AliaroHow to plan a weekly family meal plan and stop asking "what's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner?" at 8pm is the gateway to ordering takeout or making pasta for the third time this week. Planning the week's meals takes about 15 minutes and saves you decisions, money and food waste.
What you gain by planning
- Lower spending: you only buy what you'll use and avoid last-minute orders.
- Less waste: ingredients have a purpose before they go off.
- Better eating: it's easier to balance legumes, fish and vegetables when you see the whole week.
- Less mental load: the decision is made once, not every day.
How to do it in 15 minutes
1. Pick a fixed time
Sunday morning or the evening before the big shop. Make it the same every week.
2. Check the week's schedule
Days with after-school activities or late meetings need quick dishes or something cooked ahead. With a shared family calendar, this step takes seconds.
3. Fill in the "regulars" first
Many families have fixed days: soup Monday, homemade pizza Friday. They cut down on decisions, and kids love knowing what's coming.
4. Complete it from your list of dishes
Keep a list of 20–30 dishes your family likes. Planning becomes picking from that list, not inventing every week.
5. Turn the ingredients into the grocery list
Go through each dish and add what's missing. This is where meal plan and shopping connect (more in our guide on sharing the grocery list).
A sample meal plan
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Lentil and vegetable stew | Omelette and salad |
| Tuesday | Roast chicken with potatoes | Zucchini soup |
| Wednesday | Pasta with tomato sauce | Grilled fish |
| Thursday | Chickpeas with spinach | Leftovers / free night |
| Friday | Vegetable rice | Homemade pizza |
| Saturday | Paella | Light dinner |
| Sunday | Roast or family lunch | Soup and fruit |
Notice the "leftovers / free night" on Thursday: leaving a gap avoids wasting food and gives you room for the unexpected.
Tips to make it stick
- Cook double: if you make stew, make enough for two days or to freeze.
- Reuse menus: when a week works, copy it again later as is.
- Let everyone vote: each family member picks one dish a week. Fewer complaints at the table.
- Keep recipes in one place: with a photo, so anyone can cook them.
How Aliaro does it
Aliaro has a weekly meal plan shared with the whole family, on real dates:
- Lunch and dinner for each day
- Your own dishes and recipes, with photos
- Browse past and future weeks
- Monthly view and copy weeks (Premium)
