my goals in my meal planning adventure for myself included: to become a better cook (like those chefs on the show:CHOPPED, where they are given limited ingredients and time {my kitchen any day of the week!} and can immediately think of a recipe to work with). to buy less snacky food/bake more and to streamline the shopping/recipe selection process.
Since we do this almost everyday now...i will start with the baking and having kids help part.
But first, a little back story. sometimes i feel like I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders when i grocery shop: i think not only about the price, but about where the food was grown, how was it grown, is it even in season and how did it get to this store? for snacks i think about all this plus how much it costs in bulk vs. small baggies, how environmentally friendly the food and packaging is, are there preservatives, corn syrup, etc.......ahh! no wonder it takes me so long to just buy food for the family! All of this THINKING made me start this meal planning adventure...there had to be a better way!
for fresh produce, I have solved the problem by subscribing to one of those organic CSA's. (only $32.00 a month gets you a huge, fresh box of locally grown fruits and veggies every week. yes, you will get the kale and beets that you won't know what to do with, but it's fun to learn how to make them....a la CHOPPED! we actually really like collared greens now, and would have never tried them, if not for the CSA)
But, that didn't include snacks...so, I started buying "healthier" snack foods. Annies bunnies, newman's own organic oreo cookies, blueberry cereal bars...i felt good about the environmental impact and healthy ingredients.. but i felt bad about the prices. smaller boxes and more expensive than the national brands of snack foods. aside from the organic oreo cookies, most of it went uneaten. now what?
kids most definitely need snack food, right? Ever since they were little we've had a 10:00 snack and an after school snack. Not to mention gold fish in the car, graham crackers at the park, pretzels in line at the DMV.....anytime, anywhere, I had to be ready to procure a snack just in case they were grumpy, hungry, tired, bored! Plus school lunches! snacks with their sandwiches, right?! NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT SNACK FOODS ARE EXPENSIVE! this article from the NYTimes Sunday OP ED illustrates just how expensive fast food and snack foods can be. I realized that most of our grocery bill could be literally cut in half, and nobody would miss the blueberry cereal bars.
Well, I am happy to say, we have finally kicked the snack habit here in our house! If they have a decent breakfast, lunch and dinner, they don't need it! We do have the afterschool snacks, and they are all made fresh here at home. Really and truly! I have just finished reading Pamela Druckerman's "Bringing up Bebe-Parenting secrets from France". I LOVED this book and highly recommend it, even for families with older children. More on this book in a minute.
First of all, my oldest son, the most active of all my kids, was not eating and having stomache aches. we found out he was allergic to several things...which prompted us to start baking our own breads and pastries. i found it soothing to knead the bread, and we have made it a habit around here. (see grumpy pig for bread and pastry recipes). Or, here, for a link to TLC's recipes for "real food versions of popular snack foods!" Then I read Pamelas book, and I realized we could do this for the whole family.
The children in France all eat at roughly the same times. breakfast, lunch, goiter (4 o'clock snack) and dinner. breakfast is a normal size meal. lunch is large, similar to our dinners, snack is something yummy and homemade (cupcakes, pastries, etc.) and dinner is usually a lighter fare than lunch. The wisdom here is that kids can make it between meals if their meals are decent! (not just eggos while running out the door....Ben!). I know that is often hard if everyone's busy, but might be worth striving towards...but the best part is the snack. yes it can be a slice of homemade cake, or some delicious rich chocolate, or homemade cookies...but that's it. no other time of day will they be eating something like this. Balance and moderation. (French children often eat leek soup, or vegetables, or escargot or something our kids ARE DEFINITELY NOT eating for lunch), and dessert is often a piece of cheese or fruit. But it's possible! Remember the book bread and jam for Frances? Remember what she goes back to eating at the end of the book!?! No child is eating tomato soup, pickles, hard boiled egg and lobster salad sandwiches for lunch these days! with grapes and vanilla pudding for desssert!!? Well, maybe that....But, the point is, that book was written prior to the invention of convenience foods (1964)!!! It is possible for kids to have a varied palate, if convenience (snacky) foods are not an option.
After i read this book, i tried it out on my own kids, and it worked! we eat healthier, regular meals (trying to slim down dinner, so far the men in the family are not going for it). But, we love the ritual of baking everyday and feel like it's worth the wait while it bakes to hold out for our snack. It gives my little one something to do during that afternoon slump when she is ready for the big kids to come home. We bake! She can even make one of the recipes, almost entirely by herself. See grumpy pig recipe section for yogurt cake.
Plus, in my never-ending quest to make dinnertime a whole lot easier in my house...I usually start dinner while I am baking with my little one. Done!
Let me know what tricks you have! hope you found this to be interesting stuff!
thanks
Leslie
