Kids, School and Food

Moms talked food in TheMotherhood today, sharing ideas and solutions on the topic of school lunches, weeknight dinners, creating nutritious meals with variety, and finding time for it all!  If you find yourself seeking inspiration for creating new and different meals on a weekly basis, keep reading.

– Meal Ruts: It’s easy to feel like you’re in a rut, making the same meals over and over again, but realize that your kids have their favorites and it’s okay to include a mix of those favorites in your meal rotation each week. Weekly meals can be a nice blend of favorites and new meal ideas.

– Think Outside the Sandwich: Great lunch choices include quesadillas, mini pizzas on whole wheat English muffins, and grilled or ungrilled peanut butter sandwiches with honey and fruit (apples, bananas, peaches, etc.). And don’t forget, sandwiches don’t have to include traditional sliced bread. Tortilla wraps, crepes and even waffles are fun to use for a different take on sandwiches.

You can find ideas for school lunches here:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/guide/best-school-lunch-ideas-for-kids/

http://onehungrymama.com/2010/08/recipe-parenting-the-only-back-to-school-lunch-post-youll-need/

– Doing Double Duty: Using dinner leftovers is a great way to make school lunches for your kids.  Here are a few recipes that are quick and easy for dinner, and the leftovers make for a great packed lunch too.
http://www.relishmag.com/article/39701.html
http://www.relishmag.com/article/41830.html
http://www.relishmag.com/article/40849.html

– Use Creative Containers: For school lunches, Americanized bento-style lunch boxes can help you get creative, instead of always sending sandwiches with your kids.  LunchSkins instead of plastic baggies are also a great option – reusable, dishwasher safe, and they don’t get grimy.

http://www.laptoplunches.com/

http://www.lunchskins.com/

– Find Cooking Inspiration: Our co-hosts’ blogs are a great source of recipes and advice, along with these books and sites:

http://www.recipezaar.com

http://www.cooks.com

http://www.allrecipes.com

http://www.babble.com – Family Kitchen blog

bon appétit – fast, easy, fresh (cookbook)

How to Cook Everything (cookbook)

– Meal Planning: Try using a week-based template with columns (e.g., dinners, kids’ lunches, work lunches). Fill in the meals and, to help create your grocery list for the week, bold the ones that require a trip to the grocery store for ingredients. By keeping a record electronically, you can cut and paste certain meals from previous weeks to make the planning easier.

– Handling Picky Eaters: Deal with it like a politician – with marketing words (princess fish instead of salmon) and familiar flavorings (bacon, honey and cheese). But the most important thing is to serve them with an enthusiastic smile instead of a defensive response to their negativity. You could also try to make meals fun – vegetables with dip or veggie skewers, sandwiches cut out in fun shapes with cookie cutters, etc.

Thank you to our awesome foodie mom blogger co-hosts:

Jennifer Perillo, In Jennie’s Kitchen
Jennifer Leal, Savoring the Thyme
Julie Mastbrook, Mommie Cooks
One Hungry Mama
Robin Sue, Big Red Kitchen
Vanessa Druckman, ChefDruck Musings
Zareen, Cooking with Z
See the original Talk here: http://tmotherhood.wpengine.com/talk/show/id/62089