A Word about Balance When planning meals always consider the food groups and big picture of balance. Aim to include protein, 1-2 starches, veg and/or fruit, a source of fat, and any other extras or a beverage that sounds fitting. Balance doesn t guarantee your child will eat something from every food group, it just provides the opportunity to do so. And you, the cook, will feel best when you have a balanced meal too. Of course, don t let aims for perfection ruin a good enough meal. If you miss something at one meal, you can always plan to include it in the near future.
Fallback Meals Meal Planning Basics It s important to have a few fallback meals. These are familiar meals that are relatively simple and easy with ingredients often in stock. That way if a planned meal doesn t work out or you need an easy way out, you ve got one. For some people this is scrambled eggs, toast and fruit smoothies. Others might make sandwiches with a veggie platter or spaghetti and jarred sauce. What are some simple, easy meals you can lean on? Fallback meal 1 Fallback meal 2 Fallback meal 3
Let s get the ideas flowing... Meal Planning Basics Look back on the past few weeks. Were there any meals that were winners? Even just for the adults? Recent winner meal #1 Recent winner meal #2 Recent winner meal #3 Were there any meals or foods that you think your child needs more exposure to? Meal/food that needs more chances Meal/food that needs more chances Meal food that needs more chances Feel free to repeat any of the above! While variety is the spice of life, you don t need to churn out novelty every single week. If you think back to your childhood, there was probably a set number of dishes your family ate regularly without Pinterest to make your Mom feel like she needed to go 60 days before repeating a dish.
More Brainstorming For this exercise, we want you to consider flavors, textures, and essentially what sounds good to you as the cook. Crunchy or soft? Cold or hot? Complex or simple recipe? Hearty or light? Spicy, sweet, or savory? In matters of taste, consider nutrition and in matters of nutrition, consider taste. - Task force of the American Institute for Food & Wine And finally consider the question what have we been missing? This is a two sided question. On the one hand, consider from a nutritional balance perspective if anything has been missing in your meals: a different starch, green veggies, a change of protein, high fiber foods, iron rich foods? You don t need to do a dietitian s level analysis, just look at it from a big picture perspective. If you can t spot anything, no big deal. What have we been missing? (list anything that comes to mind): The second side of this question is the enjoyment angle. Is there any food, entree, or side that you haven t had in awhile that just sounds lovely? List below Now let s put together a practice meal plan!
Child s favorite entree #1 Nutritious sides to round it out Child s favorite entree #2 Nutritious sides to round it out Entree that sounds good to Cook #1 Entree that sounds good to Cook #2 Spouse s favorite entree Meal from previous week Easy fall back meal
You ve just planned a week s worth of meals, congratulations. Now double check this plan and make sure it looks realistic for your upcoming week. Do you have enough time for what you ve planned? Are certain meals more involved? Do any of these meals have similar ingredients so you don t have to prep twice? Planning Meals by Theme Ideas: Mexican Monday, Pasta Tuesday, Breakfast for dinner, Pizza night, Taco night, Sandwich night Come up with a theme for each day: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Choose something that sounds good to fit each theme and list below. As always pick a couple days featuring your child s favorite meals. And be sure to choose some meals that are rewarding to you. For households with many children and many conflicting preferences, it s cook s choice ;-) Those who complain must help plan meals.