Before you became a parent, if you are one, how many times did you say the phrase, “When I have kids I’m not going to …” Fill in the blank there with whatever it may be. Be honest, we all did it! One thing I did say was I wasn’t going to be a short order cook and make multiple meals for everyone. That I can happily say I followed through on!
Now I know this isn’t easy and it is a huge pain point for so many people. That is why I wanted to share my secret with all of you! This secret will work whether your kids are super little or a bit older. Go grab that notebook and get ready for some dinner magic!
Giving Choices
The key to getting kids to make good choices is to give them the freedom to have a say in what they are eating. I am for sure not telling you to have them make all the decisions. We all know we would be having ice cream for dinner every night if we did that!
So what does giving choices look like? As I am planning our meals for the week I may say to my kids we are having hamburgers on Tuesday night, would you like peppers or carrots with it? I am giving them that choice to choose the vegetable but it is still in my control. They are still eating a vegetable but now they get the choice to pick which one!
Customizable Meals
My biggest piece of advice is to make dinners that can be customized. I talk about this a bunch in my course. Whenever I can make a meal customizable it is a win. This could be some kind of salad or rice bowl. Those are usually my two go to bases. Then I will choose a protein and make that for everyone. After that whatever else goes in the salad or bowl is entirely up to them.
I will usually have a bunch of vegetables all cut up and ready. I may put out cheese, avocado, or some kind of nut. Then they all make their dinner to their liking! It gets everyone to eat a similar meal without me having to cook up a bunch of different things.
When I spent the time to actually simplify my meals I realized how much harder I was making things for myself. You do not need elaborate recipes to be successful with eating healthy!
Struggling to get organized with your meals? I’ve got you covered. Come check out my online course, An Introduction to Meal Preps and Planning!
