Meal prep and planning for kids

 

Meal planning was never my thing. I would always give it a shrug off thinking generations of women including my mom n grandmoms never did it this methodically yet they managed things pretty well, so why this new fad now. But my opinion changed when my elder one got into grade 1 and I had my 2^nd baby. What changed after these two events, that lead me to start looking at Meal prep and planning-

-I had to start operating in a time crunch mode now, as my hand were always full with one kid and one baby to take care of.

-The school timings for my elder one were such that she had to carry, breakfast, lunch and evening snacks. To top it, she would leave so early that my cook would not be there to help prepare these meals.

-I had to ensure that she is getting proper nutrition through these meals that she is carrying to school. As she was falling sick too often and doctor recommended more focus on what she is eating to build her immunity.

- Mine is a fussy eater so it was also important for me to give her healthier options that she would eat.

Meal Planning-

How I would approach meal planning is-

1.      1. How to make food tempting for my fussy eater- Opt for different shapes of roti/parantha/puris, I prepare lollipop cutlet which is such a hit with her.

2.      2. How to ensure she is not eating all junk and gets proper nutrition- always balance; giving things that she likes plus things that she is not too fond of.

3.      3. Packing food in a way it is easier for her to eat, such as bite sized food or rice(she always finishes rice or jowar khichdi) or avoiding things that might leak or make a mess.

4.      4. Also the most important is what is easier for me to prepare in the morning.

5.      5. Opting for things, for which maximum prep can be done previous night.

How I would prepare for these Meals-

1.   1.   Keep sauces, dips or chutneys ready- Whatever the child eats, keep those sauce/chutneys/spreads/dips etc ready. I researched for good dips an spreads recipes. These come in very handy when in a hurry-

a.      You can easily just give a plain chutney sandwich or creamcheese spread sandwich

b.      A plain cheela with chutney is also an easy option

c.      Parantha with sauce/dip

d.      Easy rice recipe with sauce

e.      Boiled Pasta mixed with some dip is another easy recipe idea

2.     2.  Prepare some dry snack over the weekend

3.    3.   Keep Dosa idli/cheela batter ready- your week gets sorted if the batter is ready

4.    4.   Keep the Purees ready, they always come in handy, gets cooked quickly too.

5.    5.   Keep the vegetables chopped, grated (whatever is needed) beforehand

Plus I love trying out new recipes so this became my way to channel my inner chef 😜 For kids tiffin ideas follow my insta profile @tripta.mytales 

 

 

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