Tag Archives: healthy meals

Tools for Meal Planning on a Budget

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When we’re meal planning on a budget, we usually just try to find ways to buy sales items or resist going out to eat. However, there are plenty of other ways to save! All you need is a few tools around the kitchen to help you save big time on your grocery store bill:

  • Coupon box: store all of your coupons based on their category (food, beverages, toiletries, etc.) in a coupon box. Keep all of your coupons neat and tidy to optimize savings. We recommend keeping your coupons in a plastic filing box, which should cost you only about $5.00.
  • Cheap recipes: Tear budget-worthy recipes out of your favorite food magazines and copy inexpensive recipes out of budgeter’s cook book. Then, compile your recipes together in a binder. Next time you want to try something new, all you have to do is open up your custom-made budgeter’s cookbook and flip the pages to see what piques your interest. Use plastic protectors to file your recipes and add plastic dividers to organize your recipes according to category.
  • Meal planner with calendar: Always have a written calendar where you can plan an organize your meals. This will help you plan in advance and never skip a beat when it comes to meal planning. You can often find meal planner templates online or, if you prefer, you can make a meal planner out of a kitchen calendar.
  • Grocery store checklist: Never leave the house without a printable grocery list. You will be shocked at how much you can save when you actually stick to your list. Make sure to include a grocery shopping list on your fridge, somewhere where your kids or spouse can add things that the family needs. You can find printable grocery lists online, make one your own, or buy one at the store.
  • Vacuum sealer: Vacuum sealers or a “Seal-a-Meal,” is the best tool to package your food for the freezer. Freeze your food and use them for leftovers instead of throwing them out or letting them go to waste. Vacuum sealers could cost as little as $28.00, if you do some bargain shopping.  Make sure to date all of your food packages, too. Just don’t date your packages with a marker on the actual freezer back. The ink could run through and stain the food. Instead, write the date on the top of the freezer bag, where the ink won’t touch the food, or on a label.
  • Separate, outdoor freezer: You can always get an extra freezer for your garage if you can’t fit all of your leftovers and ice creams in your current freezer. A compact fridge could cost you as little as $100.00, while larger models will be a bit pricier.

Having tools around the house that help you save is a critical part of the budgeting process. At the very least, make sure you have meal planning tools and a coupon box to help you stay organized. Your investments will pay off!

Grocery List Ideas: Five Things That Should Always Be on Your Grocery List

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When times are tough, we scramble for our grocery coupons, rebates or a combination of the two to save a buck. However, there are other ways to save, too. The key to buying smart is to have a core list of items, preferably those that can be a part of healthy meals and last for a few servings. Make a list with five items and get creative by using a vast assortment of recipes with the same key ingredients and generating some new grocery list ideas. Here are five items that are currently on our grocery list:

#1 Tomato Sauce

Pork chops, baked ziti, chili, stew, soup, chicken cacciatore, pot roast–tomato sauce can be used to make just about anything on your grocery list. Try cooking up a crock pot Italian sausage with tomato sauce or some pork chops in tomato sauce, for two filling and delicious dinner meals.

#2 Rice and/or dry pasta

Rice is a versatile food that can be enjoyed in tons of different dishes. Whether you like basmati, brown, jasmine, or traditional white, rice works great as a side dish or entrée such as a risotto. This starch can also be used as dessert in a dish like rice pudding, paired with cinnamon or raisons for a delicious kick. Both rice and pasta can be used to add some texture into casseroles and soups. Using whole grain noodles and veggies, you can make a great stir fry dish for a healthy meatless entrée. Pasta takes little time to cook and can be topped off with a number of sauces or salad dressings to make hot or cold entrées and side dishes.

#3 Ground meats

Whether it’s beef, turkey, chicken or a meat alternative, it is good to have something with versatility that the entire family can enjoy.  From burgers to meatballs, to pot pies, this can be used to make a variety of healthy meals or can remain frozen until ready to use. Any time that grocery stores offer special or bulk prices, consider it an investment that will create many future meals for your family.

#4 Eggs

Eggs are a common staple in nearly every home, providing large amounts of protein and a burst of flavor to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Scramble up some eggs for a filling breakfast, hard boil eggs for a snack, add egg to a stir fry dish or make quiche for dinner, or bake with eggs for a scrumptious dessert.

#5 Dried beans

Dried beans are one of the most filling, nutritious, thrifty foods you will find at any grocery store. Most beans are low in calories, sodium, and fat but high in fiber. Use beans as an alternative to meat in your entrées to save a few bucks, or couple beans with cheese and rice for a Mexican-style dish. If you want the best buy, buy beans in the bulk section of your grocer, then store them and use as needed.

Stock your kitchen so that you can make a great meal at a moment’s notice. Keep your eyes peeled for these five items in the grocery store (and grab ‘em when they’re on sale) and you’ll always have the ingredients to prepare wonderfully delicious, versatile, yet budget-friendly meals.

Healthy Meal Planning Help for Parents with Picky Eaters

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Picky eaters are a tough crowd to please, no doubt about it. You could whip up an award winning culinary masterpiece and they would still recoil from broccoli, shudder at an egg yolk, and shun cantaloupe. The best thing to do if you have a nightmarishly picky eater is to inform yourself of its causes and effects, then take action.

Why it happens

There are two factors involved behind the making of a picky palate: genetics and biology.

  • Genetics: That’s right, if you have a picky eater, you may have only yourself to blame. A study by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London showed that food neophobia, or picky eating, is about 78% genetic, while the other 22% is environmental.
  • Biology: Okay, you may not have _only_ yourself to blame (but it’s mostly your fault). Many pediatricians contend that young children are “prewired” to select the most energy-rich foods available. Dr. Gwen Dewar informs us that, “Smaller creatures tend to have smaller, shorter digestive tracts, making it more difficult to digest food that is high in fiber and/or toxins. So natural selection has put the squeeze on little guys: They need to focus on foods that deliver a lot of energy with little bulk.” The foods with the most energy and calories? Sweets, French fries, and sodas. While such statements are still a bit controversial, it’s logical to hypothesize that children gravitate towards the sweetest and most energy-rich foods for reasons of survival.

How to React

There are plenty of different tactics that we, as parents, can take when trying to get our children to eat nutrient-rich foods. Of course, your parenting style and the severity of your child’s “food neophobia” will dictate how you should approach your child and introduce new foods. You may try some of these options when trying to get your child to eat new foods:

  • Work with them: Instead of working against them, work with your children. Just relax, take a deep breath, and remember that they no matter what you do, children are not going to simply change their tastes overnight. Jean Mercer, PhD, says, “As for what we can do–it’s very clear that forcing, bribing,or coaxing children to eat specific items does not increase their preference for those foods. Working to make those foods more familiar can help.” Constantly putting broccoli or a salad on the table will help your child become more familiar with these foods. Eventually, your child will come around (or so we hope!).
  • Playing Sneaky Mommy: If your children are severely malnourished and you are desperate to give them the proper nutrients, you may have no other option than to subtly cook with nutritious ingredients. Reference Jessica Seinfeld’s “Deceptively Delicious,” a book of recipes based on fruit and vegetable purées that are blended into food in a way that she says children won’t notice. Seinfeld’s mac & cheese includes winter squash and cauliflower, pureed and added to the recipe and disguised under low fat cheddar cheese while her hamburger patties call for cauliflower, carrots, and sprouts. Now that’s sneaky. If trying this tactic be very careful: if your deceptive plan fails, your kids could remain skeptical of your cooking for years to come.
  • Getting them involved: If you’re not exactly the “Sneaky Mommy” type, you could try simply getting your kids involved with your cooking. Dress them up in an apron and have a cooking day. With a behind the scenes view, your child may be less leery of the food you prepare and, fingers crossed, more eager to try it.

If you’re feeling hopeless about your picky eater situation, don’t be! Picky eating will pass in time.  “Unless it becomes a huge issue, [picky eating] tends to be a little more fleeting than parents think,” says Harriet Worobey, director of the Nutritional Sciences Preschool at Rutgers University. “I know a year can seem like five to parents, but these food jags are normal.” Like Worobey says, be patient and your child will eventually reach for the veggies.

 

Free Menu Planner for Your Next Party

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Planning the perfect grocery list, running to the grocery story, and cleaning the house is hard enough when you’re throwing a dinner party. But now, it seems like there are more and more instances of food-related illnesses and diet preferences. “Celiac disease was rare, but it’s now more common in all age groups,” Dr. Murray says of the intolerance to gluten. Research suggests that, although celiac disease only affects one in 100 people, it is four times more common now than 60 years ago. Additionally, more people are eating gluten free, as about 10% of the U.S. population has a non-celiac gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. And that’s not all. The number of vegans and vegetarians is also on the rise. Now, about 3% of adults are vegetarians. With all these specific food preferences, what kind of menu are we supposed to prepare for our dinner parties?

There are plenty of healthy meals and delicious appetizers that you can serve at a party that will appeal to those with many different tastes. Luckily, we’ve provided you with a free menu planner that can help you serve dishes that everyone will love:

Appetizers

Kick off your menu with easy, simple finger foods that are fun and festive to set the mood for the rest of the meal:

  • Popcorn: Popcorn is naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly. You can flavor or spice your popcorn with nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon for a seasonal treat or make a vegan caramel sauce with cane sugar, vanilla extract, margarine, and soy milk.
  • Chips and salsa: Corn chips and salsa fresca is another healthy and fresh treat that appeals to almost anyone. You can also serve guacamole as another side for the chips. Both salsa and guacamole are extremely easy to make at home, too.

Main Courses

Instead of serving only one main course, why not serve a bit of everything so that everyone can have something to munch on? Omnivores, vegetarians, meat-lovers, and gluten-intolerant alike, the small dishes of our dinner party menu will give enough variety to satisfy just about anyone at your dinner party:

  • Cornbread Casserole: Diced tomatoes, kidney beans, onions, cornmeal, nondairy milk, sugar, and unsweetened applesauce make this a complete dish that can be prepared gluten free, dairy free, and meat-free. Just make sure that you pick up a nondairy milk substitute and double check your seasoning to make sure it doesn’t contain gluten.
  • Veggie Couscous: Couscous is one of the best bases for a main course that’s gluten free and delicious. Dress up your couscous with onions, cabbage, squash, chickpeas, sliced almonds, tomatoes, zucchini, and plenty of spice to make a complete dish with protein, grains, and veggies.
  • Millet Pasta with Eggplant and Sundried Tomato: Who says the gluten-free can’t enjoy a little bit of pasta? Gluten-free friends have discovered tons of way to make pasta without gluten, using millet or flax to create the classic Italian dish. Try making some millet spaghetti and pairing it with baked eggplant and sundried tomato for a colorful and delicious main course.

Serve your main courses with a vibrant green side-salad for some added veggies and enjoy your entrées with a nice glass of wine of your choice.

Desserts

Have you left enough room for dessert? It’s time for the best part of the menu planner: dessert! Even if you have gluten free or vegetarian friends, you can still serve a wonderfully delectable dessert. Check out these suggestions from our free menu planner:

  • Banana Brûlée: This take on fried bananas will make everyone swoon with delight. Simply cut a banana in half, line it with sugar, and take a propane torch to it until the fire creates a beautifully golden crust. Guests will be wowed by your torching skills!
  • Chocolate Nut Clusters: Instead of serving up cake, serve some chocolate nut clusters, comprised of hazelnuts, all natural coconut flakes, sugar, and chocolate (without milk added). These clusters will satiate everyone’s sweet tooth without dairy or gluten.
  • Fruit salad: Everyone is thankful at a party when at least one healthy dish is served. Dessert doesn’t have to be chocolate-y or rich to satiate our sweet cravings. Fruit salads are a colorful and delicious way to appeal with those with food allergies, gluten allergies, or other food preferences. Dice cherries, pineapple, or whatever is in season and crack open a fresh coconut to put coconut shavings on top.

There are options that appeal to everyone when it comes to planning out our menus for a party. After all, we should cater to the masses when we’re planning a party. Hopefully, this free menu planner has inspired you to create a menu of your own!

Tips for Creating Great Sunday Supper Recipes

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We’ve all heard the benefits of eating with the family. One survey done by the Obesity Prevention Program at Harvard Medical School found that 9-14 year-olds who ate dinner with their families frequently ate more fruits and vegetables and less soda and fried foods. Additionally, researchers at Brigham Young University conducted a study of IBM workers and found that sitting down to a family meal helped working moms reduce the tension and strain of long hours at the office. While sitting down for dinner helps kids eat healthier and moms alleviate stress, family dinners are also fun and a great opportunity for the whole family to spend some time together and catch up. Instead of ordering in this Sunday, have a traditional Sunday supper. Here are some tips to create the perfect Sunday supper recipes:

  • Plan in advance. You don’t want Sunday to roll around and have no idea what you’re going to cook. Additionally, braving the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon can sometimes be a nightmare with frenzied mothers and children running amuck. Avoid the lines and grocery store and do your meal planning, recipe selecting, and grocery shopping beforehand.
  • Keep your Sunday supper classic and stick to recipes that everyone will love. Think of suppers that your mother or father used to serve you, like classic roast beef with home fries and gravy, lemon rotisserie chicken with fresh rolls and honey butter, or maple glazed pork roast with garlic potatoes. Once you find a menu you love, you can create your own family tradition.
  • Keep it simple. Don’t spend your entire Saturday and Sunday cooking and cleaning. Make as much as you can beforehand (like desserts, in particular) and try to save time by buying sauces at the grocery store rather than making them at home. Minimal cooking means minimal stress.
  • Get your family to lend a helping hand. This isn’t a one-woman show! Get everyone involved, from the chopping and peeling, to the cleaning. Normally, non-cookers get dish duty.
  • Pick a filling meat as the entree, like pork, beef, or chicken. These hearty meats are the anchor and soul to any Sunday supper.
  • Sneak in veggies if you have to and make it healthy. You don’t want to associate Sundays with pigging out and unhealthy eating. Instead, give your kids a positive example of what a meal should look like, with a balance of healthy carbohydrates, protein, and plenty of veggies. A side salad or grilled asparagus could add a little green to your supper recipes.
  • Make a dessert. Every supper recipe deserves a dessert for the special meal. Cheesecake, carrot cake, or even something as simple as Jello and some fruit are great complements for a Sunday supper. Try and prepare something that pairs well with your entree.
  • Pick a standard time to eat supper every week and stick to it. This will assure that everyone in the family keeps their schedules wide open for a wonderful, relaxed suppertime meal.

If you keep all of these tips in mind, you will surely prepare Sunday supper recipe to remember. Just beware: after one, your family will want a Sunday supper every week!

 

Creating Great Meal Ideas for Dinner

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We all know the typical, mealtime song and dance. Chicken goes with pasta, hamburgers go with fries, soups go with bread and butter, etc., etc., etc. So what if you want to get a little creative and stray from these typical meals? It’s incredibly easy to come up with great meal ideas for dinner if you know the basic building blocks for a meal.

#1 Meat or Protein: A protein is typically the main part of any dish. Yes, there are the exceptions, like in pasta dishes and stir frys, but generally a main course is a portion of protein accompanied with sides. This protein serving can be anything from chicken to lobster. If your main protein is an expensive cut of meat, try not to drown it out with a heavy sauce. Instead, let the flavors speak for themselves. Pick your protein wisely, as it will dictate the rest of your meal.

#2 Vegetable: Next comes the veggies. While vegetables aren’t critical to every meal, they do contribute to a healthy and wholesome diet and should be considered as you’re preparing meals for your family. Lobster pairs well with lighter-colored vegetables, like squash and zucchini, while a filet or steak is strong enough to bolster something a bit heavier, like grilled onions and mushrooms, or grilled asparagus. The grilled vegetables go well with the smoked tastes of a steak hot off the grill.

Another contributing factor to your vegetable selection could be the season. Pick vegetables that are in season for your meals so that you can get the freshest produce at the supermarket. There are plenty of info graphics online that can tell you what’s in season in your area.

#3 Starch: You can add further depth to your dish by contributing a starch to accompany your vegetable and protein. Corn tastes great with a lobster dish, jasmine rice looks elegant next to a cod or mahi mahi, and chicken goes with, well, basically anything. Shorter pastas, like penne, are versitle and can be sauced or spiced to go with nearly any main dish.

#4 Sweet: You can’t end a meal on a sour note. Instead, pick a sweet and lovely dessert to end your perfectly balanced meal. You can analyze the characteristics of your protein to decide on an adequate dessert. For example, if you’re dining on a filet mignon, you’ll want to end with something equally rich, like a chocolate-based dessert. If you’re preparing an American-style chicken, like one marinated in a honey-dijon sauce, you can follow it with an equally American dessert, like apple pie with some vanilla ice cream. For a main dish marinated or complimented with citrus, like seafood, a dessert with citrus, like a sorbet or a lemon merengue could be perfect.

There are several other factors you should keep in mind when you’re creating a meal. For example, color is crucial to any dish, so make your meal look appetizing by adding color through vibrant vegetables or garnishes. A well-arranged dish is also more appetizing than a dish that is haphazardly assembled. Try not to get too messy in the kitchen! Also remember that a salad or bread served before the main course may not necessarily account for your vegetable and starch, so serve all three factors (protein, veggie, and starch) all on the same plate, even if you’ve already served a preliminary course. You don’t want your protein to be lonely on the plate, all by itself. When in doubt, look to the category of the main dish’s preparation (American, Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc.) and choose your side dishes from there. You can’t go wrong.

“Play with your food!”: Table Games and Family Meal Plans

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Studies show that traditions are critical to family happiness and bonding. In fact, family traditions encourage children’s social development and provide schedule and structure to everyone’s life. According to The Pfaltzgraff Co.’s national survey, comprised of over 1,000 married men and women, the daily ritual of eating together at the dinner table is the most important way to strengthen family ties. That’s why allotting one day a week to a fun dinner with a family meal plan, is a great way to bring the whole family together. Here are some games and family meals to go along with them:

  • Play the Critic: Make your kids your food critics when you’re trying out new recipes. Give a “review card” to your kids to get their opinion on new meal plans or create a thumbs up or thumbs down system. This works great with exotic dishes that you’ve never tried before.
  • Murder Mystery: Create a story of murder and assign everyone as the suspects. You can often find murder mystery plots and clues online to help you create your own murder mystery. This game is great for bigger families with older children.
  • Cooking Games: Cook fun family meals, like Smiley Face Soup (with ritz crackers as the eyes and cheese as the mouth), heart-shaped pizza, or dino-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches. All you have to do is cut out the dinosaur shape with an appropriate cookie cutter and make them green with pesto or mix butter with food coloring and put the dino to the grill. Whichever way you choose, you’ll have a green dino-sandwich ready to be attacked by hungry family members.
  • Guess Those Ingredients: Try to make your kids and husband guess the ingredients you put in a casserole, sauce, or sides. Tally up the points and give the winner a special price!
  • Dress Up to Dinner: Throw a theme night and have everyone dress up in costumes to dinner.  Add some meal theme ideas.  Everyone will have so much fun pretending it’s Halloween every Saturday night. Try matching your outfits to your meal plans. For example, if you’re having a Scooby Doo themed night, prepare Scooby snacks (cookies in the shape of bones) for dessert with a bit of ice cream and chocolate fudge.
  • Board Games for Dessert: If you’re not really the “play with your food type,” skip dessert and play trivia or board games after you’re done with your meal. Even a simple board game will promote family unity and make the whole family feel closer.

With theme nights, dress up, and cooking games your kids will be able to express their creativity, even at meal time. More importantly, after just a couple of fun game nights, you’ll feel closer with your family than ever before.

How to Prep Your Kitchen and Make 30 Minute Meals

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According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), 133 million Americans eat out every day. Michael Donohue, spokesperson for the NRA, contends that, “The typical adult eats at a restaurant nearly six times a week.” While this is great news for restauranteurs it may make budget-minded moms and pops blush with shame. So why do we eat out so much? Time is partially to blame. The grocery shopping, the cooking, the prep, the cleaning — all of these things take time that we, as working Americans, really don’t have. Luckily, however, there is a way to get in and out of the kitchen in a flash. There are plenty of chefs and cookbooks that have proved to us that having dinner out in under 30 minutes is achievable.

Tips to making your kitchen 30 Minute Meal-Worthy

You can’t just throw together 30 minute meals if you’re in the midst of a filthy or unorganized kitchen. You need to be adequately prepped to churn out meals in a flash. One way to prep for a 30 minute meal? Practice what chefs like to call “mise en place,” or “to put in place.” The basic premise of mise en place is that if you put everything out in front of you before you start to cook, you’ll be able to prepare a meal quickly and efficiently. Get your mise en place set up by doing the following:

  • Make sure you have all of your ingredients in front of you
  • Have plates ready so you can put the meal on the plates and serve it while the dish is still hot.
  • Have stations set up for different phases of the meal. Arrange a washing, chopping, and seasoning station.
  • Put all of your herbs or different chopped ingredients in bowls so that you can easily grab and use them. The bowls can be quickly thrown in the dishwasher after use.

Apply this technique to all of your meals to churn them out as quickly as possible.

Examples of 30 minute Meals

Thirty minute meals usually include elements like a meat that can be cooked in a skillet in a flash and simple recipes without hundreds of ingredients. Meals that you can cook in under 30 minutes include:

  • Steak with herbs: Steak is so easy to just throw on a cast-iron skillet and cook. All you need is herbs like rosemary, parsley, and oregano to really make a rib-eye taste delectable in only about 8 minutes!
  • Lemon Garlic Tilapia with Spinach: Just sauté some spinach and throw a tilapia filet on the skillet with garlic, lemon, and butter for a delicious dinner that only takes about 20 minutes.
  • Parmesan Chicken Tenders: Bust out your olive oil and get ready for some quick frying. You can bread your chicken tenders in rosemary, shredded parmesan, red pepper flakes and garlic cloves. Then, just fry up your breaded tenders and serve with a pasta salad and some leafy greens for a great meal.

You can make the time to cook for thirty minutes each night. Just start planning your meals out, and open your mind to the possibility that cooking could actually be enjoyable.

Family Menu Planning for Movie Nights

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Whether you’re on winter vacation or you’re lazing around the house on a warm summer night, movie nights can really bring the whole family together. Next time you want to spend some extra time with your kids, try hosting a movie night with a special movie night menu to really get everyone in the mood for a good flick and family fun time.

Movie Night Family Menu Plan

Hit the lights, take your seats, and brace yourself for some great foods that are just perfect for family movie night:

  • Kick off your movie night with the entree (the snacks will come later so go ahead and skip the appetizers for this menu). Main courses should be fun, festive, and preferably something you can handle with your hands. Try panko-crust chicken tenders with honey dill dip. Beef sliders on toasted rolls could also make the perfect movie night entree because of their petite size. Just have one or two each and save your appetites for the snacks and dessert! Mini pizza poppers, made out of puff pastry dough filled with sausages, tomato sauce, and veggies, could also make the perfect entree because they’re not extremely messy, helping you avoid a potential couch mess.
  • No meal is complete without some veggies. With crudité, you can have raw veggies and a nice dip. Chef Craig Koketsu of New York’s Park Avenue Winter recommends pairing broccoli with Cheetos for a fun side that makes snacking a little bit healthier.
  • After dinner has been served and Cheeto broccoli has been devoured, it’s time to roll out the snacks. Nothing says “movie” like popcorn, so make sure you have your family’s favorite type of popcorn on hand. Heat popcorn in your Dutch oven on your stovetop with a little bit of vegetable oil and about 1/3 cup popping corn kernels. Caramel popcorn is also the perfect dessert. Make caramel at home by either melting your favorite caramel candies in a double boiler (the easier way) or, for a culinary challenge, make your own caramel from scratch. Include M&Ms over salty popcorn for a melted-chocolate treat.
  • For dessert, you’ll want to stick to the idea that finger foods are your best bet at keeping the couch in tip top shape. Try double chocolate chunk or macadamia nut cookies, munched over napkins, of course!

Now that you have your movie night menu planning all done, it’s time to scroll through that Pay Per View selection or hit Netflix to find some wonderful flicks that will entertain the whole family.

 

Three Ways a Family Meal Plan Can Prevent Picky Eating

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Choosy eating is something that many people go through at one point or another. In fact, picky eating, or “food neophobia,” is a completely healthy reaction to food for a child in their critical developmental stages. However, household picky eaters may not be making it easy on parents to prepare dinner every night. And, unfortunately, there’s no age limit to picky eating, so mom or dad may be the culprits of finicky eating, too. Luckily, a family meal plan, often aided by an online healthy meal planning service, can help provide a healthy, balanced diet to even the pickiest eaters in your household.

What is a “family meal plan?”

A family meal plan is a service, online application, or website, that helps you plan out your food for a week (or even a month). These services, like Food on the Table, allow you to select your recipes, choose the ingredients you want to work with, compare store sales, then organize and print your grocery lists.

How can a meal plan help my family?

  1. If you sign up on a website that provides you with weekly meal plans, you’ll be able to pick from a number of ingredients, which are then combined to make recipe suggestions. Thus, you and your family can get together and decide what foods you want included in your meals and what foods you don’t. This will ensure that picky eaters find foods they like on their dinner plates. No more wasted meals!
  2. A weekly meal plan helps you vary your meals, that way no one gets bored at dinner time with the same ol’ casserole night after night. While dining with picky eaters can sometimes get a bit dull, meal plans will give you suggestions for new recipes, that way the family cook can experiment. You can even play a little game by having picky eaters “review” new dishes, like hosts on a Food TV program. Your family will have a blast taste-testing at the table.
  3. Healthy meal planning, when done collaboratively as a family, can encourage picky eaters to try new things. Ask picky eaters to sit down with you, look at recipes, and find what piques their interest. You may be surprised at their selections.

Using a family meal plan every week will help you please the picky eaters in your home. You never know: the fun of planning meals together might just encourage everyone in your family to venture out of their food comfort zones and go from picky eater to foodie.