A 10-Minute Solution to Meal Planning

Just ask the people what they want!

Why aren’t we meal planning more? 

I mean, maybe you are but for me, when the words “meal plan” enter the room, my brain goes on hiatus. It’s like hitting the snooze button on dinner until it’s too late and everyone is milling about the kitchen like turkey vultures. 

This doesn’t work for someone who likes to cook but always does it at the very last minute. Yes, it works sometimes, but it also keeps the menu very stale. 

My inability to take 10 minutes to meal plan led me on a quest to find someone to help me get my act together which is how I found Emma Frisch’s Substack. 

Instantly I knew I had to get into her head because she could make prepping, cooking—and even involving the kids—look like something she was fully enjoying, having a blast in fact, and I wanted some of that! 

But I wanted to go deeper to gain an understanding of how she sets herself up, stocks her pantry, and makes it look all so friggin’ easy! 

So I reached out to her and she graciously agreed to answer a few of my most pressing questions around meal planning—and she’s even sharing with us a few red hot bonuses! 

So here is my interview with Emma Frisch from Time For Dins, which is her banging Substack where she shares recipes, stories from the kitchen, and digital meal plans (and she’s offering us one for free—and I must say the chicken and rice noodle soup with greens is one I’m all over!). 

She’s also the author of two books, Feast by Firelight: Simple Recipes for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors (if there was ever a cookbook that encapsulated the fall feels, this one is it!) and Seasonal Family Almanac: Recipes, Rituals, and Crafts to Embrace the Magic of the Year. 

Without any more blabbering on my part, here’s Emma’s interview (and anything bolded is me sharing my thoughts… because I can’t help myself!)

AM: Hey Emma, I saw on your Substack that you have a 10-minute approach to meal planning! 🤯 Since everyone seems to be short on time, can you please dish out how you turn 10 minutes into something so incredibly productive?! What’s your process?

Emma: YES! Typically, when people sit down to start meal planning, they discover they’ve spent an hour searching for recipes before they’ve even begun their shopping list. That’s because we often make a meal plan based on what we think we should eat, rather than what we want to eat. (That’s SO TRUE!)

My approach involves making what I call a Family Favorites Menu. This process sets you up for 10-minute meal planning. Essentially, you work with other members of your household to identify a “short list” of recipes that you love for a variety of reasons: nostalgia, comfort (making and eating it), taste, bonding opportunities, and so forth. This is your Family Favorites Menu.

From those recipes, you generate prep lists that can be added to a prep calendar and used weekly, so that everyone in your household knows how to help. (My kids are clueless when it comes to “helping in the kitchen” so this is encouraging!)

Now, you have a menu that you can use weekly - no more searching for new recipes (or perhaps you reserve one night to try something new). The key to keeping the menu feeling “fresh” is adapting the recipes to seasonally available ingredients. Let’s say lasagna is on your menu. In the spring, you might include baby spinach while in the fall you’d swap in roasted squash. This prevents everyone from getting bored with the same recipe while maximizing flavor and nutrition. 

This Masterclass replay on Stress-Free Family Meals includes more guidance on creating a Family Favorites Menu.

For the more adventurous cooks who want to try new recipes, I offer seasonal, one-week meal plans every month for paid subscribers. The first one is FREE. (Make sure to download this! She details everything from plan to table!)

(After reading this I consulted with my two boys on what we could plan for the week ahead and we were able to put together a few meals they swore they would eat. Things like chicken pot pie, tacos, fajitas, chicken cutlets, fried rice—this turned out to be such a simple, painless, and fruitful process. I had no idea!)

AM: What are your favorite (and easiest) dishes to prepare, cook, and eat when you’re in a crunch?

Emma: One of my absolute, go-to dishes to prepare in a crunch is a Tuna & Bean Pantry Salad. I nearly always have the ingredients I need in the pantry and can add in seasonal vegetables and herbs to make it feel new and exciting. It’s a one-stop-shop kind of recipe! 

I also have a great print-out (that I illustrated!) for 10 Yummy, Healthy Snack Hacks with quick, hearty ideas for when you’re in a crunch. (#2 is my go-to lunch!)

AM: Do you have any incredible tips for leftovers because in my house, there’s only one place for them: the compost! Nobody likes to eat leftovers. 

Emma: Designate a member of your family as the human garbage can?! That’s my husband… Otherwise, it depends on the leftovers. I try to find ways to make them more inventive if everyone is over them, such as turning leftover pasta into a cheesy pasta bake or frying mashed potatoes into patties. 

The compost is a great one, and we feed a lot of worms (and wildlife) with leftovers too.

AM: Since you’re part Italian, do you cook a lot of Italian dishes? If so, do you keep them on the “healthy side”, which I know can be difficult! Any healthy twists?

Emma: YES! Italian-style cooking underlies most of my recipes. 

By nature, Italian food is nutritious. Olive oil is the primary cooking oil (though it likes to be warmed over low heat, and slowly). Italian cooking also relies on whole foods prepared in simple ways. I make nearly all my food from scratch, and most of it is unfussy. 

One of our favorite, easy recipes is broccoli (or cauliflower) sauteed or roasted with olive oil and anchovies (which melt into the oil and create a vibrant, umami flavor), topped with sourdough breadcrumbs. This is also great served over pasta. (OMG mouthwatering!)

I struggle with the word “healthy,” because it is more about our habits around food, eating, and exercise that define health than the food itself. For me, healthy food is centered on home-cooked meals that celebrate fresh, seasonal, ingredients and are shared with others. This is also very Italian. (Love this! It’s so true ❤️)

AM: Can we talk about lunch!?! 🥴 I’m going to fess up here that despite me telling clients that lunch is super important to eat—I’m a big cheese and crackers gal so there have been many lunches I’ve turned into a mini charcuterie! (It’s not ideal, I’m veggie-void!) Do you have any quick go-tos lunch recipes that are heavy on veggies?

Emma: Great question! One of my favorite ways to make sure I have veggies packed into lunch is to prep a large sheet pan of roasted veggies ahead of time and store it in the fridge. I can then quickly add a portion to bean salad or alongside leftover rice with a runny egg. Sometimes I just love topping a good slab of sourdough with roasted vegetables and goat cheese. This requires some prep, but it’s worth it!

AND, I will say, don’t sweat it if you have one meal (or late snack) that doesn’t include veggies. Focus on adding a substantial portion of veggies at breakfast and dinner. I look at whether my whole day is balanced rather than each meal. 

AM: When you’re cooking from scratch what are a few staples you always have on hand that can get you started?

Emma: Olive oil, garlic, onions, and fresh herbs. These ingredients are the foundation of flavor in my cooking. 

Thank you so much Emma, I love these ideas and I feel like I just got permission to eat sourdough bread and goat cheese in the same meal which makes my soul so very happy! 

If you’d like to learn more about Emma and how she makes cooking look fun and easy, check out her Substack and make sure to download all her goodies she shared with us!

Till next time my meal-planning friend! 

❤️

am

P.S. Emma’s masterclass Stress-Free Family Meals also includes renowned family dietician, Sofie Di Niet, and wellness expert, Emily Gold. In this Masterclass she’ll help you generate your own “short list” of go-to comfort recipes, as part of a 3-step process to reclaiming joy and connection in the kitchen.

What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to meal planning?