| How do you do meal planning? I try to sit down over the weekend and make a list. I think the crockpot makes life so easy and who doesn't like dinner started and cooking by noon? I also recommend 30 day cooking, if you have the time and energy. :-) (Marybeth in Ilinois) We have a large repertoire of meals that take 30 minutes or less to prepare. We try to keep the ingredients on hand regularly (but Daddy will pick things up on the way home from work as well). Some of our favorites include: stir fry chicken and veggies with rice (the rice might take a little longer, but we have a rice cooker and the kids know how to get it started), spaghetti (gasp, we buy Prego sauce in Sam's Club size packages, though we often add to it with diced tomatoes or sauteed mushrooms), mashed potatoes with chili (ground beef + canned chili + black beans + diced tomatoes - yum!) and taco salad (ground beef + black beans cooked with taco seasoning; served on top of dark green lettuce with tomatoes, advocados, shredded cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream). We also do a lot of salads and cooked spinach. We have found that using a smaller portion of prepared foods (like Prego sauce or canned chili) with fresh ingredients keeps things simple and reasonably healthy. (Alicia from WI) |
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When the children eat well they can concentrate better and not feel hungry until the next meal. What is eating well? Eating enough protein, fruits and vegetables, raw fresh dairy products, properly prepared whole grains, seeds and nuts, and fat (good fats: butter, coconut oil, extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil and organic lard). For your sweet tooth, in moderation, have raw honey, 100% maple syrup or fresh fruit. Buying in bulk, through co-ops, and shopping at international grocery stores is much cheaper. If possible, buy organic. You get the double benefit of supporting environmentally friendly farms, often small family farms, and not getting herbicides, pesticides and (in animal products) hormones, and antibiotics, among others. The only supplement type food essential for good health would be to take cod-liver oil. I suggest Carlson's lemon flavored, in summer take Carlson's lemon flavored fish oil. We each try to have two eggs every morning. We buy our eggs on a farm. I have even raised my own chickens to get the highest quality eggs, with the proper balance of omega 3 and 6 essential fats. For a quick easy filling thing we make banana nut shakes, with raw fresh milk; walnuts, pecans or almonds; some ice, vanilla and banana. We sometimes add raw eggs for extra protein. If we want a special treat we add organic cocoa, it tastes just like a chocolate shake with no sugar. Yum! Essential to eating right is what one must not eat: sugar; white flour products; most anything processed (just about everything in a box, plastic bag or can); anything that has MSG, a neurotoxin (it has many misleading names); anything with aspartame, another neurotoxin; pop; partially hydrogenated fats and trans-fats, which includes all margarines and vegetable oils; and soy (with the exception of properly fermented soy products such as real soy sauce and miso.) As your kids eat better you'll notice their concentration level increase and less behavioral problems. They also learn to dislike the bad foods when they learn how bad they are for them. In our home we are constantly discussing and learning about nutrition. Also, teaching them to prepare meals is very important and lots of fun too. (Contributed by Ellen from IL) |
