At the Oh Sweet Sadie gift show in Daybreak last weekend, i met the Food Nanny in person...I know...so cool! If you are a mother, you need to check out this book....now the foods aren't really calorie conscious...but there are really great ideas, and you can tweak the recipes to make them lower fat, and it tells you how...the whole idea of this book is to help you fix dinner every night, eat as a family....and have theme nights....now, I know this is so hard...but I am taking what I can from it and doing my best....most nights we are hit and miss w/different games etc going on...so it's hard to sit down as a family...but we are trying.....also, the theme nights are such a great idea...really helps when you are at the grocery store trying to figure out meals....
I have planned my meals for the next two weeks, and went grocery shopping.....of course parishable foods will have to be purchased more often...but it is nice to plan the meals, make a list...and get all that you need......
so far here are our theme nights...
Sunday- Family Traditions (pot roast, whatever...Sunday dinner kinds of foods...you know what I mean)
Monday-Leftovers...( this is because Monday's are busy at our house, and this works)
Tues- Mexican (taco, fajitas, taco salad, enchiladas....tortilla soup) etc...
Wed- Soup & Sandwiches ( chicken noodle, minestrone, etc.....turkey sand, grilled cheese....pastrami...whatever)
Th- Italian ( this week we made homemade pizza.....can have spaghetti, tortellini, whatever)
Fr- Comfort foods (and maybe i'll find a new theme for this night...any ideas?) - this really can be almost anything.....leave it open........turkey breast, potatoes, baked potato bar etc...
Sat- Grill ( fish, chicken, steak, veggies...etc...on the grill)
now of course it won't be like this every week...but I think it will help me to think of some new and creative ideas for dinners.....and I really am trying to serve a veggie, fruit at each meal.......this book states how just sitting down w/your kids for dinner really is the best thing you can do for your family. Finding out how everyone's day goes etc.....
and, you put the calendar on the fridge of the meals for the next two weeks.....kids so far are LOVING the theme nights......
also, I am finished fixing different things for different kids....I cook one meal and if they like it they do, if not they don't...everyone has to try everything, but never force my kids to eat it if they don't like it...but I a NOT a short order cook....no longer.....
so far so good.....and when the kids know that you are not making anything except what is on the calendar, they usually eat it...because they know they are not whipping up a bowl of cereal if they don't like what we are having.....
anyway, check out the book...you will love love it! And READ the book.....the first part has some good stuff....before the recipes.... the author lives in Utah and has 7 kids...they are all grown up, but she has done theme nights w/her family as they grew up and she talks about how it worked for them.....and our themes may change...who knows.....
3 comments:
Can I just pay you with my friendship for you to cook meals for my family too?! Come on, just do it because you love me! And because I sit in the rain at football games with you!! ;)-
I have the book too.....We tweek with it alot. Oh and yes... NOT VERY DIET FRIENDLY. can we say Alfredo sauce. Its really good, but I nearly fainted when I saw what she puts in it hahaa! holy cream sauce bat man!
Great ideas. This brought back memories ince I actually survived nursing school with five kids by doing this, but not as fancy since we were on a very tight budget too. Tuesday was Taco night 'cause Taco Time had them 5/$1 so we went out! Friday was pizza night (we picked up) because I was wiped out by the end of the week. Saturday night we cooked hotdogs on the downstairs woodburning stove or BBQ outside in summer. Sometimes I made chili in winter on Saturdays when I had time. I really cooked on Sunday (usually crockpot roast, etc) with leftovers Monday (intentionally cooked extra for his reason). Tuesday and Thursdays were usually something like fish sticks & taters, spaghetti, or casserole. To me thinking about what to make is usually more stress than making it so having theme nights takes out so much of the trouble.
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