As a holder of many jobs (business owner, head of household, mother, wife, sister, daughter, chauffeur, personal chef, house cleaner, laundry expert…) and the list goes on; some people always ask me, “How do you keep it all together?” I answer simply, “I don’t, and I would be lying if I said I did.” And, I’m ok with this answer. In today’s society we are busier than ever and finding the time to get everything on our checklist accomplished, let alone taking a minute to go the bathroom seems to be one of the biggest challenges a mother can have. Coming in at a close second among challenges is feeding ourselves. But, fueling our children also seems to be a complicated issue. Exhausted by the end of the day, the last thing we moms are thinking is, “Time to put my Chef Hat on and whip up an extravagant meal that the family will love.” How do we do it?
We know that we cannot make an amazing, extravagant meal for every single meal of every day. But, the one thing we do know as parents is that we need to fuel our children’s bodies and teach them to make responsible eating choices on their own so that they can grow strong and healthy. So, let’s cut to the chase. How do we “keep it all together” and provide great tasting, healthy meals for our children? Here are some time-saving and sanity-preserving steps to guide you toward providing great tasting lunches and snacks for your kids (maybe these will even help you find a spare minute to go to the bathroom in peace!):
- Meal Plan-look at the week of events on your family calendar and plan ahead. Use leftovers from supper in school lunches. Be prepared with healthy to-go snacks or supper on the nights you have school events, sports, clubs, etc. so that you’re not stopping at a drive through.
- Snack Stations- We have snack station in the fridge and the pantry that is designated for healthy snacks. After the grocery store, prepare all vegetables and fruits and store in portioned out containers so they are easy for kids to grab. When the kids are hungry they know where to go. What’s in our snack stations? Refrigerator: cheese sticks, apples, grapes, deli meat, oranges, plain greek yogurt, guacamole, carrot sticks, hummus, snow peas, red pepper sticks. Pantry: jerky, applesauce pouches, popcorn, raw unsalted nuts, homemade protein bars, healthy protein muffins, homemade trail mix, granola, etc.
- Lunches-My little one takes a ‘cold lunch’ to school daily, which is great because he gets to take control of what goes in it and has the responsibility of preparing his own meal. We have taught him how to have a variety of protein, carbohydrate, and fats by our daily eating habits. The healthy options just fall into place, and then when we are at other places like restaurants or friends’ houses, he naturally gravitates toward healthier choices because he is used to eating that way. Help your child prepare their lunch the night before as you are putting away your dinner to save time in the morning.
Some more Lunch Tips:
-Make it easy and use leftovers- great tasting leftovers for kid’s lunches include: soup, chili, taco meat, bbq meat, chicken breasts, hamburgers, chicken brats, etc. It’s ok to store the meats in coolers and then serve the meats like chicken breasts cold with bbq sauce or ranch for dipping. If they like them warm, warm them up in the morning and put them in a thermos for later.
-Keep to whole foods. The less processed, the healthier.
-Don’t forget the fruits and vegetables: frozen peas, carrot sticks & hummus, red pepper sticks & ranch, edamame, avocado, mixed vegetables, broccoli, banana, apples and peanut butter (sunflower butter for a nut free option), frozen grapes, etc.
-Good protein ideas include: Yogurt, frozen smoothies, deli meat wrapped around cheese or in romaine lettuce, hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, make your own pizza (pack whole wheat tortilla, sauce, pepperoni and cheese and have them make their own pizza), etc.
-Change it up so they don’t get bored and don’t forget to be creative.
-Most importantly, don’t forget to leave a note or special treat to remind them how much you love & appreciate them.
- Resources & Recipes-Find one new recipe to try each week as a family and expand your resources. Recipes can be found easily online on many really great family-friendly websites with amazing tasting recipes. Also, don’t be afraid to try new things, especially kitchen gadgets, which will make your work easier. My most recent love in the kitchen is my Instant Pot. It’s an electronic pressure cooker that cooks food faster, and with great flavor. Trust me, you’ll love it!
Regardless of how you do it, plan ahead and do what you can to make the eating life of your family easier and healthier in the midst of all the busy times. Above all, we want to teach our kids to make healthy choices even when we’re not around to do so for them. And remember, you don’t have to have it “all together.”
Christy Nye, Integrative Nutrition Coach
Woodbury Spine Wellness Center 