Meal planning Sunday cooking sessions—game changer

Dec 261 min read

Started doing this 3 weeks ago. Every Sunday afternoon we prep ingredients for the week together—my 10yo and 12yo chop veggies, measure grains, portion stuff into containers. They're learning kitchen skills, it cuts down my stress during the week, AND they're more likely to eat stuff they helped prep. Been thinking about this wrong the whole time. Why did nobody tell me cooking can be both efficient AND a bonding activity?

12 comments498 views

Comments(12)

DDerek P.RegularDec 26

The real win here is probably that you're not scrambling on weeknights trying to figure out dinner. That alone would cut my stress in half.

MMark A.RegularDec 26

This is actually genius. They're learning practical skills AND you get quality time AND you solve the 'what's for dinner' problem. How long does your session usually take?

AArchie M.RegularDec 26

This is the wholesome content I come here for. Been doing this for 2 weeks and my kids have already asked to cook actual meals together. They feel like they're part of the process instead of just eating what appears.

SSteve Q.RegularDec 26

did you find any recipes that work well for meal prep with kids? we tried once and it got kind of chaotic. want to try again but need stuff that's less messy than chopping fresh veggies.

GGary R.RegularDec 26

So real question—does this actually save you money or is it more about the experience? We're trying to cut back on takeout so curious if the prep effort pays off financially too.

TTerrence J.RegularDec 27

how long does the whole Sunday session usually take? Thinking about stealing this but don't want to commit 4 hours if I'm being honest

KKent R.RegularDec 27

Did your kids actually care about doing this or did you have to convince them? Mine would complain the entire time. Asking so I know if I'm doing something wrong lol

MMike T.RegularDec 27

My 10yo was skeptical but after we started meal prep Sundays he legitimately asked to make dinner twice during the week bc he wanted to use the stuff he prepped. It's wild how doing it together changes their interest in eating it.

GGabe R.RegularDec 27

The learning kitchen skills part is huge. My 12yo got legitimately excited about measuring things correctly. Made me realize how little cooking they actually do if we're not intentional about it.

RRussell D.RegularDec 28

This is actually genius. We started doing something similar 2 months ago and my 9yo now knows how to properly dice an onion. Plus it's weirdly quiet time together where we're not yelling about screen time or homework.

HHenry M.RegularDec 27

to answer that—ours complained first 2 times then suddenly wanted to keep doing it. I think the turning point was when my 12yo realized she could influence what we ate during the week. Now she's like "dad you're doing the rice wrong."

NNolan J.RegularDec 28

lol the fact that they're learning nutrition AND you're not eating takeout 5 nights a week AND you get Sunday quality time is like the dad version of hitting the lottery. stealing this idea.