4 Steps to Plan Kids Meals
Preparing kids' meals in advance can be a cost-effective and efficient approach to ensure that toddlers eat nutritionally balanced food on a daily basis. A well-planned menu will include foods from all food groups in meals and snacks. It will help parents manage time for cooking and preparing food by simplifying budgeting, ordering, and shopping for food. Kids can learn to prefer a variety of foods by participating in relaxed and cheerful family mealtimes.
1. Plan a meal prep date. You can take Sunday or Saturday as a meal prep day and sit with your child to plan the meals. Planning meals with your kids give them a sense of control. It reduces the possibility of them throwing a tantrum over not liking their meals because they have planned them. Make sure you include a lot of colourful
foods and a bit of something they like in every meal. Different vegetables, one fruit, and a treat of their choice.
2. Variety is the key. Kids will get bored easily if you keep giving them the same set of foods again and again. Creating variety in their meals might seem like a time taking or tedious task but it is not if you plan well. Think out of the box like cutting the fruit in fun shapes, hiding vegetables in any dish or even dessert whenever possible, alternating between cooked dishes and salads, give them options to choose from. Including a variety of colours by including various fruits and vegetables helps them love their meals and be excited for the next one.
3. Give them a grocery circular. Give children the circular where all the items are shown and ask them to circle or colour their favourite foods. This is a fantastic method to find out what they truly like to eat. Show children how to use the store circular to get the best deals at the grocery store as they get older. Show them a video or teach them about the importance of having a balanced meal, how to plan for one, and the consequences of not consuming balanced meals. Assist them in identifying good, terrible, and excellent options in the circular and using this knowledge to create a shopping list.
4. Give them control. Allow your child to be in control of the shopping list while you're out shopping. Allow them to cross items off the list once they've been added to the cart. Make sure your child does not deviate from the list, you need to teach them how to hold themselves accountable. Most kids are so enthralled by the prospect of being the "list-crosser" that they won't let you put anything in the cart that isn't on the list which is a great way to inculcate healthy eating habits in your children from a young age. To know more about inculcating great habits and teaching life skills to kids, visit https://childventures.ca/ or call us on 905.332.7539.