Mealtime Made Easier with Madison of Cook At Home Mom

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The thing about dinner is that it happens every. single. day. And it’s typically the worst time of day for kids, especially littles. Plus, you might have sports or other evening activities in the mix. Today, Madison Wetherill of Cook At Home Mom is here to help you make preparing meals for your family easier and more joyful. 

We’re talking about the overwhelm and resentment that can come along with cooking and practical tips and tools to overcome those obstacles and even involve your kids in the process. 

Madison Wetherill is the woman behind Cook at Home Mom, where she inspires busy families to embrace wholesome, delicious cooking. Based in sunny Arizona, Madison juggles life as a wife and homeschooling mom to three energetic boys (ages 2, 7, and 9), blending the chaos of family life with her passion for creating meals that nourish the body and soul.

Madison’s culinary journey began after her college years when cooking shifted from a necessity to a passion. Whether she's experimenting with new ingredients or hosting family dinners, her mission is simple: to make cooking at home easy, enjoyable, and always full of flavor.

Madison says that while her dream Saturday is hours of alone time in her kitchen, she realizes that this is not the case for most people. For a lot of moms, cooking is a chore and definitely does NOT top the list of ways they want to spend their free time. Listen in to hear some of her best tips for simplifying family meals.

End Mealtime Overwhelm 

Madison recognizes that just the basics of cooking for a family can be overwhelming. There are so many moments between the beginning of planning and the finish line of sitting down to eat a meal. It’s a much more complicated process than we often give ourselves credit for.

She adds, “Then when you add in picky eaters or dietary needs or preferences or requirements for time or equipment, there are so many complexities to it, it's no wonder that it's overwhelming.” And, of course, meals are just one of many, many things you’re managing as a mom. 

The first step is to get curious about what exactly makes mealtimes feel stressful or exhausting to you. Is it the planning part (or lack of a plan)? Time? Budget? Not knowing what to make? 

She says, “There are different avenues and solutions for all of each of these problems. But I think so often we're quick to dismiss it and think, ‘That's just how it is. And it's never going to get any easier.’”

The biggest pain point Madison sees in moms is planning meals, which includes a few different pieces. First is having the time to plan. Next is figuring out what to eat, which brings in factors like picky eating, dietary needs, what’s healthy, what your family will like, affordability, etc. There’s certainly no shortage of recipes out there. The challenge is deciding which ones fit your needs and your family will enjoy. 

💡Tip: Create a Meal Planning Routine

We can think about meal planning the same way we use intention in parenting. For example, if you want to feel less stressed about meals during the week, create a routine around meal planning. When you take the time to plan your meals on Monday, imagine how you will feel on Thursday night when you know exactly what to cook and your ingredients are ready to go.  

Madison says, “Many practical problems you might have within the realm of cooking can usually be solved by planning ahead.” Think of things like dinners on busy nights, avoiding last-minute grocery runs, etc. 

1. Choose a day each week to make your meal plan.
2. Look through your fridge, freezer, and cabinets to see what you already have that you could use this week.
3. Check your calendar for any nights that might be busy or you’ll be out of the house. You’ll want to plan super quick, easy dinners for these nights and prep ahead of time if you can. 
4. Make a list of meals for the week that matches your schedule.

Madison adds that if planning for an entire week feels like too much at first, start by planning for just one or two nights a week and build the habit from there. Dinners are where planning tends to be the most helpful. Add in other meals or snacks later if you want to. 

💡Tip: Keep Your Meals Simple

It’s okay if you make the same meals over and over. Your dinners don’t have to be fancy. As you practice this, you’ll find recipes that are easy for you to make, meals your family likes. Lean on these, especially during busy weeks. 

I found it helpful for a long time to have categories or themes for our weekly meals (e.g. Monday chicken, Tuesday beans or rice, Wednesday pasta, Thursday soup, etc.). There is so much variety you can bring in just by making small changes, like adding a different protein or sauce. 

And yes, you’re even allowed to serve eggs, cereal, or sandwiches for dinner sometimes. 

➡️ Bonus: Keep an ongoing list of your family’s favorite meals that you can pull from.

Handle Picky Eating

It’s important to remember that picky eating isn’t about kids being disrespectful or rude. Madison says it’s actually a safety thing. For whatever reason, the child doesn’t feel safe and comfortable with that food - because it’s new, has a funny texture, or for many other reasons. 

Getting kids over picky eating is a long-term process, and safe exposure is key. 

Madison says, “There are so many different touch points kids can have with food that have nothing to do with eating.” For example, shopping, washing vegetables, chopping, mixing, etc. Even just seeing the food on the table is a type of exposure. This lets kids experience new or different foods in ways that feel safe to them. It makes the whole thing less emotionally charged and allows us to let go of some of our expectations around our kids’ eating habits.

Another helpful strategy is “plattering” rather than “plating” meals. Instead of putting your kid’s food on their plate for them, allow them to serve themself. This gives kids a little more agency over what they eat and how much. It doesn’t have to be set out in fancy serving dishes (which means more washing). Just put out the pan you cooked it in. 

Involve Kids in Meal Prep

Cooking together teaches valuable skills and can become a time for family connection. Involving kids in the planning process (within boundaries) can help you deal with picky eating when they get to choose meals they actually like. 

Madison shares that she grew up with fond memories around food. Her family ate dinner together most nights. However, she also saw the way her mom detested cooking. 

Cooking is one of those skills that’s really easy to not teach our kids, but it has major long-term benefits.

• Kids learn cooking skills, so they can actually be helpful to you in the kitchen.
• It brings the whole family into the process of meal planning and cooking. It’s not just “mom’s thing” (which leads to less resentment on your end).
• It creates a way to give kids responsibility, which in turn builds self-concept and self-belief.
• They learn practical skills that they’ll need as adults.

Madison says that bringing the family into meal prep is something that can happen slowly, over time. She talks about how her boys have learned some basic skills over the years, so now she can assign them specific tasks, like starting some rice or chopping veggies. Inviting them in during lower-stress moments in the past now allows her to actually have help when she wants it. 

While this approach pays off in the long run, it can be challenging in the beginning and requires a lot of patience. 

So, how do you involve kids when you don’t even really want to be cooking in the first place?

Cooking isn’t the only way to involve kids. Things like choosing meals for the meal plan, helping you at the grocery store, plating food, and clearing the table all involve kids in the process, too.

Madison says that exposure and repetition are really the key. Watching you do something, helping with different parts of the process, and seeing it over and over again goes a long way toward learning new skills or recipes in the kitchen. 

It’s also okay to choose your moments. If you can’t handle the idea of cooking with kids at the end of a long day, involve them in the planning process earlier in the week, or have them help you plate the food before sitting down at the table. It doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing thing. 

Even nearly 30 years after cooking my first chicken at the age of 23, I feel a little amazed when I put a meal on the table for my family. I think to myself, “Wow. You did it, girl. You made that happen.”

Start with one shift you want to try this week, and give yourself some grace along the way. This all gets easier the more you do it. You get better at planning. You let go of some expectations. Your kids get better at helping. And it feels good. 

You’ll Learn:

• Why preparing meals feels so hard
• The most impactful thing you can do to cut mealtime overwhelm
• Ways to involve kids in the kitchen without creating more stress for yourself
• My strategy for handling meal prep when my kids were little

Connect with Madison:

• Check out Madison’s website (and lots of free recipes) at https://cookathomemom.com/
• Get your free mini meal plan
• Follow her on Instagram @cookathomemom
• Visit her Cook at Home Mom Facebook page