9: Meal Planning for Overwhelmed Moms: How to Simplify Dinner Without the Sunday Scaries

Meal planning shouldn't feel like a second job — but for a lot of us, it does! And it's not because we're bad at planning. It's because by the time the dinner question shows up, our brains are already completely tapped out. This week we're getting honest about what's really going on with the meal planning mental load ... and what it actually looks like to make it feel lighter.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why the dinner question is a mental clutter problem, not a cooking problem
• The full scope of what we're actually managing every single week
• How to get clear on your why before trying any system
• Practical options for every season — from meal kits to cookbooks to slow cookers to grocery pickup
• Why you don't have to do this alone and how to actually ask for help

LINKS + NEXT STEPS:

• Grab the One Space Reset Kit → link below
• Are you in your Costco season too? Have a topic you want us to cover? Send a DM on Instagram or shoot an email — both linked below. Every single one gets read!

If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to take the next step, grab the One Space Reset Kit. It’s a short guided reset to help you clear one space at a time — whether that’s a space in your home or one of the open loops we talked about today.

→ Grab the One Space Reset Kit here!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss your Monday reset.

Connect with Jackie:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/makingthespacewithjackie
• Email: hello@jackiepicchi.com

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Disclaimer:

© 2026 Making the Space, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission.

This podcast is for educational and coaching purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, medical, or mental health care.

Transcript

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Recipes lists, shopping apps. What does everyone actually want to eat? Who has practice? What's on sale? When am I even going to the store? So many freaking tabs, and we haven't even started cooking yet. If meal planning gives you the Sunday scaries every single week, this episode is for you. Welcome back to Making the Space Monday. I'm Jackie, a values-based decluttering coach, and this is your Monday reset where we make space for what actually matters in your home, your head, and your life. So last week we talked about how our homes can hold onto this old version of us stuff from seasons we've already moved on from. And if you haven't listened to that one yet, I really wanna encourage you to go back because it was such a good one. And honestly, it set up everything we're going to talk about today perfectly because here's what I've been thinking about since recording that episode. It's not just our physical spaces that hold onto old patterns. Our mental load does it too. And one of the sneakiest most relentless examples of that, the dinner question every single day without fail, it reopens. What are we having for dinner? And nobody ever stops to ask, wait, why does this feel so heavy? And before we dive in, I just wanna say something. I know there are so many harder things in the world than figuring out what's for dinner. I really do. And this episode is not about complaining. It's not about being ungrateful for the fact that we have food to put on our table, because that in itself is something to be deeply thankful for. This is about noticing. Noticing something that quietly accumulates over time and adds to an already full mental load. Because the goal of this show has always been to make space, right? And sometimes making space means getting honest about the small things that are collectively taking up room in our heads. So that's what we're doing today. Noticing. So here's the reframe I wanna offer you right out of the gate. This is not a cooking problem, okay? This is a mental clutter problem. By the time four 30 rolls around, you have already made hundreds of decisions that day, what to wear, what to respond to first, what needs to get done, what can wait, how to handle that situation, what someone needs from you. Decision after decision after decision. All day long. And then right at that moment when your brain is the most tapped out, the most depleted, the most done, that question shows up and haunts you. What are we having for dinner? And it's not just any question. It's carrying the weight for everyone's preferences, everyone's dietary needs, everyone's moods, the schedule, what's actually in the refrigerator, what needs to be used up. It's invisible labor that mostly falls on moms and honestly rarely gets acknowledged. It's not that you can't figure out dinner, right? I think we can figure out dinner. It's that the brain is simply tapped out, and I think that distinction matters a whole bunch. And for me personally, I have a feeling I'm not alone here. It doesn't just show up at four 30. It shows up on Sunday. Sunday should feel like rest, like a reset, you know, like a little gentle ease into the week, and instead it feels like a planning meeting that we never signed up for. Because here's the thing, it's not just dinner. We're planning. Let's just be really honest about the full scope of what we're actually managing here. It's breakfast every single day. It's lunches for the kids, for yourself, or whoever is home. Snacks and not just any snacks. The right snacks for the right people. It's the special weekend meal. It feels like it should be a little bit more intentional. It's accounting for dietary preferences and limitations and what everyone will actually eat without a full negotiation at the table. And then you have to cross reference all of that against the schedule. Like who has practice, who's home late, which night is going to be completely chaotic, and which nights actually have some breathing room. And then the actual recipes, finding them, saving them, remembering where the heck you save them. Because I do that all the time. I see something while I'm scrolling, like, Ooh, that would be great to make or bury it in my inbox. And then there's the grocery list. We have to build it, organize it, figure out which app, which store, which day we can actually get there. And then the actual shopping itself. You guys, I have to be totally honest. I genuinely. Genuinely do not enjoy that part. It's one of those areas I am continuously trying to make space in because it takes so much outta me. And then the decisions about when and where and how to get it all done. Because remember, if we're breezing through the week and we get to the weekend and we're really focusing on family time and connection, we're trying to save all of that time in the weekend for those intentional moments, but yet this big process has to fit in somewhere on Sunday. I get the Sunday scaries every single week because of this, and I just wanna say it's not dramatic. It's not ungrateful. It's just that it's a lot. It's genuinely a lot, and I think we normalize it so much as moms that we forget to acknowledge how much mental energy this actually takes week after week after week. So let's just name them because. There are so many fricking tabs, so let's just name them because I think naming them actually helps every single decision between thinking about dinner and actually eating it. It's a tab and they are all open at the same time. Finding the recipe tab. Deciding if everyone will actually eat it. Tab checking what's already in the pantry tab. Building the grocery list tab, figuring out which store. Another tab, opening the shopping app tab, scheduling when to actually go tab, getting there, doing it, coming home. Tab, figuring out the timing for the cooking tab upon tab upon tab. So many fricking tabs, you guys, every single one of them is open in your brain by Sunday morning before you even had your first sip of coffee. And if you caught episode three, too many tabs open. This is basically that episode. But in real life, every single week, the mental clutter of meal planning is one of the most relentless open loops I know. Because unlike a drawer you can declutter and close, this one opens back up every single day without fail, and it's almost like it's screaming at you. And here's the thing, it hasn't always looked like this for me. There was a season where I genuinely loved all of it. I loved cooking, I loved planning. I was clipping coupons. Remember that when you actually had to clip a coupon and bring it to the store, I was even going to multiple stores in the same week to make sure I was getting the best deals. I was that mom, I did. Themed meals. I made those cutesy lunches, you know, the lunchboxes with the little notes inside and the food cut, and the little shapes and the color matching. I mean, it was so fun. I had the whole thing going and I really loved it. I did that season, had time and energy and head space for all of it, and my family loved it too. But somewhere along the way, the season shifted. The schedule got fuller, the kids got older. The mental load, it just got heavier. And what once felt like a fun, creative thing, started feeling like one more thing on an already very long list. And now I feel like sometimes I'm just. Scraping by some weeks just to get meals planned and dinner on the table. And for a long time I kind of felt guilty about it, like I'd lost something. Like I should be able to get back onto that version of me who had it all together in the kitchen and did all the fun things. But you know, here's what I realized, that version of me existed in a completely different season. And just like the party bin we talked about last week, holding onto the expectation of what season when you're living in a completely different one. It just creates unnecessary pressure and guilt. The season I am in now looks different. And that's not a failure, it's just life moving forward as it does. Right? And I wanna be really honest with you here, because I'm not sharing this from a place of having it all figured out, this is genuinely one of my biggest daily struggles. I am picky. I do not love repeats. I have my own preferences in my own limitations around what I would even choose to make or eat. And that throws a little bit of a monkey wrench in it. And most meal planning advice out there assumes that you're totally happy building on a rotation of 10 meals and cycling through them forever, and that just does not work for me. That advice works beautifully for someone else. It might just add more stress for you if it's not how you're wired and knowing that about yourself. Honestly, that's actually really valuable information and insight. So if you've tried the meal planning systems and they haven't stuck, it might not be a discipline problem, okay? It just might be a wrong fit problem. So before we talk about any solutions, and we're gonna get there, I promise, I wanna start somewhere different. I wanna start with the most important aspect here. I want you to start with your why. Before you try any system, before you download any app, before you buy any meal planning service, get clear on what dinner is actually for you in your home. Is it nutrition? Is it togetherness? Is it simplicity? Maybe even sanity? Is it a combination of all of those things? For me, my why is usually everyone at the table together sharing a meal. That's it. That's the whole goal. And I do, you know, sprinkle in some nutrition and something delicious, but for me it really is anchored in togetherness. And here's what I've learned about having a clear why. When I get clear on that, everyone at the table, suddenly the pressure of what we're actually eating, it just releases a whole lot because a frozen meal and some sides with everyone present and together beats a beautiful, elaborate meal eaten in shifts every single time. Your dinner system should serve your why not someone else's version of what dinner is supposed to look like. Right now I am fully in my Costco season and era, and I'm not even a little bit ashamed of that. A Costco frozen meal, some roasted vegetables, and maybe even a side, and everyone is at the table together. That's the win. That is my why. Being honored, and this is exactly what we talked about last week, honoring that season you're actually in instead of the season you think you should be in. That applies to your home, but it also applies to dinner too. So let's talk about some options, and I wanna be really clear, these are just options. They are not a one size fits all solution. Just a few different directions depending on your season, your budget, your personality, and most importantly your why. Okay, so let's start with meal planning services. These are things like, hello, fresh. Purple carrot, hungry root. There's so many of them out there. Factor meals, I mean, these can take so much decision making off of your plate before the week even starts. The plan is done, the ingredients arrive, multiple tabs closed all at one time. I remember when I was doing some of these services, I've tried several of them and the thing that I liked about it the most is that it wasn't an endless list of meals that you can choose from. There were a certain amount, like a fixed amount of meals in each category, and I just had to choose from what was available and everything would arrive at my doorstep and all we had to do was prepare it. And if just hearing that feels like a relief to you. That might be the answer for you right now for your season meal delivery. This is, you know, the. Fully prepared meals delivered straight to your door. I have not tried anything like this, but I am very curious. If you have done something like this, please share. I would love to know your experience. This is different than the boxes with the ingredients, right? This is closing even more tabs. I'm sure it costs a whole lot more. And it's absolutely worth considering for seasons of life that are especially full, right? There's zero shame in this, none fed, and altogether, that's always the win. So if you've tried one of these, let me know. I'd love to know your experience. And then there's going analog. And this one is one of my personal favorites that I really wanna lean into this to find that joy again. Pull out an actual cookbook. I have them in different spaces in my kitchen, like in baskets and. The whole purpose of me doing that was so they weren't shoved in some cabinet that I would never, ever see them again. I want to have them out as almost like decoration. So I am inspired to pull a cookbook out and look at the pictures, look at the recipes, and not have to go through the endlessly of Pinterest or Instagram and just not scroll to find what I need. I want an actual physical book that I can flip through with my hands. There's something so beautiful about that. This is an experience that makes dinner feel like something you look forward to instead of something that you dread? I'm not quite there yet. I'm not quite in that season, but I will tell you. I am looking forward to the summer months because that is my plan, is just going way more analog when we're out of our busy season. And if you're someone that's a lot like me who doesn't love repeats a cookbook gives you such a nice variety without that scroll fatigue and any type of comparison, spiral. Slow cooker and instant pot meals. And I know this sounds very basic, but hear me out on this one. I actually really love using my Mickey Mouse slow cooker setting something up in the morning and having dinner essentially done. By the time the chaos of the afternoon hits, that is the tab that closes itself. I love. Slow cooker meals. There's so many simple dump and go recipes that require almost no decision making in that moment, and that's sometimes exactly what this busy season needs. I also like sheet pan meals and one pan dinners, making it even more simplistic, right? Minimal prep, minimal cleanup, minimal mental load, a protein, some veggies, some seasoning. One pan in the oven done. These are lifesavers on the nights when you have just enough energy to put something together, but not enough for anything overly complicated and a simple personal rotation, but you know, make it yours. Now, I've said that I don't love repeats, and I really do mean that, but here's what I have found works for me instead of a rigid weekly meal plan, I keep a running list of meals. I actually enjoy making and my family actually enjoys eating, so not 10 meals on rotation. I just have kind of a living list I can pull from depending on what sounds good and what fits the week. And what I do is I kind of pick a. Theme for each day. It might be like a slow cooker theme, it could be a salad, it could be a certain type of cuisine on each day. And then I will pull favorite recipes based on that day, so it's not the same exact recipe every single week. It just gives me variety without starting from scratch every single time. And the grocery delivery and pickup. This one's huge and this one deserves its very own mention because for those of us who genuinely do not enjoy grocery shopping and hi, that is absolutely me. Having groceries delivered or doing a curbside pickup order is a game changer. I can build my list from the couch, from the counter, from wherever I am in the car between activities. I can do it in pieces throughout the week as I think of things, and some weeks. I don't have to set foot in a store at all if I don't want to. That one tab alone closing has made a significant difference in my mental load. And then there's the hybrid Costco season approach, right? This is the prepared meal on a Tuesday, a meal kit on Thursday when you have a little more energy, maybe take out on Friday because it was a long week, and that's completely okay. Mix and match based on your week, your season, and your energy level. There's no gold star for cooking every meal from scratch. Okay, the Gold Star is everyone at the table. And I wanna acknowledge something really important here. Not all of these options are going to work for every family. Meal kits and delivery services, they do have a real cost, and that's just not realistic for every budget or every season, and that is completely okay. The point is never to tell you which option is right. The point is to lean into whatever actually works for the season that you're in right now with the resources and the time and the energy that you actually have available to you. So give yourself full permission to make dinner work for your life instead of adding to your load. And here's something we don't talk about enough. You don't have to do this alone. And I think that there's some opportunity for me to lean into this space. You know, can the kids help? Even little ones, they can set the table, rinse vegetables, pick one meal for the week, help measure ingredients. Cooking together is actually a really beautiful way to reclaim some of the joy in the kitchen, and honestly, a lovely point of connection and it closes a tab for you at the same time because now dinner is also providing so much more, kids can abs. Absolutely take a night, completely let them pick the meal. They'll have fun with that. Help shop for it and make it, you might be surprised what they come up with, and honestly, it might become one of your favorite nights of the week. Do you have a neighbor, a friend, a family member who loves to cook? Could you guys swap? I have a friend who. Says that they've done this with their neighbors before where they cook on different nights of the week, and I thought that was just brilliant. You can do something else in return that plays to your strengths, right? Community used to be how meals got made, and there's no reason we can't bring a little of that back. I think it's a beautiful thing. And then there's your partner. If you have one who is willing and able to step in, lean into this, I wanna take a real moment to celebrate mine because this has been such a blessing recently. He genuinely loves to cook, and what we landed on that this has been a complete changer for my decision fatigue, is that we can kind of trade off and he steps in. What I think we're going to do is that he takes a full week and I take a full week so that we really can enjoy it without getting burnt out and knowing that I have an entire week where dinner is simply not my problem. That is one of the biggest gifts I've given in a long time. It is completely changed how I experience the weeks. It really completely changes how I experience the weeks that I get off because I'm not carrying the mental load of it every single day. There is an end in sight, right when it is my week to plan. There is a break coming, and that alone makes it feel so much more manageable. So if you have someone who can share this load with you, have that conversation, get specific about. What would actually help, because vague requests, they don't close tabs, specific ones do, and you are never meant to carry all of those tabs alone. And somewhere along the way I think dinner stopped being about nourishment and togetherness and started feeling like almost a performance. And I think social media and Pinterest, you know, they've done to dinner exactly what they did to birthday parties. Sounds familiar, right? Recovering Pinterest decorator over here. And it turns out that applies to dinner too. So many other areas that we will touch on in this podcast. You know, simple food, people around the table, presence over perfection. That was always the goal, not the aesthetically plated grain bowl on a Tuesday night. Not the color coordinated meal prep containers, just dinner and everyone together. So here is what I want you to do this week. Just one thing, okay? Ask yourself, what is my why for dinner? What season am I actually in right now? What is the one tab I can close this week to make this feel a little lighter? And who can I ask to help carry some of this with me? Not the Pinterest version, not the perfectly planned version, just the version that actually works for your real life. This week. That is enough. You guys, that has always been enough, and I really wanna hear from you on this one because I have a feeling this episode hit close to home for a lot of you. What does meal planning look like in your house right now? I really would love to know, are you in your Costco season two? Are you drowning in all the fricking tabs? Every Sunday? Drop me a DM on Instagram or shoot me an email. Both are linked in the show notes because honestly this topic, it might need a part two. And if this episode resonated with you and you want the next step, grab the One Space Reset kit. It's a short guided reset to help you clear one space at a time, whether that's a space in your home or one of your open loops weighing on you. Just like the meal planning every week, you can find the link in the show notes. And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the show so you don't miss your Monday reset.

Speaker 11 20:19

A quick note before we close, this podcast is for education and inspiration. It's not a substitute for therapy or medical care. If you're needing mental health support, please reach out to a licensed provider in your area.