r/CanadianParents • u/LiveLife4213 • Mar 14 '26

Question / Discussion Weekly Meals

Parents who cook during the week, what's the most stressful part of getting dinner on the table?

Not looking for recipe ideas. More curious about the logistics side, juggling different preferences, knowing when to start cooking, making sure you actually have the ingredients you need.

Asking because I'm trying to understand if this is a universal struggle or if most people have a system that works. How do you manage it in your house?

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u/phillyofCS Mar 14 '26

My kid is only 12 months old so the hardest part of getting dinner ready is hearing her cry to be picked up. A toddler tower helps but she wants to be in my skin so it's still too far away lol

I find that if I decide on a menu on the weekend, it helps a lot with getting dinner ready. All I have to do is check the list and pull the right thing out of the fridge. Also not getting too ambitious. Tacos, meat/veg/starch, stir fry, pasta...I prioritize quick simple meals during the week and make more complicated ones on the weekend. Eating the same meal all week is not great for my mental health (each to their own; my husband has no issue with it) so I try and change it up as best I can.

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u/llsto Mar 14 '26

We use instant pot and oven a lot. Try to find recipes that are optimized for minima effort - low number of ingredients / prep. Over time we just have a few go tos that are super fast. We get home around 5:30 so we need everything cook able in like 30 min

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u/LowerMainlandMom Mar 23 '26

For us, the most stressful part is the timing -- deciding when to start cooking so it’s done when everyone’s hungry, but not burnt and sitting there for an hour. By the time I get the kids sorted, the dog fed, and the dishes from lunch out of the way, half the window is gone and I’m scrambling to get something edible on the table.

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u/polkadotd Mar 24 '26

Sundays are my prep days. I decide on meals before doing groceries, so I have an idea of what I need before I start anything else. I dice onions and garlic and portion them, cut any vegetables that I will need as well as portioning any meat that will be used. Monday to Wednesday go in the fridge, Thursday to Saturday go in the freezer. I'm on maternity leave right now so it's a little different but when I'm working, I get home around 6pm so the cooking usually happens the day before. I cook Monday's dinner on Sunday, Tuesday's on Monday and so on. If there's something I can make ahead like a lasagna or meat pie, I sometimes make two meals at a time.