Meal planning is one of those homemaking things I have a love/hate relationship with. I love finding new recipes, I love trying new things, and I love eating. Conversely, I hate taking the time to plan, I hate shopping, and I hate cleaning up the mess I make in the kitchen. Can I get an AMEN?
The thing about having a large family is that someone ALWAYS wants to eat, and meal planning is a fact of life I cannot escape. I have little people – they need to eat – the end. So, I’ve had to learn to revel in the aspects of meal planning I enjoy, and find creative ways to tolerate (and even learn to love!) the aspects I don’t enjoy as much.
This page isn’t a one-size fits all menu plan. It’s a one of these sizes will fit YOU menu plan. There are tons of suggestions, ideas, printables, and tips for feeding your family on this page. The portions, recipes, and printables are geared toward big families, but even small families will find things that work for them too!
There are a few things you need to solidify before you dive into making a menu and shopping list. I’d also highly recommend you check out the following post –
What cookbooks or online resources do you need?
Are you on a special diet? Do you like to use Pinterest? What are your favorite cookbooks? Do you like to plan digitally? Maybe you’re more of a pen and paper kind of gal. Gather your resources, and make it as fun as possible! (That’s me giving you permission to go out and buy a super special glitter pen and notepad!)
What’s your menu planning and shopping style?
Do you like shopping every week? Do you like to meal plan from one certain cookbook? Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Learn your style, and stick to it – because you will be more likely to stick to it! And if something you are doing isn’t working, know that you can change it!
Need recipe ideas for your large family? Check out my Large Family Recipes page!
Now, let’s talk about specific strategies for meal planning and grocery shopping…
BIG FAMILY MEAL IDEAS \ Cook With Us For Our Large Family of 10
Do you need big family dinner ideas?
If there are lots of mouths to feed at your nightly dinner table, you need all the big family dinner ideas you can get! But sometimes smaller families have to feed bigger families during the holiday seasons or for special milestones like college graduations or first communions.
What to eat if you have a big family?
Serve it on hamburger buns, over a baked potato, or with tater tots for a family-friendly dinner. Tacos are super popular but could be tricky to make for a big family unless you do things in big batches. My Mexican pulled pork carnitas would be an excellent choice. Then just stock up on store bought salsa, tortillas, and toppings.
Are these family dinner recipes easy to scale?
No matter your reason, these awesome family dinner recipes are easy to scale for whatever size you need. Double batch, triple batch, or prep ahead and freeze, you’ll be ready to feed an army of loved ones for a special meal. Feeding a big family night after night can feel exhausting.
How many quick-prep meals for big families to feed a crowd?
Here are 67 Quick-Prep Meals for Big Families to Feed a Crowd! Summer months are filled to the brim with all of the goodness and all of the things! At the end of the day we still need to treat our family with the love that goes into feeding them!