Cooking for a family means juggling different tastes, appetites and schedules. Meal prep helps — as long as it's flexible. Here's how to make it work for households with children.
Cook a shared base, customise at the table
Instead of cooking separate meals, prep one mild base and let everyone adjust their own plate. A plain dal can be spiced up with chilli oil for adults; fajita fillings can go into wraps for children and bowls for adults; quinoa bowls can be built with whatever toppings each person likes.
Getting children involved
- Younger children can wash vegetables, stir mixtures and fill muffin cases.
- Older children can measure, use a peeler with supervision, and help pack lunch boxes.
- Letting children choose one recipe for the week makes them more likely to eat it.
Lunch boxes that survive until lunchtime
Use an insulated bag with an ice pack for anything perishable. Pack sauces and dressings separately, choose foods that taste good cold, and avoid sending reheated leftovers unless they can be kept hot in an insulated food flask.
Our recipes compared for family prep
| Recipe | Portions | Fridge | Freezer-friendly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls | 4 | Up to 4 days | Yes |
| Big-Batch Red Lentil Dal | 6 | Up to 4 days | Yes |
| Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) for the Week | 5 | Up to 4 days | Yes |
| Grab-and-Go Vegetable Egg Muffins | 12 | Up to 4 days | Yes |
| Crunchy Peanut Noodle Salad Jars | 4 | Up to 3 days | No |
| Mediterranean Quinoa Prep Bowls | 4 | Up to 4 days | No |
| Soya Keema Matar | 5 | Up to 4 days | Yes |
| Banana-Date Baked Oat Bars | 9 | Up to 5 days | Yes |
Planning around a busy week
Look at the week ahead before you plan. Put the quickest reheat meals on the evenings with after-school activities, and keep one freezer meal in reserve for the night when plans change. A "leftovers night" towards the end of the week helps use up anything still in the fridge.
For the basics of meal prep, start with our planning guide.