HOW A NUTRITIONIST MEAL PLANS WITH KIDS
Meal planning used to be a challenging thing for me to be honest. In Nutrition school I learned how to do this for clients based on their individual dietary needs and health goals. While that was helpful, my greatest teacher in planning meals has been my kids. Feeding kids can be very difficult, children are continuously learning what foods they like vs not so much. Everyday is different and food preferences can change from day to day. One child likes XYZ food and another won’t touch it. It can be absolutely exhausting and frustrating! However mealtimes don’t stress me out anymore and that is because of a few strategies. The first strategy I use has to do with meal planning so I have shared how I plan meals in my house below.
Assess what I have on hand
This is the number one thing I do, which helps my family to reduce waste and save money on groceries each week. I shop what we have already purchased and stored at home. Basic idea I know, but it really is the most important step in the meal planning process. It is a simple, yet effective way to meal plan and use up food effectively with little to no waste. Once I know what needs to be eaten I find a way to incorporate it into our weekly meals and snacks. Any items that need to be restocked get added to the upcoming grocery list. I also aim to shop no more than once per week which keeps me from overspending on groceries and consciously eating what we have.
Assign a food theme for each day of the week
Through much trial and error, I have found that assigning each day of the week a food theme, a very powerful tool in meal planning. I was inspired to start doing this after reading Simplicity Parenting(a must read parenting book IMO). This means each day has an expected “type” of meal we will eat. For instance, Monday is pasta night, Wednesday we eat breakfast and Saturdays are for eating up leftovers. While this might sound boring or too predictable for some, it works well in my house(most weeks). With kids this predictability can be comforting, giving kids routine and something to look forward to eat each day of the week. It also makes the process of meal planning dinner a breeze(you could also use this framework for breakfast and lunches too if you wanted)!
Usually on Sundays I will write out the meal themes for each day of the week. I currently do this for dinners only. Lunches are often leftovers, sandwiches/salads and breakfast rotates between several different meals my family enjoys. I then check my fridge, freezer and pantry to see what needs to be eaten up and used before expiring. These items go into my meals as needed.
Here is an example of what my weekly meal plan(for dinner only) looks like…
Sun – Soup/Stew
Mon – Sheet Pan/One Dish
Tues – Mexican Inspired
Weds – Breakfast
Thurs – Fish
Fri – Pizza/Take Out
Sat – Leftovers
I also like to include foods that my family enjoys or favourite things to eat so that most nights everyone comes to the table and sees a food they are excited to eat. While each day stays consistent from week to week as to what we eat, the type of recipe changes so that we get a variety of nutrients in our diet. And of course some days we eat something completely different than what I planned because that’s life!
Make a list of meal & snacks ideas to prep
This is a game changer for me and is especially helpful to ensure we use up the food we have on hand and that we are eating a variety of foods each week. I might do this monthly or weekly, but having a list of various snacks and meal components to prep throughout the week is very helpful. I find blocks of time to make 1 or even a few recipes at a time. This can be as simple as boiling a small batch of eggs, making chia pudding or chopping up raw veg to last a few days in my fridge. I include in this list both easy/quick and more time consuming recipes. I also take this opportunity to write down as many snack/meal ideas with what I have on hand so that food gets used up and not wasted. This list then is a guide throughout the week and may be used the following week if I didn’t get through all the food ideas.
Try new things & eat variety
Eating the same foods on repeat week after week is a very limiting way to eat. It’s been estimated that the average person eats 15 different foods in a variety of different ways each week! This also may sound daunting with kids if you have a picky or selective eater, but there is hope :). Trying new foods from week to week(could be new spices, a vegetable or even a different variety of a food already on your family’s rotation can be a great start). The wider variety in our diet, the more diverse array of nutrients we consume which is beneficial in so many ways. I like to include new foods and new recipes as well to increase nutrition into my family’s diet.
Grocery Shop
When grocery shopping I use a master list of what items I purchase based on price and what is available at any particular store(this helps me keep track of what we buy and where). I then use this list to grocery shop either in person or online. Shopping online is actually my favourite way to grocery shop because I don’t have to spend endless amounts of time going through the isles and I save money by staying on track with what I need. Win win!
There you have it, how a Nutritionist with two little kids plans meals. Are you a meal planner? Any tips and tricks you have to share I would love to hear.
Xx Meg
