Why, oh why, does meal planning take me so long each week, especially when my plan lists only possibilities, not sure things?
(a) because I have inner battles about convenience vs. health as I attempt to honor our overall food goals
(b) because I have children whose palettes are shaped by various degrees of finickiness and sensory issues
(c) because I have gone from a person who love cooking and baking to one who just wants to get food onto the table and into bellies
(d) all of the above
If you answered "d", you are absolutely correct. Sad, but true, I know.
Still I persist. And, as I do, I set mini food goals for myself and my family each week before planning.
This week, my mini-goals are:
- For mom (and hopefully everyone else), eat at least one raw food before eating anything else each morning. (To support this goal, we have lots of fruit, greens and - for our boy who, oddly, likes raw mushrooms even if he won't eat many other things - mushrooms.
- Moving toward a Nutritarian, or at least GOMMBS diet, eat berries daily. (Of all the "GOMMBS" foods, berries are the most pleasing to my family - even if not for our pocketbook, so I am starting there!)
- Also along the GOMBBS lines, eat greens daily. (This is a little tougher for us as the children will only eat a few stems of greens each time they are served, but at least they will do so daily. One day, we'll eat real salads daily!)
- Keeping to the GOMMBS theme, add onions to at least three meals a week. (My husband and I like onions but I stopped adding them to things because the kids don't like them. I am slowly reversing this. The kids can pick the onions out or join us in eating them!)
- Also in keeping with GOMMBS goals, add mushrooms to at least three meals a week. (For one child, this is no big deal. For the other two, it is a bit more arduous a goal. We'll get there.)
- Plus, one more GOMBBS goal: add beans to at least thre meals a week. (My children used to love chickpeas, but they do not like them as much any more. Tow of the three will eat hummus. I am searching for new ways to get them to eat both chick peas and other beans. HELP!)
- Finally, drink water before or at each meal. (Yes, this should be a given, but it is not here. While we do not drink fruit juice, almond milk or other drinks outside of special occasions, we sometimes neglect to drink all together.
How about you? What food goals are you moving toward this week? Do you meal plan weekly, monthly, seasonally or not at all? Do you have any tried-and-true tips or cautions to share? They'd be most welcome!
