Now that your teen has been working on preparing a meal, from finding recipes to shopping for it and then cooking it, they are now ready to string it all together on the giant banner of a Weekly Menu.   

Beginning this large task during a winter or summer break from school is best. Communicate with them and negotiate a time to start. The day before you want them to create their week of cooking, set aside a couple of hours to sit at the kitchen table and plan it. Use the Menu and Shopping List Template PDFs to download. You can either print them out using a PDF filler.   

Work with them to fill in the menu first. Then have them write what they need to purchase on the shopping list. Print out different lists if they need to go to multiple stores. Remember, they will need to work within a budget! Add other household items you need to buy as well.   

Our family usually made their breakfast and lunch on their own. We just put the plan for each day on the menu. Breakfast can be cereal, frozen waffles with peanut butter, eggs, muffins, bagels- whatever is easy. Lunch can be salads, sandwiches, canned soup, or leftovers. We usually planned for dinner to have enough for lunch the next day. This cuts down on the number of meals they have to cook. But they can still be in charge of having a plan for each meal. 

Load an ice cooler in the car to keep cold things cold. Arm them with lots of encouragement and money (either on a card or cash in hand). Off they go! 

Be available for those calls asking about specific product preferences and substitutions. It happens! Let them know your opinion (because they are asking for it). Still, encourage as much autonomy in decision-making as possible.    

Help them bring in the groceries, but make them put them away. (They will need to know where they put things.)   

Then, leave them to it. Enjoy your vacation! Let your teen decide what tasks to assign other siblings as they find the need. Start a project or spend time on the one you have meant to finish. This is also a perfect time to get some extra hours in at work. But stay out of the kitchen unless they ask a specific question. Then, and only then, answer the question and GET OUT FAST!