I started off the weekend at our neighborhood’s Farmers’ Market. This is part of my new weekly meal plan strategy — make up my meal plan on Friday, go to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday and shop for the rest of the items on Sunday.

It’s funny how I always kick myself for not going and then I finally go and have such a good time. Big A got a free toy because she found the stuffed penguin and Little D is just happy to be in the stroller. We got plenty of tasters for snack time and I also found a gift for my mother in law’s birthday. Score.

This week I’m trying this awesome looking burrito from Simple Bites and a Stuffed spinach and cheese pizza from the No Whine with Dinner Cookbook. And I’ll be making pizza dough for the first time thanks to some readers encouragement.

For more meal planning ideas go to Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking this Week?

Monday: Black Bean Burritos

Tuesday: Tomato Cheesy Pasta with Shrimp, fruit salad and roasted veggies

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Turkey Chili (Will try to make it with dried beans), bread and salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Stuffed spinach and cheese pizza (No Whine with Dinner), salad and fruit

Salad of the week: Apple Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

cold veggie/dip of the week: Carrots/humus

Sandwich of the week: Tuna

Snack of the week: Butternut squash muffins

Your Challenges

Instead of talking about my challenges this week I wanted to summarize your key challenges based on comments from our end of the year giveaway:

Picky Eating/Trying New Foods: Picky eating was the most common challenge mentioned. In particular is getting kids to try foods like vegetables. If you haven’t already, check out my Picky Eating Series, which explains why picky-eating is normal (and when it’s not) and offers lots of tips from experts.

Believe me when I say I understand the frustration involved with feeding erratic-eating little people. But I have found the frustration usually comes from trying to control kids’ eating. I will have plenty of postings on this topic including a regular “Parents of Picky Eaters Unite” series. Stay tuned.

Making Meals Everyone Likes: I feel your stress about trying to get healthy meals on the table that everyone likes. There’s also are quite of few of you dealing with food allergies and kids with special needs that complicate things even more.

I plan to highlight helpful strategies in my posts, including the simple recipes/meal plans, to help you with this one. But I think part of the problem is the unrealistic expectation that everyone will like every meal. Instead, I try to find meals that work well for my family and make everyone happy overall (not at every meal).

Problems with Planning: While everyone knows the importance of meal planning, it’s still not happening for some of you. One reader said, “I am so aware of the tips and tricks of pre-organizing meals and different hints, I don’t think I can read another article about it without feeling like I already know what they are saying. The challenge is to actually put the plans in motion and find a suggestion that actually fits in our lifestyle.”

Last year, I kicked off my Meal Planning Series talking about barriers people face. I think it’s important to discover your barriers and develop strategies to overcome them. And as the reader said, making it fit your lifestyle is key. Much more on this subject in 2011.

Dad doesn’t eat healthy: I was surprised how many of you said that fathers are often picky and don’t set a good example. You might want to check out my guest post at Simple Marriage, about helping loved ones make healthier choices. I plan to get an expert to post on this topic as well.

No offense to you dads who are regular readers. It’s not all dads just some (and I’m sure some moms too).

Food Outside the Home: While picky eating was common for younger children, outside influences were issues for parents of older children. We know the environment in which we live isn’t always health conscious but it pays to help children navigate our food-focused world.

Expect more strategies and tips on this topic as well as a series on how to positively influence children and their food choices.

Parents’ health and eating: There are some of you challenged when it comes to taking care of your own health. Some of you said you do well feeding your children, but not yourself. Others of you fear your not-so-good eating habits will rub off on your children.

I’m going to resume my Parent Tips which fizzled out last year. I’ll also be writing about this topic in ways that hopefully inspire you to make changes that benefit you and your health. But you have to do it for you– and not for your kids, spouse or anyone else.

I will also take some of your challenges and turn them into Ask the Dietitian posts. I hope to address all of your challenges in 2011. It’s going to be a good year for Raise healthy Eaters.

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Meal Planning is back! My kitchen is still not complete but at least we now have counter-tops, a sink, burner, toaster and microwave. I’ll be sure to post some pictures when it’s all done.

Life is good.

I’ll be relying on the slow cooker and burner for most of the meals this week. I’ll be trying a tasty-looking shrimp dish. I’m also trying a new chicken meal in the slow cooker.

I’ll be expanding my meal planning with a “salad of the week.” My goal is to vary the salads we eat, which was one of the reasons for the 8 Salads That Will Get Kids Hooked post.

For more meal ideas see Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking this Week?

Monday: Have it Your Way Tacos

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Veggie Lasagna with bread and salad

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chicken, carrots and potatoes with fruit salad

Thursday: Tomato Shrimp Pasta, bread and salad

Friday: Leftovers

Salad of the week: Apple Pecan Cranberry Spinach Salad

The Fallacy of the Good Eater

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how differently my kids eat right now. My 4-year old daughter (will call Big A) is picky, still somewhat afraid of new foods and is pretty erratic in how much she eats.

My 19-month old boy (will call Little D) is still eating with gusto at almost every meal. In fact, he has always had a big appetite. He is smaller than my daughter – usually 20th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height at well check visits. She’s usually about 50/50.

It’s interesting to hear the comments family and friends make when they see Little D eating. “Wow he’s a good eater,” is common. And if he’s really going at it we might hear “excellent eater!”

My sister-in-law, whose 13-month old who eats much less than Little D, always says “I wish Little R ate like that.”

What do you think people would say if Little D was big and husky? Would he still be a good eater? Or would they stare at me when I keep giving him food?

The definition of a “good eater” changes for adults. It seems those that are more controlled with their eating are considered the better eaters. Adults always seem to justify eating more food by saying “I really shouldn’t do this but I’m having more.” Or they make excuses like “It’s vacation — I’m going to eat what I want.”

I guess my point is that these judgments around eating keep people from getting the right amount of food their bodies need. Kids who eats less are not worse eaters than those who eat more, especially when they are following their appetite. And why shouldn’t a big kid have a big appetite?

My son doesn’t understand the good eater thing yet but my daughter does. Sometimes when she finishes her food she’ll look at me and say “look mom I finished.”

I always tell her that eating more food is not better. She needs to listen to her body (stomach) — and not mommy or anyone else.

News: The Fat Debate and Snacking for Meals

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) annual conference was held in Boston a few weeks ago. One session that received a lot of attention, The Great Fat Debate, had four
expert panelists on to discuss the role different types of fat have on health.

While there was plenty to disagree on, all the panelists agreed that replacing fat in the diet with carbohydrates is not beneficial for health (basically a low fat diet).

What scientists now know is people are better off including healthier fats from plants and fish. There are some who think saturated fats (animal-based) are not as unhealthy as Dietary Guidelines say but more studies are needed to confirm this. I’ll be posting more on fat’s role in the diet in the New Year.

A survey conducted by the ADA Foundation showed that more than 40 percent of children aged 8 to 17 don’t eat breakfast every day. And more than 20 percent do not eat dinner daily. The survey also found that missed meals were often replaced with snacking.

In my post Is Your Kid a Good or Bad Snacker? I talk about the positive role snacks play in the diets of children. When timed appropriately and included as nutrient-rich mini-meals, snacking is beneficial for children (and adults!).

In order to manage hunger appropriately, meals are essential. I tend to graze more on weekends (Sunday) and am never satisfied the way I am with sit-down meals.

Well, that’s enough rambling for now. I hope you have a great week!

Welcome to August.  Can you believe summer is more than half over?

We still haven’t been that hot here in San Diego.  We had one warm week but that’s been it.  I have to say I’m enjoying the cooler summer. It makes it nice to go to parks and play with kids without the nagging heat.  

But back to food…

I’ve been looking to try different snacks lately.  I made some zucchini muffins the kids seemed to like (recipe forthcoming).  And I tried roasting garbanzo beans from this recipe on Family Fresh Cooking.  I went the sweet route and topped them with syrup and they still tasted bland.

But I’m very intrigued with the idea behind this recipe.  What’s better than kids snacking on crunchy beans?  I’m going to try more savory seasonings next time and have it cook longer to make it really crisp.  Does anyone make this at home?  If so, I’d love to hear from you. 

Because we are somewhat cool over here, I’m going to make a Black Bean Chili for Wednesday long slow cook day.  I’m also going to try Mexican Lasagna for the first time.  And Tuesday it’s Chicken Parm in the slow cooker. This recipe is tasty and beyond easy.  All in all, a good food week.

For more weekly meal plans see Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking this week?

Monday:  Mexican Lasagna with guacamole from the 6 O’Clock Scramble Newsletter

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan with bread, spinach salad and fruit.

Wednesday: Black Bean Chili made with pork tenderloin (Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook), bread, carrots and green salad.  

Thursday: potlock/use leftovers

Friday: Grilled Salmon with Avacado Dip, mac and cheese and sautéed mixed veggies

Challenges – it’s me this time!

A couple of weeks ago I fell into a bad cycle.  I noticed that I was exercising less, falling extra short on sleep (I’m never 100% well rested) and eating more than usual.  Basically I was feeling stressed with all that I had on my plate — blog, work, buying a condo, taking care of kids and trying to stay up with friends.

An article I read on Simple Mom reminded me of something I know but often forget — I was choosing to feel stressed out. 

It’s easy to feel like a victim to stress with the million things parents have to do.  But the truth is the situations don’t automatically cause stress — it’s how we perceive the circumstances around us that produce the stress. 

I’ll never forget when my old boss told me, as I was upset in her office, that I chose to feel that way.  At the time I thought she was crazy but now I hate to say she was right.

So once I caught on to what I was doing, sat back, looked at the situation objectively, and asked myself some questions. 

What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t get everything done?  Does being stressed help me in any way?  What things can I do to help me get through this overwhelming period?  Doesn’t exercise and sleep make more productive and happy?  Is there anything I can cut back on? Can I organize my time better?

So last week I got up early to run, did my 20-minute yoga tape before writing at night, went to sleep earlier and got up early to work on stuff.  And I have to say, it was a much better week. 

News – don’t sit for long

There have been news reports about the downside of sitting for long periods.  According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, those who sit more hours in a day (>6 hours) are at higher risk for obesity and dying early than those who sit less (<3 hours).  And the time spent sitting was an independent factor regardless of daily activity levels.

That means getting your hour of exercise in doesn’t make up for sitting all day.

This isn’t meant to be another guilty twist on getting enough exercise.  Instead, it demonstrates an important point — the human body was designed for movement.  Yet we are all faced with a modern lifestyle that encourages more sedentary behaviors.

We also live in a society that places more importance on getting structured exercise, like spending an hour at the gym, than being naturally active every day.    

But making your days filled with activity is very doable.  Take breaks at work to walk down the hall and talk to a friend.  Be more playful with your kids.  Walk instead of driving whenever you can.

Studies show that people who get more of this natural type of activity in their day, something health experts call Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), may burn up to 350 additional calories daily.  That adds up.

Of course there are additional benefits to getting more intense physical activity in terms of health, strength and how one feels.  We just can’t forget the power of moving more every day.  We have those legs for a reason.

Okay, I’ve been sitting to long.  Time to go wrestle with my kids.  Have a great week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. We had a nice relaxing day which ended with a meal I did not cook. But now it’s Monday.

I didn’t post a meal plan last week because my husband was out of town and my daughter was sick. I made the easy chicken noodle soup again and still can’t believe how quickly this meal comes together (especially when I cheat with store-bought rotisserie chicken).

I also discovered an amazing recipe for restaurant-style salsa on Pioneer Women. She does a fantastic job with her recipes – great pictures, instructions and humor. I made the salsa for a family get together and everyone loved it! I plan to make it every couple of weeks and keep it in the fridge.

This week I have a couple of new items to try including Pesto Parm Chicken and Red Beans and Brown Rice for Wednesday, the long slow cooker day. I haven’t found a red beans and rice recipe I love yet so let’s hope this one is a keeper.

For more meal plans go to Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking this Week

Monday: Have it Your Way Tacos

Tuesday: Chicken Pesto Parm with Couscous and Vegetable Stir fry and Bread

Wednesday: Red Beans and Brown Rice served with a salad and fruit

Thursday: Leftovers/potluck

Friday: Baked Salmon Topped with Veggies, mac and cheese, green salad and fruit.

Challenges
A post on Simple Bites — Stocking Your Pantry for Success — got me thinking about my biggest meal-planning challenge.

Right now, I pick items for the week and make one big shopping trip (Sunday) followed by a little one later in the week (Friday). The Friday trip is supposed to be spent at the farmer’s market getting mostly perishable items like fruits & veggies. But lately I end up running low on something else like soap or cereal, and that makes me choose the grocery store instead.

We do stock up on certain items like paper towels, spices and toilet paper but I haven’t been keeping the rest of my pantry full of items I use on a regular basis (broth, beans, pasta, canned tomatoes etc).

So I’ve decided to have a monthly shopping trip dedicated to buying adequate amounts of the nonperishable items I use most often.

Maybe I’ll even have inventory day and get up at 5 in the morning like they to in restaurants. Just writing that makes me realize it’s a bad idea.

I’m hoping this decreases my weekly trips to the grocery store allowing me more time to go to the Farmer’s Market to get fresh and local produce.

I’m curious, does anyone else shop this way? Am I a late bloomer?

News
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its 2010 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 for Produce. For those not familiar, the EWG routinely tests produce for pesticide residues so consumers can decide when it’s worth it to buy organic.

The produce with the highest level of pesticides (dirty dozen) are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, kale, cherries, potatoes, grapes (imported) and spinach.

The produce with the lowest levels of pesticides (Clean 15) include onions, avocado, pineapple, mangos, eggplant, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, mangos, kiwi, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage and sweet corn.

Well that’s it for now. Have a great week and let me know how you are doing!

I’m done celebrating my birthday and am ready to settle into a normal week of eating. I’m trying a couple of new things this week including making salsa and meatballs from scratch (not at the same meal).  I’ll let you know how they turn out.

For more meal ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking This Week
 
Monday: Make-Your-Own Burritos: Black beans, rice, homemade salsa, shredded spinach*, cheese, guacamole and tortillas.

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs: I got inspired by this recipe posting on Little Stomaks.  I will serve with bread and roasted broccoli.**

Wednesday: Greek Chicken Pita: I found this slow cooker chicken filling recipe in Fix-It and Forget-It.  The chicken will be done when I get home from work so will serve with whole wheat pita, lettuce, cucumber, tzatziki sauce and a side of hummus and carrots*.  I’m not sure my daughter will eat this one but she’s likely to have the hummus, carrots and pita bread.

Thursday: Leftovers/potluck

Friday: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Dip: I will serve with macaroni and cheese, green beans and a spinach salad*.

Weekend: Instead of gong out to eat Saturday, I’m <thinking> of making our own pizza.  I will see how I feel. And like always will have dinner with extended family on Sunday.

*vitamin A Rich
**vitamin C Rich

Challenges
 
My son, who just turned one, is already rejecting food.  And the best part is he shows his displeasure by throwing the food he doesn’t want.  Although sometimes he throws a few pieces and then eats a few pieces, so it’s hard to tell.  All in all it’s pretty frustrating.

It’s interesting to see how different he already is from my daughter.  My daughter always ate fruit (and still does) but he seems to take more to veggies and meat/fish.  He still eats as much as an adult, but is starting to voice his opinion.  I was hoping this would not happen for another 6 months or we would avoid it entirely.  I can dream, right?

My daughter has learned two new words, “I’m hungry.”  I’m trying to teach her how to reconize hunger because I don’t think she knows quite yet.  She seems to say “I’m hungry” when she doesn’t want to do something like go to bed or leave somewhere fun. 

I’ve also been feeling run down and in need of a break.  I had a mini-meltdown after falling on my hands and knees in front of the grocery store (gotta love sobbing with strangers comforting you).  I told my husband that all I want for Mothers Day is a day to sleep in and do whatever I want.  I love my kids but need some time for me. 

News

I wanted to share an eye-opening article, Don’t Let Your Child’s Doctor Label Your Child Obese, written by Dr. Katja Rowell at Family Feeding Dynamics.  One of the outcomes from the Let’s Move Campaign is pediatricians are going to be closely monitoring BMI in children and giving parents advice if there’s a problem.  So when you go for your next child’s check-up you’ll want to be ready for this possibility.  Dr. Rowell brings up some very important points that all parents need to keep in mind. 

Have anything to share?  Feeding challenges, new recipes or anything else?  Leave a comment and let us know. 

Have a great week!

I’m happy to say my family is no longer sick and we are finally back on regular food. The chicken noodle soup I made last week really hit the spot. I ended up using a rotisserie chicken from the store and it was incredibly easy and tasted much better than canned soup. I will definitely make it again.

I never got around to making tilapia so we’ll have it on Tuesday. So for this week at least, I’m meeting my goal of fish twice in one week.

This Monday, in addition to the weekly meal plan & challenges, I thought I’d recap some interesting nutrition news. For more meal ideas go to Meal Plan Monday at Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking This Week

Monday: I plan to spice up Mexican night with Chicken Fajitas served with tortillas and black beans.

Tuesday: Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia with butternut squash* and roasted asparagus(thanks for the tilapia recipe Deb).

Wednesday: Beef and lentil soup (from Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook), bread with spinach* salad (dried cranberries, feta cheese and almonds)

Thursday: Potluck/leftover night

Friday: Baked Salmon with Tomatoes,** Spinach* and Mushrooms

vitamin A-rich* vitamin C-rich**

Challenges

Lately, my 3-year old has been trying to take over my job of the deciding the “what” and “when” of feeding. I jotted down some notes of one of our recent interactions:

7-7:30 It’s cereal, eggs and some fruit for breakfast. She’s off eggs right now but ate a lot of cereal and cantaloupe

8:30: Anna: “I want cheese and crackers”

Me: “we’ll have the at snack time in a little while.”

Anna: “I want milky”

Me: “We’ll have it later with lunch.”

Anna: “I want apple juice”

Me: “We’ll have some with dinner tonight. Why don’t you have some water right now?”

Anna: “I—(crying)—don’t—–want—(crying)—-water!”

Me: ” You don’t have to drink it, but I’ll put it right here in case you change your mind.”

Two minutes later Anna chugs the water and plays happily.

Nutrition News

-Super Kids Nutrition: There’s a blogging contest going on at Super Kids Nutritionfor National Nutrition Month. Fellow dietitian, Melissa Halas-Liang, has created a site that offers helpful tips and books to help kids develop healthy eating habits. I like that the tips come from registered dietitians and that there are inspirational books for children. Check it out and get a lot of great info. (If I win this contest, I’ll review one of the books!)

-Calories posted on menus:Last week the passing of the healthcare bill stirred a lot of debate. But something interesting came out that was somewhat underplayed: a new nutrition requirementfor fast food and chain restaurants. More than 200,000 restaurants will have to post the calories in their items for everyone to see (even on drive thru menus!).

We don’t eat out very often so I’m not usually concerned with calories etc. I mean, every 6 months I crave an In ‘N Out burger and my husband is out the door faster than I can say “Let’s have In ‘N Out.” But I have to admit, the nutrition facts on items at my work cafeteria do sway my decisions. When I saw the cheese enchiladas had a day’s worth of fat and saturated fat, I decided to go with the veggie burger. So maybe not such a bad thing. How do you feel about this? Do you think it will change what you order?

-Babies not getting enough vitamin D: I write a lot about the importance of vitamin D in children and adults. A new study in the Journal of Pediatrics reveals that 9 out of 10 breastfed babies and a majority of formula-fed babies do not get the recommended amount of vitamin D (400IU). In order to meet the requirement, formula-fed babies would need to get a liter of formula a day. Another surprising detail is very few parents are supplementing their babies with vitamin D.

Are you supplementing your babies (or child)? And if not, why? For more on why it’s important see Is Your Family at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency?

Kids prefer crunchy vegetables: A new study came outtesting which vegetable preparation method was most preferred by 4-12 year olds. They mashed, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, grilled and deep fried veggies. They found kids liked the steamed veggies the best as they retained their crunchiness. I’m not sure why they didn’t include raw veggies which are the crunchiest of all. And they left out my new fav– roasted veggies. But the point is kids like crunchy.
How does your kid like (or not) like veggies?

Well that’s it for now. I have a lot in store for this week so stay tuned…

New to meal planning? Suscribe to Raise Healthy Eaters and get a free weekly meal planner and grocery guide.

I can’t believe I was able to get this weekly meal plan together. This last week has been one of those weeks no parent wishes on another parent. Of course I feel the need to share…

Warning: If you are eating (or are about to) don’t proceed.  You could lose your appetite.

Monday/Tuesday:  My teething 11-month old won’t sleep.

Wednesday: Baby (David)  finally sleeps but 3-year old (Anna)  wakes up at 10 pm saying her stomach hurts.  We put her on the potty and she goes number 2.  We are relieved.  Then, about 2 minutes after being off the potty, she starts vomiting non-stop all over the floor.  We rush her to the bathroom.  She seems okay.  We think it’s over just some poo and vomit, no big deal.  So back to bed she goes.  Fifteen minutes later more vomit .  She ends up in bed with me throwing up all night.

Thursday: An hour after going to bed, Anna vomited one last time.  She went back into bed with me and had no further episodes the rest of the night.

Friday: Anna is much better all day, starting to eat more.  There’s hope for our future.

 4pm: David throws up a little.  I tell myself it’s just some spit up, please God.  Then 10 minutes later he vomits all over the rug in his room.  It is red because he just had yogurt with strawberries.  I call my husband to tell him we have another sick kid.  We commiserate.

7pm: I go to bed next to David (he is in the pack-n-play in our room). After some gagging episodes he seems okay and goes to sleep.

9:30pm: I start to feel nauseated.  I tell myself it’s just from all the foul smells I’ve been exposed to.  Please God. 

10pm: I throw up twice.   My husband goes to be with David.  I crash on the couch.

Saturday: I wake up feeling like a truck hit me.  My husband acts like I should do my usual mom thing.  I inform him that I feel very bad.  David seems much better and in a good mood. 

2pm: I start to feel better and David seems okay.  We’ll get through this!!

10pm: Husband throws up.  Now we all have had it. The worst has happened,  right?

Sunday: After David gets up from his morning nap, he throws up all over me. 

What??

David is cranky all day, my husband is useless and my daughter is full of energy.  So after putting the kids to bed I did my best to pull a meal plan together.  It will be a different week (no Mexican on Monday) because of everything going on.  Here’s what I came up with:

Monday: Chicken Noodle Soup with crackers.  I found this on All Recipes and it looks easy and tasty.  Plus it got good reviews.  I figure this isn’t the last time my family will be sick so it makes sense to have a good chicken noodle soup recipe on hand.

Tuesday: Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta with bread and (maybe) salad.  The pasta and bread is bland enough for my husband who will probably still not be able to eat like normal

Wednesday: Potlock/leftovers

Thursday: Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole with carrots and bread.  I got this one off of 5 dollar dinners and it is super easy (and cheap).  Just needs to cook for a while. My mother-in-law can put it in for me if I’m home from work late.

Friday: Will have burrito night.  We all should be up for Mexican by then.

Weekend:  I plan to try one of the awesome Tilapia recipes readers sent me with some roasted asparagus!

So, I’m wondering, what do you feed your kids (and yourself) when they are sick?  I’d love to get some ideas!!

I’ll leave you with some tips on overcoming the challenges of feeding kids balanced meals from SimpleBites.net.  Balanced Meals for Kids: Not Until You Eat Your Vegetables.

Every Monday Laura from Orgjunkie.com posts her weekly meal plan for her family and encourages other bloggers to do the same. Last week she linked to one of my meal planning articles and it brought some new subscribers to us (so welcome!)

So I thought I’d start a new tradition by listing out my family’s meal plan for the week.  I may not do this every Monday but will do it as often as I can.  I also thought it would be a good time to talk about challenges everyone is having. (And in case you were wondering, I always look like the girl does in the picture and my kitchen is always spotless) 

So I’ll share my challenges, and feel free to share yours. And maybe we can help each other.

What’s Cooking This Week:

Nothing out of the ordinary is going on this week.  I work Wednesday so it’s usually a long slow cooker day and Thursdays are leftovers or potluck (thanks to Sandy for her tip in our meal planning series).  Monday is Mexican and Fridays fish.  Let’s take a look…

Monday: Black bean & rice burritos with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole.

Tuesday: Spinach* ricotta stuffed shells with bread, salad and fruit.  This is a new recipe that I got from fellow RD, Estela, at Weekly Bite. I will let you know how it turns out.

Wednesday: Slow cooker White Chicken Chili from last week.  Will top with cheddar cheese and serve carrots* and hummus (my daughter loves carrots).

Thursday: Will combine leftovers and do a potluck and probably roast some broccoli to go with everything.  Last week we all chose a sandwich.  My daughter had PB&J, my husband had egg and cheese and my son and I had scrambled eggs and spinach.  I put out some cantaloupe chunks.

Friday: Baked salmon with sweet potatoes* and green beans.

Saturday: Eat out

Sunday: Dinner with extended family. 

Nutrition and feeding challenges

In 5 Secrets to the Perfect Weekly Meal Plan, I provide tips on how to ensure balanced nutrition while meal planning. So I make a point to include beans twice a week.  I also include at least one vitamin A-rich veggie and vitamin-C rich fruit (the starred items have vitamin A). On the days I don’t have a vitamin-A rich item for dinner I will offer one for lunch or snack.  I serve vitamin C-rich fruits at breakfast (cantaloupe, orange, strawberries or kiwi).  I worry that my seldom-meat eating 3-year old doesn’t get much iron so the vitamin C helps absorb the iron in her fortified cereal and raisins. 

One of my biggest nutrition challenges is reaching my goal of having fish twice a week.  We usually have salmon weekly and will sometimes make tuna sandwiches or shrimp, but that doesn’t always happen.  We all take fish oils around here but I want to start making more fish.  So if you have a good recipe, let me know.  (I recently tried pan frying some tilapia but it got all crumpled up). For more on the importance of fish see Kids & DHA: The Complete Guide for Parents.

Both of my kids (11 months and 3 years) eat meals with the family.  My youngest will eat just about anything so I’m trying to take advantage of it.  Studies suggest that the more flavors and textures you introduce early, the more variety kids will accept when they get older.

And my 3-year old is still cautious when it comes to trying new foods.  I’ve been talking to her about this and encourage her to try more foods (without being overbearing or pressuring).  She does much better at home – last week she took a few bites of a turkey sandwich and has been eating broccoli pretty regularly.  But when we go to someone else’s house for dinner, or to restaurants, she is especially anxious.

I know a lot of parents incorporate the no-thank you bite but I don’t feel comfortable doing that.  I encourage her, try to be supportive and leave it at that.  I’d love to hear from someone with older kids comment on how their kids grew out of this phase (or not).

What are you having this week?  Any feeding/meal/nutrition challenges you want to share??

Every mom is looking for kid-friendly meals to help improve their children’s eating habits.  Yet in last week’s expert interview, Ellyn Satter emphasized the importance of families eating together over what to feed.  That’s because family dinners are the place where children learn to eat.

I’ve incorporated family dinners at my house for over a year now.  Before that I would feed my daughter, put her to bed and then prepare dinner for me and my husband.  I’m exhausted just reading that last sentence.

So here are some tricks I’ve learned for making children – and parents –happy at the dinner table:

Don’t make it about them:  Focusing all the attention on children during meals teaches them to be self-centered about eating.  The goal is for kids to learn how to be a part of family meals.  That means no catering and no special meals.  They are expected to come to the table and decide for themselves how much to eat.

That doesn’t mean you don’t consider their likes, dislikes and ability to chew when deciding what to serve.  My daughter doesn’t eat much at dinnertime but there are a handful of meals I know show likes or is likely to eat (nothing is guaranteed).  So I make sure to include her favorite entrees about 2-3 times a week.  The other meals are items either my husband or I like and we eat out once a week. This way, everyone is a winner.

Make sure there’s something they’ll eat:  When I serve a new meal or something my daughter hasn’t eaten in the past, I make sure there are two things at the table that she likes.  Below is a before and after picture of a typical meal at our house.  I made lamb and lentil stew and served it with carrots (likes), bread (likes) and salad.  I make sure that the items she likes are not “special” items on her plate – they are for the whole family.   

As you can see, she ate most of the carrots, some of the bread and moved the stew around with her spoon.  I see that as progress…at least her utensils are touching the stew!

Serve dinner family style:  As children get a bit older, try letting them serve themselves.  This can really empower children and you might be surprised how much more willing they are to try new foods.  The first time my daughter tried asparagus was when I placed it on a serving dish instead of her plate.  There was such pride on her face when she grabbed it herself. 

Below is an example of a casual family style dinner I served – Rotisserie chicken (likes), strawberries (likes) and butternut squash.  I even made a meal for my littlest one from the butternut squash.  He’s coming to the dinner table early.

Learn from – and accept – dinner failures: I absolutely hate when I go to all the trouble of preparing a new meal only to find it tastes bland.  But I’m learning from those failures and realizing they are a natural part of figuring out what dinners work best for my family. 

The meals that taste good and are nutritious and easy to prepare go straight into my recipe book.  The ones that are complicated and don’t satisfy get thrown out.  Sometimes there’s a complicated meal that tastes great which makes it worth the effort, so it stays.

Because my children are young, I consider my meal-making practice for when they get a little older.  By then, I should have it mastered.  Am I fooling myself?

What are your experiences with family dinners?

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It takes time and brain power to plan and prepare a weeks’ worth of family meals. But even after all that work, how can you be sure that everyone at the table is meeting their nutrition needs?

While it’s not your responsibility to make sure every family member eats, it is your job to provide balanced meals. Studies show children will get the nutrition they need when offered a wide variety of foods. But in a world where nutrition advice can be very confusing, what exactly should that variety be?

While there are no strict rules to family meal planning there are “nutrition essentials” that every mom should know about.

1. Have dinner together most nights: Research continues to support the multitude of benefits to family dinners. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health revealed that the 6th, 7th and 8th graders who ate dinner with their family consumed fewer soft drinks, ate breakfast, were less concerned about their weight and were more confident about eating healthy at home and with friends.

Remember to include your smallest family members in this family ritual. Once babies transition to finger foods, for example, they can eat most of what everyone else is eating. Of course, you’ll have to take into account their ability to chew and swallow certain foods. Cutting items into small pieces will often work.

Why is this important? Any parent of a toddler knows that when pickiness sets in family dinners can be rough. If toddlers are brought to the family table too late, they’ll already be used to eating their “special food.” But if all they know is the family dinner, they’ll be more likely to go with the flow and try new foods.

2. Provide a nutritious variety of fruits and vegetables: To ensure an array of nutrients choose at least one vitamin C-rich fruit and one vitamin A-rich vegetable. Vitamin C fruits (orange, strawberries, cantaloupe – click through to see list) are perfect at breakfast when eaten with iron-rich cereals (C increases iron’s absorption). This is especially important for children under 2 years of age when they are at the highest risk of iron-deficiency.

Vitamin A-rich vegetables (spinach, carrots, kale – click through to see list) are a vital part of a balance diet. If your child rejects green vegetables, try vitamin-A rich carrots, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe until their palates come around.

3. Make half your grains “whole:” Check out my guest blog “7 Ways to Boost Your Family’s Intake of Whole Grains” on the popular www.5dollardinners.com. Basically, make sure that at least half the grains you serve are whole grains. Include whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals and brown rice with meals. Health experts recommend Americans eat 3 servings of whole grains per day.

4. Feast on fish twice a week: The American Heart Association recommends that Americans consume fish at least twice a week. While most people associate fish with heart health, it is also extremely beneficial for brain health. That’s because fish contains the essential omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) not found in plant sources. If your family doesn’t eat fish then they aren’t getting enough of these powerful nutrients. And kids, whose brains are still developing, especially need DHA and EPA.

If you never serve fish start out preparing it once a week by trying salmon, halibut, shrimp or trout. You can also make tuna sandwiches at lunchtime. Most experts believe the benefits of fish outweigh any risk associated with methyl mercury. Just in case, follow the FDA guidelines to avoid swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel and consume no more than 12 ounces of low mercury fish and canned light tuna (no more than 6 ounces of canned albacore tuna) per week.

5. Provide a variety of protein sources: When planning protein for meals remember 2-2-2 – fish, lean meats and poultry and beans twice a week. Growing children benefit from the easily absorbed iron and zinc in animal proteins. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans consume at least 3 cups of beans every week. That includes black, kidney, pinto and garbanzo beans. Beans are packed with B vitamins, iron and fiber and can be included as the main meal or a side dish.

6. Choose your vegetable oils wisely: Emerging science suggests that Americans consume too much omega-6 fatty acids. You see, we evolved from a diet with equal amounts (1:1) of omega 6 and omega 3 yet the ratio we eat today is somewhere between 10:1 and 30:1. Changes in the food supply over the last 100 years have allowed for mass production of vegetable oils like soybean, cottonseed and corn oil all high in omega 6. A diet out of balance can increase the risk of inflammation and chronic health conditions like heart disease.

Whenever possible, cook with olive and canola oil, both relatively low in omega-6 fatty acids. Consider making your own salad dressings or find a prepared one made with olive or canola oil. For more on this subject see 3 Things Most Parents Don’t Know About Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

7. Let them have low fat dairy: Did you know 9 out of 10 children don’t get enough calcium? Low fat dairy products are rich in calcium and other nutrients. 2- to 8-year olds need 2 servings of milk products a day, 9- to 18-year olds need 3 servings a day and 19-50+ year olds need 3 servings a day. A serving equals 1 cup of milk/yogurt or 1.5 ounces of cheese. If you and your family won’t (or can’t) eat dairy consider calcium-fortified juice, soy or rice beverages.

Do I always serve my family perfect nutritious meals? No! But it’s good to have a goal each week when I sit down and plan for the week ahead.

Subscribe to Raise Healthy Eaters for more tips on family meal planning.

References/Resources

Woodruff SJ, Hanning RM. Associations between family dinner frequency and specific food behaviors among grade six, seven, and eight students from Ontario and Nova Scotia. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2009 May;44(5):431-6.

My Pyramid

2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet: Maximize the Power of Omega-3s to Supercharge Your Health, Battle Inflammation, and Keep Your Mind Sharp by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD