Meal Planning and Preparation

I bought a cork board and wrote the days of the week across it. I then put different meals on index cards in bright different colors (used Sharpie's). I add more meals when we try something new and like it and even the restaurants we go to - like kids eat free on Wed at JCI or Pizza Night. On Sunday I take about 10 mins pull from the box and that gives me my grocery list. This has made a really big difference for me in that area.

Check out Flylady.net. LeAnn has a website dedicated to meal planning. I used to subscribed to the meals and every week get a menu and shopping list. Good luck

I usually will sit down on Friday night, or Sat. morning and plan my menu for the week. I go though one cookbook/week (so I only use one all week) and plan it out. And then do my grocery list.. I always put my menu on the fridge so I don't forgot. Also, I am a member of a website called flylady.net-- it's awesome!! One of her partners on the website is named Leanne-- and she does www.savingdinner.com (I think).. It gives you healthy menus with all ingredients and it's made for families.. Check it out and see. They love using the crockpot--they have a couple of menus that are free-- I know I printed a "frugal menu" and it was free!!

I created theme days if you will. Ex. Monday is Italian, Tuesday is Mexican, Wednesday Chicken, Thursday is beef, Friday is Easy night (something probably pre-made that I just have to reheat) Sat. leftover, Sun. crockpot. I then chose 4 main courses for each theme. Just with that it is 4 weeks worth of meal ideas. I have my kids pick their favorite one under each thing so I can be sure to incorporate their likes.
As far as sides go, pick one fruit and one vegetable and have it the same day. Ex. Mondays we have brocolli and pears. Every monday I know that the sides to go with whatever my main dish is brocolli and pears. In the summer I make it fresh pears but in the winter I have the canned. by doing things this way you can do your shopping one month at a time. If you know you need 4 cans of corn (one for each tues of the week) then you can buy 4 cans in one trip thus eliminating the need to go to the store all of the time.
If you have questions or need clarifications I'd be happy to help. I have 4 kids 6 and under and understand exactly how chaotic it can get.

T.,

This is right up my alley! I'm a meal planner with Homemade Gourmet. I love helping busy Moms plan and prepare healthy, delicious, fast food!

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Check out Savingdinner.com . It has sample healthy menu plans to try before purchasing weekly emailings of menu/shopping lists. There are a variety of types to chooe from: heart healthy,low carb, budget freindly, crockpot or freezer meals... You can choose meals for 4 or 6. There is also Saving Dinner cookbook (put out by the same person).

What worked best for our family is three things...first sit down and plan a menu. If you can't do it for a month, at least try for two weeks at a time. When you go shopping get what you will need for recipes and that way if you get sour cream for tacos, you can use it later for your beef stroganoff recipe and nothing gets wasted. This will save you a lot of money too instead of those quick trips to the store to get pre-made foods.

The other thing is to use a crockpot. I had one for years and never used it. Once you learn how, it will become a must...it really takes the work out of cooking, but it does require planning (the menu) on when to take things out of the freezer to thaw and put in crockpot.

The last thing is to cook on Saturday while hubby is home to watch the kids. Put together some casseroles designed for a 9x13 baking dish, but cook them in two 9x9s. That way you can have two meals ready to freeze and use again. I would just not worry about picky eaters and would make whatever has veggies, starch and meat and then keep whole wheat bread and peanut butter on hand...there is a great book called "Bread and Jam for Francis" where a little girl doesn't like anything her Mother fixes her and so she gets served bread and jam for every meal. If they won't eat something, give them bread and peanut butter as their only option and they may develop quite a varied palate! Good luck, been there!

I've been through this so I know exactly what you're going through. The first step is to not buy the not so great foods. Don't even make them available or if you do buy very few so that it's a treat for one day out of the week. Also try planning all of your meals on Sunday. This one was the hardest for me to keep doing but after you do it for a while even if you don't write out your meals you'll still have an idea of what's in the fridge and what you want to cook. If you children don't like a lot of healthy foods then try putting a little seasoning on them or a touch of butter. Ex broccolli with cheese or boil with a little salt in the water. It didn't take long for my son to get to where he would eat just about anything I put in front of him. There are still a few things he won't eat but my rule has always been you have to try it at least once. If you don't like it you don't have to eat it. I started this rule in my house bc I got tired of my son saying he didn't like something long before he had even had a bite. HEB has a lot of great frozen meats already seasoned. Even though I love cooking from scratch I have started getting these because they cook a lot faster and with less thought. I recently used the HEB roasts heated them in the microwave made a side of rice and broccolli and decided to make a gravy out of the juice. It turned into a beef tips and rice topped with gravy. For snacks hit some of the following: Fruits - always good and large selection, graham crackers, cheese and crackers, peanut butter crackers, jello with fruit inside (this might be more of a treat). You might also want to get a slow cooker recipe book. Slow cookers are great bc you just put it together and forget about it. Set it for the time that you want dinner to be and then walk away. When dinner time rolls around it's already done. Yesterday we did a roast in the slow cooker with carrots and potatos. It took me all of about 7 maybe 10 minutes to throw a little seasoning on the roast, cut up a few potatos and throw a bag of frozen carrots in. I added some water and hit start. It makes it nice that you haven't slaved over a stove while the kids are getting into things. You can actually enjoy playtime before dinner. Hope this helps. If you need more ideas let me know. i have tons of recipes and a lot of ideas to turn the HEB bagged items into other options. Your kids may put up a fight at first but even if they do it doesn't go on for long. Good Luck
M.

It works really well when my husband and I spend Sunday afternoon cooking and we cook about 5 meals and freeze them. Then we only defrost what we plan on eating that day and don't have to cook every night. Good luck:)

Everyone has great ideas. The best thing that I found that was helpful was to have the meal ready ahead of time. After dinner I would prepare breakfast and stick in the frig. and warm it up when the kids were ready. I would always stay ahead one meal so that meal time was not so hectic. I always cook french toast, muffins and pancakes and freeze them. I also grill three types of meat at once that way I am bascially asembling the lunch and dinner meals for the next few days and not spending the whole day in the kitchen. Rember muffins, pancakes and spaghetti are great places to hide veggies like grated squash and zuchini. Try adding can pumpkin, mashed bananas or finely chopped blueberries and walnuts or pecans to your muffins and pancakes.

I was feeling guilty too about not feeding my kids nutrious meals regularly or just doing whatever is easy to get it done. Both my children like vegetables but if they have other things then of course, the vegetables don't get eaten. I started giving them green beans, mixed vegetables and fruits before dinner as a snack while I am fixing the meal. They are hungry, there is nothing else, and it gets a good vegetable in them before they get the meat, etc. It does help that my 4.5 year old loves all vegetables so he is a good influence on his 18 month old sister.

Hi T. - I have a 4 y.o. and another on the way. Because of my sweet tooth, my daughter has developed quite a liking for unhealthy snacks as well. But one thing I'm thankful for is that she still loves to eat fruit and some veggies. About a year ago, I started talking to her about healthy vs. unhealthy foods and explained (in kid language) what unhealthy foods can do to our bodies, including our teeth. I told her that it's fun to sometimes eat things that aren't so healthy, but we should be careful not to do that too often since our bodies won't grow like they should. She very much likes the idea of growing up healthy and strong and not having cavities (I explained what cavities are and that scares her a bit). I try to keep healthy items on hand, like fruit/veggies (dips help for those), cheese, yogurt, cereal bars... Of course, we still have the occasional cookie or a few chips, but she understands from our discussions that those will be limited and controlled by me.
For meals, you may want to check out Homemade Gourmet. I have a good friend who is a consultant for them and her website is www.homemadegourmet.com/annsteen. Their mixes and seasonings make meal planning and prep soooo easy and fast. It's an awesome solution for busy families (and aren't we all?!). They have healthy (and some not so healthy) options for very easy meals for your family. The prep is so easy that even little kids can get involved.
Hope all of this helps. Good luck and take care!
A.

T.,

Try watching Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller on the Food Network, or if you can't get to the show, go to the FOODTV.com website and look up Robin Miller's show. She'll give you a shopping list and gameplan for your entire week. Try having a calendar and write out all your meals. It sound tedious, but you can't let your day plan you, you have to plan your day. Or you can write, chicken - monday, pasta- tuesday, fish - wednes, left overs on thursday, chicken - friday, beef - satu, seafood - sunday. Then get inspired to cook a meal from that. Don't think of it as labor, think of it as fun.

I am pregnant with our fifth and the oldest is five years! So I certainly understand how it is. First of all, don't buy high gal low nutrient items. Sometimes my girls like a bowl of cereal for a snack, a slice of toast, they like to make their own PB and J sandwitches. Keep crackers on hand (non salted saltines are good) for crackers and PB, lots of fruit and the little bagged carrots are handy.

I never bought white bread so they were used to eating whole wheat. A boiled egg can be a nice snack and is common in Asia. Nuts add protein and I like to keep a snack mix on hand of nuts, cheerios, raisins, mini marshmallows and pretzels. They like cheese too and I just cube up a block of cheese.

I make casseroles and the such on the weekends and freeze for times when I don't feel like I can cook. I also use the crockpot to cook large amounts of chicken or beef at once. I then freeze them in 1 meal portions and use them for tacos, chicken salad, soups, ect.

A great standby is mac n cheese. Cook the pasta and while doing so put some milk, cheese and butter in the microwave or melt on the stove. If it's too runny when you put it in the pasta, sprinkle in some corn starch or flour to thicken a bit or let it cool and the cheese will firm up.

S., mom to 1 in heaven, 4 on earth, and 1 in the oven!

Hi T.,
I'm right there with you. I have a 4, 2 and 4 month old troupe myself. I'm big on planning ahead. I will make my weekly menu before I go to the store. Lately, I have been in love with my crock pot. If you don't have one, get one. You can find them fairly inexpensive at Target or Walmart. Then, get yourself a good slow cooker cookbook. Or I'm sure you can find so slow cooker recipes on line. Most recipes are very healthy. You put everything together in the morning and it's done by dinner time. Plus it's easy clean up since you only have the one pot. I give carrot sticks or raw veggies w/dip for snack. My kiddos love it. I will also do cheese sticks or cheese and crackers (red. fat Triskets). Grapes are always good and easy. I do give them those gummy fruit snacks as a snack after nap. Yes, not too healthy, but not really bad either and they enjoy them, plus it's only one little bag a day at most. Pretzels and cheese are also good. Just to name a few. But really it's all about the planning ahead. I can't stress that enough. Get the hubby involved to. He can always prep the crock pot meal and get it going for you. Good Luck!

Hey T.
You've gotten some really good advice. I don't have time to read through it all, but I want to chime in. I'm in the "plan for a month" group. It sounded really overwhelming at first, but a friend gave me a good tip. Get a month-at-a-glance calendar in front of you. Label each day of the week by some genre (ex: Friday is Italian day). After you've categorized that way, find a meal that your family likes and is realistic. I imagine pizza on Fridays to be fairly common ;-) Homemade pizza can be a pretty easy meal to make. With my daughter's allergies, pretty much everything is from scratch.
You can have Italian, Mexican, Crock-pot, Grill, Breakfast, Casserole/Quiche and Leftover nights. Once you've decided on your meals for the week, you can make out a grocery list.

As for snacks, I keep a muffin tin in the fridge with healthy snacks. Pretzels, cheese, fruit slices/chunks, carrot slices, little "trees" (brocolli) and "clouds" (cauliflower), etc. And my kids both *love* dipping things. So two of the cups are reserved for dip - yogurt and homemade onion vinegarette. I'd like to say that I'm always with it enough to have this handy, but I'm sooo not :-) Another favorite at our house is frozen grapes. I put them in a sieve and wash them, then stick them in the freezer. Catherine knows that frozen grapes, cheese and yogurt are always okay snacks....no permission necessary. I've started quartering some grapes before freezing for Samuel since I think they still pose a choking hazard for him.
We don't do dried fruits (except raisins on occasion) since they have a tendency to stick to/between little teeth. I have enough of a challenge some nights w/o having to worry about dried sugary fruit stuck between teeth :-) [Fresh fruit and veggies actually help clean the face of the teeth!]

I hope this helps and hang in there!

K., mama to
Catherine, 4.5y
Samuel, 18m

go to www.kraftfoods.com the have great meal ideas and recipes and you can sign up for their quartly magazine they send in the mail for free

T., I am big into planning meals, snacks and a big list maker. I try to plan 30 meals for the month and build on each of these. About 2 times a week I cook a pot of fresh or dried beans. There is usually not enough left over for a full meal but I freeze what is left and at the end of the month, turn it into bean soup. I also use any sausage and small bits of taco meat left in this soup. I know it sounds weird but it is really really good.

I start by making a list of all the meals my family likes. I try to cook at least 2 meals (lunches and dinners) each week that each person likes. That way, they know that they have to eat every meal even if they don't paticularly care for that item. After you get a list of all you favorite meals, pick 5 for dinner one week. Make a grocery list based on this menu. Don't forget to add some fruit for snacks in there. Grapes a great frozen as a hot summer snack. I slick up bananas and freeze them too. Great way to use up those bananas that might be getting to ripe soon. My kids eat these instead of sugary popsicles.

I also keep cantalope and watermelon cut in the fridge, ready to snack on. They'll go for this if they are playing inside and the frozen grapes and bananas if they are playing outside and are hot. Maybe these ideas will help you. Good luck.

I double or triple almost every meal I make and freeze half, which helps a lot, and I participate in a meal exchange with friends whose families are about the same size. Once every two months, we meet to swap a few frozen meals (that I've cooked for my family but just tripled to freeze for their families) with cooking instructions attached to use at our convenience. Love that! I have so much frozen that I only cook once a week and thaw the other days. As for snacks, I've read (but haven't tried) that it helps to make a ton of snack baggies (filled with raisins, cheerios, marshmallows, pretzels, crackers, etc)and keep them on a lower shelf of your pantry for you or your kids to grab anytime. :)

With kiddoes so young you really need a meal routine for your own sanity. If he gets hungry between times...he wont starve and will have to wait or keep cheese sticks and apple slices available all the time. You can even buy them now that are pre cut, grapes are easy too. Pre packaged stuff like that are available If he doesn't like them you can eat them in front of him and he may begin to get curious why you like it so much. When my son went through this my pediatrician suggested to keep Ensure on hand. That way you know he is at least getting some nutrition. You say they only like certain things, what if you only make one thing? They have to try it before they get the item they like.

Hi T.,

I ran into the same thing a few years ago when my youngest daughter was diagnosed Type 1 diabetic. I had to really consciencely make sure healthy snacks were always present.

I came up with a pretty good system and still to this day sometimes have to revert back during busy times.

First, don't buy the junk. Instead of handing them oreos, give them a some grapes with a few Chocolate Teddy Grahams. I actually went on line and copied a list of snacks and went thru and figured out what my kids would like and wouldn't.

Secondly, the night before I would write down what I was making for breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks. That way, if I had a great idea the day before it wasn't lost in the craziness the next day.

Third, I learned that buying in bulk was not always the most cost effective or best thing. Kids can only eat so much of something. So, I would buy 3 apples, smaller amounts of grapes & bananas, a box of goldfish, wheat crackers etc....

Fourth----every now and then, let them have junk. I take the girls to the convenience store and they pick out something unhealthy.

Good luck,
Debra

On Sunday we put a variety of meat out on the grill. We have a vacuum sealer and I package up the cooked meat into smaller portions and put them in the freezer. During the week, all I have to do is grab a package and throw it into the sink in some hot water.
By the time I cook some veggies and make some rice (or rice a roni) the meat is thawed and ready to plate.
I also do the snacks - carrots, string cheese, stuff like that.
Good luck.
T. s.

Hi T.-

I agree with the other ladies about planning the menu ahead of time. I have a months worth of dinners planned out. I usually try to make something big on Sunday so that there is plenty for leftovers at least one night during the week. Usually it's a big pan of lasagne or a roast or turkey breast. Also whenever I'm cooking chicken on the grill, I cook extra and then the next night I'll make a salad with grilled chicken strips or in the winter I'll make chicken noodle soup with the leftovers. Don't forget to do fun dinner nights...my kids love "breakfast for dinner" night. They also love when we make our own pizzas and the kids can put their own toppings on.

For snacks the best thing to do is to just not have the junk food in the house so the kids can't reach for it. I know it's hard, I'm often guilty of buying the junk food when I know I shouldn't as well. If it's not there and there are healthy alternatives instead, they will eat healthier. Lots of fruit already cut up and ready to go, cheese sticks, granola bars, healthy cereals, for a little bit of a sweet treat I make trail mix by mixing peanuts, raisins and M&M's.

Good Luck,
K.

Hey T., I too am a SAHM whose dreaded question of the day was "what's for dinner?"! First of all, it is great that you have a helpful hubby. He sounds like a man who actually knows what women want, right? What I do now that has saved me from daily frustration over meals is make a weekly menu using a recipe index I made on my computer. It lists our favorite recipes, what cookbooks they're in, page #, etc. When I go to make my menu I can look up the recipe and make my shopping list for the entire menu. That way I already have everything thing I need at hand. I place the menu on my refrigerator so it is handy and my family can see what they have to look forward to! I don't have to think about it all week, it's very liberating! As for nutrition and good recipes I highly recommend The South Beach Diet cookbooks. There are several and because they are from a cardiologist they are very healthy but delicious. The only problem I have encountered is finding really good desserts. They do have some that are very good but it's kind of a hit or miss and it also depends on your personal taste. All in all it has been the best decision my family has made regarding our diets. Let me add that The South Beach Diet isn't what I would call a "diet". It is actually a life style change. It has taught us how to eat properly and how to make better choices all around with our food, even while eating out. We not only lost weight, we also feel so much better and we don't crave a lot of junk food or fast food anymore. Yea!!! I hope this is helpful for you. God bless!

Hello,

i usually set aside some alone time once a week so I can get my meal plan together withouth the kids and hubby interrupting me. If time is an issue I suggest either hiring someone like a personal chef to come prepare meals that you can freeze or look into a place like "what's for supper?" A friend of mine has used their service and absolutely loves it!

A good snack easy to fix and can be made with them is called a trail mix. Pick the things like cereal, crackers, dried fruit, etc. even a small amount of m & m's can go in. Mix in a large bowl let them pour them into bowl and mix. They can also put portions into zip-lock bags for servings. This can be eaten in front of TV, outside, in car, etc. serve with a fruit drink 100%
type. Serve fruit (fresh with a fruit dip of some type) Meals buy in large portions at store, cut into the amount for your family, season and freeze. All you would have to do is defrost and cook. These work for those people that work. Easy to take out of freezer before leaving for work and putting in oven when you get home no prep. good luck

Hey T. - do a search on mamasource or look under the meal section because this is a question that comes up alot. I have researeched it myself. Some poeple plan a calendar that rotates and then they know what to shop for....Good luck - I feel your pain.

Routine, Routine, Routine. Do the same thing everday at the same time. Do not offer alternatives for mealtimes. Make the same thing for everybody. Once your children figure out your not catering to their snack food cravings, the'll begin to eat what's placed before them, within reason (don't force them to eat brussel sprouts, etc).

I have a 6yo, 2yo, and 10 month old twins. We are on a schedule and my life is a breeze. Having a schedule makes every day peredictable, therefore allowing me the free time I need and also allows for me to enjoy being a parent to my precios children. If I didn't have a schedule, I think I'd be prone to yelling at them out of frustration because everything would be so hectic. You are probably feeling overwhelmed right now with the new baby, but no worries. Things will get back to normal before long.

God Bless you.

T.,
I am sure you are going to get lots of responses but there are so many things you can do ahead of time and just pull them out of the fridg when a child is ready for a snack.

I am a Pampered Chef Consultant and we had a cute little cookbook for children which gives lots of ideas but I would love to show you some of these.

In the meantime your 3 and 5 year old would love, peanut butter in a little dish with apple slices/celery sticks to dip in, great protein filled healthy snack. (If you have peanut sensitive children there is a new product out there I found at Whole Foods called SunButter... it is awesome)

For lunch or a snack how about quick cheese quesadilla's...these you can add left over hotdogs, hamburger, chicken, ham or even scrambled egg to make a nice meal.

I have so many great ideas. I live in Round Rock and my number is ###-###-#### I would love to give you a FREE Cookbook with wonderful ideas for mealtime.

Please call me I would love to show you how to prepare snacks for a week ahead of time and quick family meals. My Name is L. Jonson.

Hi T.,
I checked a book from the library on meal planning many years ago. It was based on this acronym DOLODOL: Cook DOUBLE, save half for leftover day;cook ONE; eat LEFTOVER from day 1(may have to disguise it as a casserole, skillet meal, soup if your family objects to leftovers). I learned the hard way that if I cooked double, my husband ate double. Put the extra part in the fridge BEFORE he sees it so you have something to serve. Label it with some name he hates. I labeled everything "spinach" so he wouldn't look at it. LOL Another tip is to make a meal plan and grocery shop for the week. Post it on the fridge or where you can glance at it. Then it's as simple as bake the chicken, nuke the corn and toss the salad. Pears for dessert. As I got into the rhythm, I shopped once a month except for perishables. HTH

Well, first off, a child will eat what is placed in front of him/her (if they are truly hungry). When my son (who is 3) is hungry, I give him healthy choices, such as watermelon, orange, strawberries, cottage cheese, sliced cheese, etc. If he says "no" to all those things but wants something bread-like (such as cookies or crackers), I tell him he can have a cookie or cracker if he is still hungry after eating one of the choices I gave him. Most of the time, he isn't hungry anymore but if he is, I allow him to have the cookie/cracker because I know he already had something healthy fill most of him up (so he won't want hardly any cookie/cracker).

Secondly, don't have anything in the house that is unhealthy. Throw all the bad stuff away and that way there's no way to give your child something unhealthy. If he has eaten healthy things and you want to give him a treat, go out for it. Because of all that's involved in getting dressed, getting in the car, and heading out to wherever for the treat, they will seem more excited about it and it should be few and far between that you need to head out. In my opinion, treats can also come in the form of extra hugs/kisses, allowing him to do a "big boy" task, letting him do something he doesn't normally get to do (like if he's allowed to sleep in mommy/daddy's bed or something like that).
Hope that helps!
-Jen

Try buying a apple slicer there quick and easy to chop a few apples in a min you could also use them on pears. Mom made us shepards pie, ground beef, caned vegtable soup the kind with alphabets, and instant potatoes with cheese sliced on top. Also french bread cut in half and long way, with jared spegetti sauce and cheese with pepperoni's. were a quick and easy pizza your five yr. old could even help. if you kids dont like mooshy veggies or raw ones either try blanching them it really brings out the color of the veggies and its super quick. good luck