How to Get Dinner on the Table Without Losing Your Sanity {Full Presentation}
Over the years, I have been asked many, many times to speak to groups of women, college students, widows/widowers, and countless others about:
- planning a menu
- making dinner
- surviving dinner time
- cooking for picky eaters
- budgeting
- and pretty much any and all topics related to this
Inevitably, almost every one of these presentations ends up being titled:
➡️ How to Get Dinner on the Table Without Losing Your Sanity ⬅️
(Can I get an amen?? So many of us can relate to this topic!)
Since I’m unable to give this same presentation to all of you in person (I wish I could!), and after a great demand for the material, I decided to put the entire presentation in a blog post for you to reference when needed OR for you to present this to others in your community if the need arises.
Below are all the details of the presentation I give (including my dumb jokes) AND links to all the handouts (free!) that I give during the presentation.
Even if you don’t ever use this material to actually present to anyone else, hopefully it will be helpful to you as you slog through day after day of getting dinner on the table for you and yours. 😘
Ahem. Let’s begin.
And I’ve been talking about food online for almost 20 years.
I started my food blog decades ago to combat loneliness and a bit of boredom from what I like to call “The Toddler Years” while we were living in Wisconsin and I had three kids under the age of three which soon became four kids under the age of four, and yes I know how babies are made, and yes, I still chose that, and yes there were days I wanted to run far far away.
Way back in the day, my food pictures were really, really bad. ⬇️
Over the years, they’ve improved a bit. ⬇️
And along with better pictures, I’ve somehow also gained millions of readers, and it’s really the best job ever.
I’ve been publishing recipes on the internet for a long time, which means I’ve seen the full gamut of human decency.
The large majority of the comments I receive are something like this:
I also get some rather questionable comments like this entertaining thread:
And of course, because we live in a very strange, weird world, I also get comments like this:
Don’t let the hateful comments bother you. I have developed a VERY thick skin, so you don’t need to feel badly for me. I read these kinds of comments out loud to my family at dinner time for a good laugh (and wise discussion on proper internet and good-human behavior).
Over the last 17 years, I’ve heard from thousands of people, mostly women, about dinner time. Menu planning. Feeding their families. Feeding themselves!
You name it, I’ve heard it.
So many of us feel the same way. While I LOVE food (as in, Brian will tell you to back away slowly if I start talking about food or recipes or dark chocolate or carbs), I don’t always love making dinner. Or meal planning.
Don’t think I’m up here being the proclaimer of: “IT’S AMAZING, ANGELS WILL BE SINGING! MAKING DINNER IS FUUUUUUUUN” No. Gosh, no. I’m in the trenches just like you are.
I recently polled my Instagram audience of close to 200,000 people to see what their biggest challenge and pain point was to getting dinner on the table.
Thousands of people responded! Far and away, the three most common pain points mentioned (hundreds of times each) were:
- Deciding what to make
- Having the time to make it (and dealing with busy work/life/kid schedules)
- Working with picky eaters
AND the fact that they have to do it “over and over again every stupid night.” (That’s a literal quote from someone who responded.) 😜
Many people mentioned budgeting/money, but it was a distant fourth to these three topics.
So we’re going to dive in and address these pain points. I’m going to give you tips, resources, and strategies I’ve gleaned over the years.
These tips are universal. They can be adapted and used no matter your family structure or phase of life. Pick and choose the tips and strategies that resonate with you and you think could help you in your own circumstances.
➡️➡️ At the end of the day, I feel like as much of a pain as making dinner can be (night after night after endless night), it can also be a treasured time of family connection.
Recently, one of my adult sons who is living out of the country for two years commented that the thing he misses most about home is eating dinner with the family. Now, granted, what he probably meant was “someone making dinner for me” 🤣 but I thought that was profound when there are a lot of other things he could miss.
Dinner at our house is rarely fancy. We usually sit up at the counter on barstools and dish up family-style. It’s not always a real recipe (grilled cheese night, I’m looking at you), and we don’t do it every single night of the week with all the different schedules happening.
But trying for fairly consistent family dinners has been one of the best ways to have conversations (especially with teenagers) and spend time together, even if it’s just a quick 15 minutes each evening.
Ok, so let’s dig in and figure out how to make this happen!
At this point in the presentation, I like to hand out this printable to help follow along. I’ve included it as a free printable here, in case it is helpful. It is two pages (the second page is for note-taking).
➡️ DOWNLOAD PDF HANDOUT HERE ⬅️
I know the thought of menu planning probably strikes dread into some of your hearts. It can be a drag, I get it.
But planning a menu is single-handedly THE BEST way to execute family (or single) meal times.
FIRST, I think we need to reframe what menu planning is. There are a lot of ways to approach menu planning and we’re going to talk about them.
Here are my top tips to take the dread out of menu or meal planning and how to RETHINK menu planning.
Make a plan and WRITE IT DOWN!
There are a lot of ways to do this, but here are three simple ideas:
- Write it out on good old-fashioned notebook paper, use a menu planning pad, or keep track on the notes app of your phone
- Use an app (Paprika, Peachie, Mealime, Pepperplate, just to name a few)
- Keep a list of go-to meals already written out so when you go to plan the menu, that takes *some* of the guesswork out of planning and makes some meals easy to fill in
Make time to plan: You don’t need to spend hours planning your menu. Set aside 10 to 20 minutes, sit down and just do it.
Consult your calendar while planning: This means you will avoid planning a 5-course meal on a Tuesday night when you have three soccer games. 😜 The goal is to plan meals appropriate for the day/schedule.
Consider planning 2 weeks at a time: Confession…I dread menu planning, but if I know I only have to do it every two weeks, it doesn’t seem quite as bad.
Plan for leftovers or no-cook meals: You don’t need a brand, new meal every night! Check out the printable handout below with a whole list of no-recipe meals to plug in on nights that need a quick dinner solution.
➡️ Free Handout with a Whole List of No-Recipe Meals! ⬅️
Leave room for flexibility: One suggestion is instead of planning exact recipes/meals for exact days, instead have a more fluid approach. Choose, say, four recipes to make that week, get the ingredients for them, and as the week goes on, plug them into the days that work.
Pick themed nights: Taco Tuesday, Italian Thursday, Stir Fry-days, etc.
Pick your most stressful nights and start by planning meals for just those nights: Menu planning doesn’t mean you HAVE to plan all three meals for every day of the week.
Have fun with it! Maybe try a new recipe (if that’s fun for you)!
In the wise words of someone older than I am…
Listen, I’m no genie, but I can help with a few suggestions and tips to combat that feeling of “there’s no time (or desire!) to make dinner!”
Stock your kitchen with foods you can make and serve quickly on busy days, like canned beans, tuna fish, quick-cooking oats, etc.
Cook when you have more time. If you have more time on the weekends or a particular day of the week, consider making recipes to freeze and reheat later. Or cook meat in bulk and store in the freezer to quickly pull out and use in things like chili, spaghetti, soups, etc.
Cook once, eat twice. If you can’t set aside several hours to put meals in your freezer, double what’s for dinner and freeze half for another day.
Take shortcuts where you can. Not everything has to be homemade. And you don’t need a home cooked meal every night, if your schedule doesn’t allow it.
Now before you cringe, about “getting help” hear me out. I get it. Sometimes having help in the kitchen, whether it be a spouse or children, is more work than it is helpful! But here are a few tips to make it a bit more manageable.
- Divide and conquer: If you have a partner, divvy up the days (ie, someone takes M/W, someone else takes T/Th – and eat out on Fridays!). This has the benefit of spreading the work equitably and you always know who is responsible for which nights.
- Get kids involved to the extent your sanity can handle: Some families have success full-on delegating. I have a friend who is a full-time teacher with a large family. Each of her kids has a set dinner night where they plan and execute the meal for the family. Others do it differently. For us, we haven’t had great success assigning dinner nights. Instead, I utilize my kids’ help during the week for dishes/cleanup/small cooking tasks delegated in the moment, and I give them bigger assignments on Sundays to help with the Sunday meal (right now, because I have only two of my five kids living at home, they are rotating and each cooking dinner on alternating Sundays; they hate it, I love it.)
Use leftovers. Eat leftovers for another dinner or use leftovers for lunches.
Reuse your own meal plans. Keep your menu plans and recycle them or refer to them to get meal inspiration for a couple meals that week. Don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel every week.
Easy meals count. Take out, breakfast-for-dinner, cold cereal, ready-to-eat store bought meals – figure out what easy meals you can utilize to simplify getting dinner on the table.
➡️ Here are all my fast 20- or 30-minute recipes in one place. ⬅️
Consider joining or starting a meal swap with friends. I have heard from a lot of people over the years who have had great success in meal swap groups (either for lunches or family dinners). The idea is if there are five people in the group, each person would make five batches of whatever meal they are making (lasagna, enchiladas, whatever) and deliver it to each person in the group. You cook once but have meals for five days of the week.
There’s no one kitchen tool that’s going to save dinnertime, but these are a few things I use over and over and over again that help simplify dinner-making.
- Instant Pot (all my favorite Instant Pot recipes here)
- Slow Cooker (my go-to slow cooker recipes here)
- Stove-to-Oven pan (this is brilliant for meals that need both the stovetop and oven – only one pan to clean! I use it all the time)
- Griddle (we use this almost daily – everything from pancakes to crispy wraps to grilled cheese)
- Handy Chopper (this makes chopping so quick and easy)
- Fave Knife (I have three of these inexpensive knives in my drawer, because we use them so often)
And by picky eaters, we aren’t always talking about the kids, amiright? #husbands 👀
It’s likely not all of these tips will resonate with everyone. There are a lot of strong opinions that often follow generational lines when it comes to feeding families/children. Additionally, some individuals have sensory challenges that make eating/picky eating an entirely different experience.
However, hopefully some of these tips will help if you’re navigating cooking meals for picky eaters.
Ralphie @simplyonpurpose has a free “eat the rainbow” guide that I’ve heard is really awesome. This link will take you to Instagram with details.
A few additional tips:
- Don’t short order cook. Cook one meal for the entire family (see the second tip below – it goes along with this one!).
- Include one slam dunk food. Try to have meals where there is at least one thing that your selective eaters will like (it can be simple: crackers or bread with soup, fresh fruit as a side dish, sliced cheese, etc). Doing so means you can make one meal (tip #1) and know that even if they don’t like what’s being served, there is something they will eat.
- Continue to offer new foods. It can be easy to want to give up serving or encouraging your family to try new things, but keep in mind that it can take up to 11 times for a child (or teen) to decide they like a new food.
- Leave sauces and other toppings on the side. This is especially helpful for those kids that don’t like their food to touch or be mixed.
- Make a one-dish exception. Let them have the choice to take a pass at one single dish without it becoming a power struggle.
- Avoid requiring kids to finish everything or clean their plates. Sometimes one bite (or even dabbing at the food with their finger) is good enough success, especially if the goal is to build healthy relationships around food.
I am living proof that this bonus tip works.
I’ll just touch on this one briefly.
Everyone has different circumstances and your idea of budgeting may be totally different than someone else’s but here are a few universal tips that can help in any scenario.
A few practical food budgeting tips:
- Use a shopping list to stay on track.
- Review sales and coupons to stay on track.
- Include more meatless meals. ➡️ My favorite meatless main dish recipes here. ⬅️
- Eat foods that cost less all year long (like, beans and sometimes eggs).
- Store fresh foods in the fridge right away to help them last longer and keep them from spoiling.
- Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season.
And that’s a wrap!
I know this has been a ton of information and rather long, but hopefully it has been helpful in some way.
As a recap, here are the printables I included up above in the post for easy reference.
➡️ Colorful PDF HANDOUT that follows the presentation ⬅️
Call me crazy, but I create an 8 week meal plan. I’ve tried everything under the sun, but this system has worked best for our family for over a decade. I rotate through meals I know my family likes, while adding a new recipe every week or so (on days I know I’ll have time to test them).
It helps me see what food we can reuse or repurpose into another meal later on. It also helps us know how long those leftovers have been in our fridge and encourages us to eat them before they go bad. It helps save money at the grocery story so I’m not just buying random ingredients I won’t use.
I try to balance our proteins by having “Meatless Monday” “Beef Tuesday” “Poultry Wednesday” etc., obviously with room for flexibility. I also add a blank line for our green veggie/fruit to add what’s in season or on sale that week at the grocery store.
It takes a couple hours every month or so to actually type up and print, but it definitely saves me from the “what’s for dinner” headache every night!
Mel, Thank you for this post! So many good ideas and helpful information for families of any age or size. I am a 71 year old still working Nana who lives with my daughter, son-in-law and 2 year old grandson. My daughter and I share meal planning, shopping and cooking – you are so right, once the planning is done, everything else falls into place. We love your blog and your recipes – thank you so much. I am sure that this is a labor of love, and it shows.
This is so helpful and thorough! I have three little ones running around and dinner time can be so stressful. Thanks so much for this, Mel!
Love it! Great job, Mel!
Thank you for this great resource! You are so generous to share.
Thank you for all you do to make our lives more delicious on the regular. You’re awesome!
And, I’m guessing that your kids LOVE having contact with you. 😉 And if you have any cats they probably love you, too.
Thank you Mel! I’ve been following you for 14 years or so and have always struggled with meal planning but with your amazing posts on the subject I’ve slowly hashed out a better system than staring at the fridge at 5pm eating dark chocolate chips. I like the “system” of having ingredients for several different meals and picking which seems better for the day. Also I’ve been planning a large soup/stew type meal once or twice a week to have leftovers for the days when we are the busiest. Love what you do and I agree meal planning is the hardest thing, your fantastic recipes and funny real posts have been my friends for so long and have helped our family so much.
And just to let you know ow my teenage daughter bakes your dessert recipes all the time and we cracked up over the mug cake comments
My meal time stress reduced dramatically when I finally embraced meal planning. It was life changing! I only had to think about it once a week, instead of having a panic attack every night at 5:00! Now that I’m an empty nester, I still meal plan. Your tips and suggestions are on point. Thanks for all that you do! You are my most trusted recipe site!
Thank you for some very interesting tips. I am a very organized person, and I’ve had many years to practice! LOL I’m 72. Back in my younger days, I kept track of meals on my paper calendar, then the computer came along and spreadsheets!!! So, I have tried all kinds of “plans” through the years. Since being empty nesters, things changed. Learning how to cook for 2 was sometimes challenging. My husband does not like leftovers, so the recipes that work well for freezing were divided for future meals and the rest of the meals were successfully downsized. I love my spreadsheets, because if I change my mind about a meal, I just delete and replace. Gone are the days that I’d scratch it out and write down something else. What I am doing now is on Sunday I make whatever I decide, Monday is chicken, Tuesday is Mexican. Wednesday is pork, Thursday is some sort of pasta, Friday is burgers, and Saturday is homemade pizza.
I love this so much. I love YOU so much! This made me laugh and it’s so great to know 🎶 “we’re all in this together!” (Cue High School Musical music and dancing)
It helps to have paper plates for serving up dinner family style when dishes haven’t been washed or when you’re on the go.
It helps to read “how to keep house while drowning” to be kind to yourself because dishes and meals are always going to be part of life.
I like serving regular weeknight side dishes in the glass Pyrex that can be easily covered and popped in the fridge after dinner.
I like Simply on Purpose’s “after dinner jobs” idea of getting everyone on board to clean up in a fun routine with dance music.
Thanks again for this Mel. Amazing that you’ve shared this in person and no online. Such a helpful resource!
Great presentation! The best part was about picky eaters. I just feel better knowing I’m not alone. 1-meat and potatoes man, 1 -unless it has jalapeño, or a bunch of spices and hot sauce, it’s boring man, AND 2 little kids that would always eat the same few things if we would let them, but they haven’t met a candy that they don’t like! I have been doing meal planning a week at a time, I will try the 2 week method. Thank you for sharing your stuff and wisdom.
Love it!
One of my favorite no recipe meals that my kids love is “pizza grilled cheese.”
When we make homemade pizza we always have leftover pepperoni and mozzarella, so we make grilled cheese with mozz and pepperoni later. If you have extra sauce you can dip your sandwich in pizza sauce as well.
I’ve been a big fan for years, and this just keeps that flame alive 🙂 Thanks for the great tips and ideas and for being so real and so entertaining along the way. I’m quite confident we would be great friends 😉
This is such a great resource! Thank you so much for sharing all this with us. You are very much appreciated!
Thanks, Ruth!
Ditto to the comment about starting the menu during a meal the day before you need to go shopping. My family helps me fill in the days so that 1) they are choosing what they want and 2) I don’t have to do all of the thinking.
I started leaving the house early to exercise and my husband took over the breakfast responsibilities. We now call him the “egg man” because he has mastered all things egg related (but not waffles or pancakes).
Your graphics gave me some giggles, especially the proposal one. You are wonderful.
That’s awesome that you involve your family in the meal planning part! And good job delegating breakfast!!
Thank you for sharing your hard work on this! And thank you for acknowledging picky eaters with sensory challenges, which really kicks it up a notch in the pain department! 3 of my 4 kids are extremely picky eaters, 2 have medical food restrictions and sensory issues with food. It honestly has made me hate and dread cooking, which I used to enjoy.
But I should take this opportunity to thank you for your chicken shawarma recipe. It is hands down the single most successful family meal I make. Even though my kids would rather die than eat all the components together as intended, everyone likes the chicken, everyone likes flatbread, and everyone can at least tolerate the cucumbers. Plus I can grill the chicken in the summer and not heat up the house. That meal is such a sanity saver for me so thank you!!! I try to make this kind of mix and match, eat it separate or together, stuff as often as I can – very helpful for picky eaters!
So much love to you as you navigate picky eaters and sensory issues! I have a good friend at church who deals with the same and talking to her has really opened my eyes to the challenges some parents face when feeding their kids. I’m so, so happy that shawarma recipe is a hit – yay!! That’s so helpful to know for others that might want to try a potential slam dunk meal for those selective eaters in the fam.
This is amazing. Thank you for EVERYTHING you share. I have learned SO much from you through the years–not only about cooking, but also parenting, provident living, gift-giving and being a good friend and person in general. I’m a big fan all around and can’t thank you enough.
Kami – I’m so honored you are still here after all these years! Truly. Thank you!
You and your recipes are a chefs kiss! I have never been disappointed by any of your recipies. This presentation is so helpful. You have changed my cooking and my kitchen. Thanks Mel!
Thank you so much, Michelle – I appreciate your kind words more than you know.
Love these tips! I meal plan once a month. Days have general themes (ex: Friday is Easy Button) and then I have different proteins I allocate per week (ex: two chicken). I have a binder that has lists of meals for each theme, so it’s a matter of picking something from that theme list and rotating proteins. We have a screen set up in our kitchen that shows our household calendar, school schedule, and what’s for dinner. No one has to ask me questions, I don’t have to decide each night, and we prevent food waste. Another bonus is if I find a protein or something on sale, I can buy for the month and pull it out of the freezer or pantry when it’s time to use it.
I love how organized you are, Crystal! Thanks for sharing how you make it work for your family. So helpful!
You, Mel are the real mvp! Thanks for sharing and helping to make me a rockstar in my kitchen!🤗
Ah, thanks, Melina!
Mel, your blog is my favorite place on the internet. I’ve been following for over 10 years and have made so many of your recipes! Thank you for sharing all of these ideas. I’m especially excited to use the no recipe list!
Something that has been helpful for me lately is starting my meal planning with my family during Sunday dinner. I find out if there are any dinners that sound good to them, plug those into my meal plan, and fill in any gaps. At least I don’t have to make the whole plan myself!
Love that suggestions, Megan! Thanks for sharing!
This is an amazing resource, Mel, and can’t wait to share with others!! I always say you’re my bestie in the kitchen… and actually, at our last base when I gave out recipe for something amazing of yours, people were under the impression it was from a “literal” family friend. I had to explain that, um, no, I don’t actually know you IRL, but we’re just bff’s in my head… 😆 Anyway, anyone who has talked to me for more than a minute has definitely heard of you. ☺️ Thanks for helping us out all the time, Mel!
Haha, you’re the best, Arlene. Thanks for your undying support, it means so much to me.
Thank you. I love you. The end.
Hahaha. THANK YOU. xoxo
Love these tips! I also always have pre-diced onions ready to go in my freezer and frozen peas/corn to put on the side of whatever for a quick veggie option. Freezing extra loaves of homemade bread for another dinner has also worked well. Basically, I have a really full freezer 🤪
Great suggestions, Lindsay! I am always giddily happy when I have something in the freezer to make dinner even easier.
I like the idea of freezing cut veggies. I have diced sweet peppers in my freezer from my garden and it makes me so happy when I’m making chili. I should do this all year round!
Thank you so much for this post & yummy recipes! I have anxiety over getting dinner together for the picky eater and food sensitive people in my family. It helps to know there are other people in the same boat. I hesitate developing a meal plan because alot depends on what I/we feel like eating that day or maybe that week. It’s a struggle esp when your husband doesnt cook, picky, doesnt particularly like leftovers, and/or eats very little. I like to eat, try new things and get tired of eating the same things all the time. I find I’m having to cook 2 separate meals almost every night. Stress!
Those are significant challenges to work around, Theresa! Cooking two separate meals is exhausting. Give yourself some grace, you are amazing for even trying!
Thank you so much for this. It is always a struggle. I’d like to suggest a recipe for busy people put there. This is one of our go-to recipes. We like Italian Village brand ravioli. It cooks in 5-7 minutes. Sometimes we add Purdue pre-cooked chicken, and Alfredo sauce. Sometimes we also add sweat peas. But the kids like the ravioli alone too, with a tiny bit of olive oil, a tiny bit of butter, and one of my kids likes to top it with parmesan/Romano grated cheese.
Thanks for the suggestion! Easy meals are the best!
I’ve been following your blog for 15?? years. Started when my kids were teens or close to it. Now my “baby” is 27. But all three of my kids helped me in the kitchen, learning to cook from your recipes. And, all three of my kids love to cook and are great at it. So you’ve not only made me a rock star in the kitchen, but my kids too! Great recommendations in this post—I remember when the kids were toddlers or being driven around to practices/games and making dinner was a real challenge. Thanks for so many years of great recipes and help!
I’m so honored you are still here after all these years, Lori. Truly, so many of us were in the trenches those same years raising our kids together. It’s wild how fast the time has gone.
What great timing! I have been in the middle of updating my recipie binder (I find paper easier to flip through/make shopping lists from, also if it made the binder you know it was good) and this reminded me to include a no-recipie recipie list. I am organizing mine into spring/summer and fall/winter, so that it helps me with planning, which I am determined to get better at this year.
You favorite knife is also my favorite knife – I give it as graduation, housewarming, any time, you name it. A few years ago all my older kids got them in their stocking and they were Thrilled.
This is also reminding me to get on organizing a young adult binder for my next child to move out! I will be using several of your printables from here and the kitchen tips post! Thank you so much!
Your recipe binder sounds amazing! I didn’t include it in this post because I didn’t have a great picture, but when I give this presentation, I show my well-used recipe binders that I keep printed out favorites of ours in sections (like slow cooker, 30-minute meals, etc) and I use it often to reference when planning our menus. And anyone who loves that knife as much as I do is sure to be a soul sister. 🙂
Melskitchencafe.com is a household favorite for at least 5 members of my family. I was surprised when my sister in IF, ID showed me she had your book – she said all the recipes I send her are from you and she wanted her own copy! We love you!!
Oh, that is so uplifting to hear…thank you, Judy!
I just started doubling my dinners on MW to have leftovers on TT. My husband works those evenings, and I like to get to the gym, so it makes my dinner prep more efficient and helps me have a couple days off. I either cook or get takeout Friday, and then the weekend is anyone’s guess. Either I’m cooking, or we’re on our own (eggs and toast, air fryer frozen chicken filets like homemade Chick-fil-a, top ramen, grilled cheese, a salad, girl dinner, etc). Or we go out/order pizza. I try not to order food more than once a week. But we for sure have one night a week that is DIY. I was cooking MTW with a leftovers night Th, which worked for a long time, but this new method is working great now too. I’m always open to adaptation as life changes.
Your last line sums it up, Bonnie – letting the plan change and flow as life evolves is essential. Thanks for sharing what is working for you!
This post is AMAZING!!! You are the best.
My biggest pain point is decision fatigue for sure. One thing that has helped me is creating theme nights.
I started a note on my phone with each meal category/theme and then wrote down a bunch of ideas for each one. Whenever I come across a new recipe that looks good, I add it to the note under the corresponding category.
Then when its time to meal plan I can just open the note, choose one meal from each category, and plug it into my meal plan.
Depending on our schedule, I move categories around to wherever they fit best.
PS It is totally okay to have a theme be “Leftovers” or “Takeout” or “You’re on Your Own” night 😉
What a great idea, Steph! I love that the notes on your phone is such a huge resource for planning meals. Thanks for sharing that! And I agree, lots of options for those theme nights, haha.
I feel so lucky to have been able to hear you present this in person, enjoy one of your delicious chocolate chip cookies, and to meet my cooking idol! Still a highlight for me. 🙂 You’re amazing; thanks for sharing this!
Ok, but seriously, I think those cookies were not my best and I left that presentation wishing I could have served them freshly baked from the oven. (BUT, the real highlight was being able to meet so many of you!)
So much of what you share resonates with me! Thank you for being my go to source for recipes, wisdom, and keeping it real.
I’m so happy to hear that – thanks for being here, Emily!
Mel, You are the best! Thank you for helping me feed my family for so many years. I started following you when my two kids were infants and now they are big teenagers! You have definitely helped make me a better and more confident cook.
One tip I have for “leftovers”, especially with the lasagnes, baked pastas, or casserole recipes from your site is that if you say make it in a 9×13 pan, then I split it into two square 8×8 pans. We eat one that night, and I freeze the other. Then a few weeks later, I take the one out from the freezer, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and heat it up.
I also make double or triple batches of your marinades and mix the (usually chicken) with the marinade in separate zip top bag and freeze (usually a pound of chicken in a bag at a time). Then as it thaws, the chicken marinades and is ready for the grill, air fryer, etc. Works perfectly with your pesto marinade and your lemon garlic chicken marinade.
Sending lots of love your way, Mel! Thank you!
Love your notes and suggestions, Sara – thank you for including a detailed comment on what works for you. So helpful!
Love the idea to double or triple marinade batches for the freezer!!
Thank you Mel, for all the time you put into this, and into cooking and posting so many delicious recipes! I honestly have no idea what I would do without your blog and cookbook. My daughter made the honey lime chicken bowls last night and tonight she plans to make the leftover turkey and rice soup. As you can imagine, I absolutely love when she has a few days off of work. Thanks again!
Oh, wow, I bet you DO love when your daughter is home and making dinner. She’s a rock star! Send her my way. 🙂
Mel, I wish I had found you when I was raising my kiddos. I have never been disappointed by any of your recipes that I’ve tried, and I love your real-life, down to earth relatable attitude and approach. It is SO refreshing. This was very generous of you to share, and even though I don’t have kids at home anymore, I found many of your tips useful and applicable. Thanks for ALL you do! You’re a gem!
Thanks for such a kind comment, Jolene! I honestly do wish I could be sitting down with all of you just chatting at my kitchen counter. That would be a dream.
You have already helped me so much with dinner. My husband and I take turns cooking (nothing organized, just whoever gets home first) and every weekend I pick three or four of your recipes and get the ingredients for them, then list them on the fridge. My husband knows to go to your website, and we trust that anything you post will be good! (Although I confess I was the only one who was enthusiastic about the lentil tacos last week.) Thank you for all of these resources; you are amazingly generous!
What a great plan, Laurie. Thanks for sharing how dinnertime works in your house! (And that’s ok about the lentil tacos…I am always enthusiastic about them, but my 14-year old is always very unenthusiastic). 🙂
What a wonderfully helpful resource to add to the many available on your site, Mel. Thanks for making it available to all of us. You’re the best!
You are so welcome, Theresa! Appreciate all of you so much!
Such great suggestions. Mine would be check Mel’s blog/cookbook. You really do provide inspiration for a LOT of my dinners. Thank you!
That means so much to me, thank you, Susan!
Thank you! Printed, shared, rejoiced over, and amen-d over.
Haha, yay! Hope it’s helpful and provides a bit of respite from the ongoing dinnertime woes.
Wow! Thank you. This is so helpful 🙂
You are so welcome, Teresa…thanks for being here!
Thank you for your generosity!! Excellent information and insights.
Thanks, Eileen!
Thank you so much for making your presentation available. My biggest pain is having to be the decider all the time. My kids are grown and gone, but they often come home for dinner Sunday. Do you have any resources for meals for a crowd, which is what we’ve become?
Hi Alison! I do have some posts about feeding large groups. Here you go:
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-and-what-to-feed-a-crowd/
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/build-your-own-recipes-large-groups/
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/feeding-large-groups/
As a retired Home Economics (Foods) teacher, I really appreciate this post. This is the information I taught to my students. I didn’t include picky eaters in my lessons as that would have targeted half the class!
Thanks for sharing this! Keep up your good work!
Haha, that’s funny about the picky eaters. I’m glad to know you taught much of the same info!
I am fortunate to have attended one of your “live presentations “! So grateful for your time and effort in sharing these resources. Thank you! Thank you!
Ah, thanks, Janine! So happy to have met you and know you in real life now.
Mel, where were you when I had to learn a lot of this on my own?! 😆 My kids are now 29/27. You have created an amazing resource! Wow! I love this and plan to share with my two kiddos. Thank you!
I bet you did a great job when you were in the trenches, Sylvia!
You should include a link to your meal planner notepad! I got my first one with your cookbook. My 12 yo daughter bought me a new one for christmas when she saw that I’d used it up. The current weeks menu is taped to a cupboard door (right below our evening job rotation card) and I save them to refer back to for ideas. Mels kitchen cafe is the best thing to happen to the internet. Keep up the good work! Also how is your anti inflammatory diet going?
Yes, please! I would love to see the meal plan notepad!
What a wonderful resource this whole post is, Mel! Thank you for sharing it with the world!
Hi Sandee and Megan! Currently the menu planning pads are sold out. But I’ll update this post with a link when/if they come back in stock. There are several versions on Amazon if you search “tear off menu planning pad.”
Sandee, thanks for asking about my anti-inflammatory diet. I’ll probably write a boring blog post about it at some point (haha), but it’s actually going really well. I like vegetables, so that helps. 🙂 And the eating part hasn’t been as terrible as I thought, other than having to walk away when the fam breaks out cookies from the freezer, but sadly, after close to four weeks, it hasn’t helped my hip and hand pain, which is a bit discouraging, but I should have figured it wasn’t a cure-all for all my ailments. Interestingly, I have very high cholesterol (like, shockingly high…it’s familial and genetic, all of my siblings are the same) and I’m getting blood work done next week with my endocrinologist, and if the anti-inflamm diet has helped reduce my LDL, then that would be encouraging. Anyway, I’m sticking with it for at least another four weeks and then will realistically go back to a more moderate, modified eating style (loading up on anti-inflammatory, good-for-me foods and enjoying other treats in moderation). We’ll see! Thanks for asking…there’s a long answer for you! 🙂
Thank you Mel!! Don’t know what I would do without you!! Your work has been such a constant in my family’s life over the years. You are the best!!
Im sorry it’s not helping like you hoped. After my fil passed away a couple years ago from a heart attack, my husband had his cholesterol checked and sure enough it was high (total 226, ldl 143). We did some diet modifications and in 2 months(!) dropped to total 161 and ldl 98. He has kept it up for over a year now. I’d love to tell you more if youre interested in avoiding statins.
You are my hero and my greatest cheerleader in the kitchen and I love you for it! Thanks for being the BFF. You didn’t even know you were.
BFFs forever!! 🙂
This is so helpful!
I’m glad to hear that – thanks, Sheri!
Hi Mel!
Thank you for all the support (and great tips)! I especially loved (printed out immediately) your list of no-recipe meals – as someone who loses all imagination when it comes to dinner, this list is super helpful and confidence-boosting!!
I appreciate you for “getting” us and always showing up with yummy recipes and your take on life – you’re a good egg 🙂
Thanks, Patricia! I use that same list of no-recipe meals all the time…it comes in clutch constantly!
Mel that was awesome! The time you spent to put that all together, and to share with all of us is so much appreciated. Thank you for being thoughtful, and caring about how we all feel about having to make/organize breakfast, lunch, and dinner EVERY day for the rest of our lives! You really are AMAZING!!
Thanks for being here, Natalie – appreciate you!