tips can be found here). 

So there you have it: this is how to make one meal for the whole family!

By talking about it with your family ahead of time, giving them some insight into what meals are coming, and creating a routine around eating, you will be setting yourself up for success.

The types of meals you serve can be powerful, too. Deconstructed meals give kids control, and fun meals take off the pressure. Nobody will go hungry as long as there's one thing on the table that each person will eat.

Ready for More? Top 10 Ideas to Make Family Dinner Fun

Ready to make family dinner fun again? We all know that research continues to demonstrate the importance of having dinner together as a family.

What research doesn't show, though, is what to do when eating together with your kids is more challenging than it is rewarding.  Here are our tried-and-true TOP 10 ideas for making dinnertime fun again!  

 

Need a plan? Take one of ours! Clients report saving eight hours of time per month using meal planning.