{{Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for giveaways and updates!}}
If you’re here on our website reading about us, it probably means you either cook for your family every night, or wish you cooked for your family every night. Which means, we share the belief that family dinner is important! There is, of course, the obvious fact that children must be fed. I know there are parents who feed the children chicken nuggets at 5 o’clock, and then eat something good themselves once the kids are in bed. Other parents suffer along side their children and they all eat the chicken nuggets. I love to eat good food, but I would hate to make two dinners. I think one, healthy, easy family meal of which everyone partakes is within reach, every night of the week!
The most important factor in making family dinner happen is planning, and that’s where we come in! Recently, I saw a friend post on Facebook: “Does anyone else feel like they spend a million dollars at the grocery store every week and still there is never anything to make for dinner?” If that is you, we are here for you! Or would you like to clean up your family’s diet, but finding and implementing brand new recipes every night of the week is just too overwhelming? Our meal plans take out all the guess work; we provide your shopping list, your recipes, and tips to simplify the meals even further, all in one place.
Our goal is keep all five meals, for a family of four, under a budget of $40. Even if you buy this meal plan for $3, I bet you save way more than $3 on your groceries when you shop. The meal plan pays for itself!
One thing I would like to mention is my theory of the “perfect meal trifecta.” While I totally insist that every meal be delicious, I do not think that ALL meals can ALSO be healthy, quick to prepare, and inexpensive all at the same time. I know, I wish they could be. There is a rare meal that fits the trifecta, but most of the time you have to sacrifice one of those virtues. Here’s a diagram to clarify:
Often you have to pick two sides of the triangle and sacrifice the other. I prioritize health and my budget over my time. Meaning, in these meal plans, everything will be healthy and inexpensive (and delicious!) but you won’t always be done making dinner 10 minutes after you start. That being said, I have two young children, and there is no way I spend two hours, or even one hour, in the kitchen everyday for dinner. It does mean that I start things in advance. For example, I start making the pizza dough a couple of hours before dinner. It is only five minutes of work in advance, but you do have to go into the day with a plan about dinner and when you’ll start. However, any recipes on our meal plans that require this kind of time commitment also include a “Make It Easier” tip at the bottom of the page to simplify things if you just don’t have the time to make pizza dough at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
The last thing I’d like to mention here is that while my kids eat the same dinner that my husband and I do every night, our plates don’t always look the same. Here’s a picture to illustrate:
In the case illustrated, we are having burritos. Mine and my husbands are stuffed full of every good burrito filling you can imagine, and our three-year-old can’t and won’t eat a similar monstrosity. Her little hands wouldn’t be able to hold it together, and her three-year-old sensibilities object to food that touches too many other kinds of food. She gets a plate with a tortilla, beans, avocado, and tomatoes all separated from each other. My daughter has learned to be a very good eater through lots of hard work on her part and ours, but if you are still on that journey with your children and they are very picky, feel free to adjust the meals so they have something they can enjoy. Just remember that the only way for children (and adults!) to learn to like new foods is to encounter them over and over again.
I hope these meal plans are just what you need to simplify your grocery shopping and dinner preparation, clean up your diet, and diversify the foods your family eats! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment