I don’t always write New Year’s Resolutions. I think that it can become something that we do just for the sake of doing it and then not following through. I find that it works best if I do monthly evaluations of how I am doing with my goals and it works wonders for me to write things down.
This year I decided to make some. One is that I really want to do a better job of planning meals for our family dinners, cooking more, and finding a way to help Jackson actually eat more of the things that I am making for the family.
Jackson is a picky eater. He is also very sensitive to textures and has a bit of OCD in him. And he is four. There are foods that he likes to eat and he spends most of his time eating apples, pb&honey, oranges, hummus, multi-grain chips, applesauce, and chicken nuggets. One thing that I am hoping will work is to develop a “theme night” or a routine for our eating so that if he sees the same foods being introduced he may be more comfortable eating them. I have noticed that if I develop routines for him things go more smoothly. Even the process of eating things in a row helps ie: take a bite of potato, take a bite of broccoli, take a bite of talapia. This way he feels like he has control and I tell him he can go as slowly as he needs to.
I am not saying we don’t have rough nights, we most certainly do. That is what led me to try this. Even last night it was 1 hour before he finally broke down and decided to eat a piece of his chicken (it was still waiting on the table after we had finished.)
So here it is:
Monday Night: Spaghetti night, every other week we will alternate between chicken parmesan bites and crockpot turkey meatballs.
Tuesday Night: Soup/Salad/Sandwich night. This is an easy night for us because Paul teaches Young Men’s and has to do a quick meal.
Wednesday Night: Crock pot meal/ Stir Fry alternating every other week.
Thursday: Talapia night. Make Talapia alone, in a salad, or into fish tacos.
Friday: Pizza night.
Saturday: Eat out night, usually Costa Vida, Zupas, or Cafe Rio.
Sunday: Breakfast for dinner, Dad cooks, or family favorite: Chicken Enchiladas, Lasagna, or Chicken Marsala.
That’s it! Pretty easy menu, but even eating spaghetti is a stretch for my kids. They are not big pasta fans. Wish me luck!
What do you do with your meal planning? I would love to hear your tips!
Hello! I am Camille, a wife, mother of four, Disney obsessed, certified teacher, and believer in creating your best momlife the way you see fit. Motherhood comes with its ups and downs, my hope is you’ll find something here to make your life a little better/easier. Let’s be friends on social!
Thank you, thank you for posting about this subject! I swear to you dinner and lunch for the hubby is my nemesis! I dread the phrase “what’s for dinner.”
I use to do the same thing you have done on your calendar. I came up with themes too such as…
Monday (Mexican Food)
Tuesday (Italian)
Wednesday (Our favorite meal/s)
Thursday (American)
Friday (Something new)
Saturday (go out)
Sunday (we always have dinner with my husband’s family.)
Then on the calendar I would fill in what the meals were going to be. I like your way too! I seems simple and functional.
I don’t know why I stopped doing this because it saved me time, money and I was a lot less stressed about dinners. Plus, I knew the hubs would have lunch the next day. I really need to get back into doing this. Thank you for the encourage meant!
On a side note, I too have a “semi” picky eater. Crew isn’t a past love either which seems weird to me. Kids love pasta, right?! He doesn’t like meats either. The boy could live off bread, pb&j, fruit, yogurt, cereal, fruit, some veggies (not many, I have to make fruit smoothies with veggies in them). It just difficult to make dinner because a lot of meals consist of pasta and meat. I too am trying to only allow him to eat what we eat, but I don’t want him to go to bed hungry. Trust me, he did one night and I got a midnight wake up call with a screaming kid… he was hungry. So now I encourage him to try what we are eating. He sits with us until we are done eating, then if he’s still hungry after dinner I give him a banana and some milk. Wow… Kids are tricky.