• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

Monthly Meal Plan (June)

June 3, 2014

Tweet
Pin
Share19
Yum
Email
Share
19 Shares

There are only a couple more weeks of school left for us. Now that I have one kid in school, I can totally relate to this article about how parents feel at the beginning versus the end of school. It took almost 2 hours for Big A to finish her homework the other night, and she didn’t have much.

So yes, I’m burned out on school and looking forward to summer. But onto food…

What’s Cooking This Month

Monday (Mexican): Shrimp Tacos with slow cooker re-fried beans (chicken fajitas, turkey tacos and carnitas)

Tuesday (Italian): Turkey Lasagna with a salad and fruit (spaghetti with meatballs, slow cooker chicken parm, make your own pizza)

Wednesday: Kids’ Choice

Thursday (Grill night): Grilled Chicken Legs, roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus (turkey burger, grilled salmon, grilled shrimp)

Friday: Salmon Cakes — working on a new recipe with sweet potatoes will serve with salad and fruit (chicken tenders, deli meat & cheese appetizers and baked shrimp and broccoli)

Check Org Junkie for more ideas

More from Cooking Light

Top Rated Greek Recipes

Fried Rice Recipes

100 Mexican Recipes

The Lesson I Learned from Little D’s Kindergarten Dilemma

Do you remember my post about Little D being ready for kindergarten? Well we were pretty set on holding him back. I looked up some articles online but fixated on the comments. I read things like “I’ve never met anyone regret holding a kid back, only for sending them too early.” When I talked to people I would overwhelmingly get the same response. I thought that there were no advantages to sending him to school this year, only potential drawbacks.

But then on a girls’ trip, a friend of mine described her opposite dilemma. She wanted to send her kid to kindergarten but she didn’t make the cut-off. She mentioned some research showing younger kids actually do better in school. That was a signal to me that I really didn’t do my homework after all. And I’m someone who usually does a lot of research when faced with a problem. Shame on me!

I’m not going to get into what I found but it made me realize there could be some advantages to sending Little D, who isn’t even close to the cut-off date. So we took the advice of the principal at the school he will be attending, and changed to a structured preschool to help get him ready. And he has really flourished there. Within two weeks, he was writing his name and he even draws at home now, asking for paper when his sister is doing homework.

I was letting the fear of his being held back later — and what that might do to his self esteem — cloud my thinking. So after quieting the fear, doing research and taking advice from education professionals, we have made the decision to send Little D to kindergarten this year.

I was reminded how easy it is to get swept by a trend (and the underlying fear that usually drives it) without checking the substance behind it. This happens with nutrition all the time.

Remember the recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water a day and that if you are thirsty you are already dehydrated? Well back in 2002 a researcher found no research to back up that claim that had been made for years and years. This led to the Institute of Medicine changing its recommendations in 2004. It seems thirst can be trusted after all (Unless it’s a really hot day, but you get the point).

So this experience was a helpful reminder to always do my research so I can make informed decisions. Trust but verify.

Links

I continue my food safety kick over at WebMD with 5 Myths That Put Your Health at Risk.

In this post, I highlight a recent review study looking at benefits of focusing on internal cues of eating versus restriction. On a similar note, an article in New York Magazine highlights Intuitive Eating: The Non-Diet Diet: The Case for Eating Whatever You Want.

Some great ideas at Super Healthy Kids for Do-it-yourself Spice Blends.

Checkout this inspiring story over at Scientific American — What if We All Stopped Trying to Lose Weight?

Don’t miss this Respectful Parenting post about how one parent learned to trust her picky eater.

Well that’s it for now. Let me know how you are doing in the comments!

For more details on how to plan meals, check out Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinner Meals Your Family Will Love

Related Posts

  • Monthly Meal Plan (July)

    I hope you are having a relaxing summer!  My first week of summer was kind…

  • Monthly Meal Plan (March)

    Now that March is here it's time to make rough plans for the meals for…

  • Monthly Meal Plan (August)

    I cannot believe it's August and summer is almost over.  My kids start school a…

  • Monthly Meal Plan (April)

    April is a special month for a couple of reasons. First, it's Little D's birthday.…

Tweet
Pin
Share19
Yum
Email
Share
19 Shares

Categories: Example Dinner Rotation & Meal Plans 6 Comments

« 5 Reasons Your Child Eats Differently Than You
How I’m Learning to Love My Imperfect Body »

Comments

  1. Ana says

    June 3, 2014 at 11:57 am

    I can’t tell you how many of my mom friends are struggling with the exact same Kindergarten dilema. So glad you wrote about it as I think there needs to be more support out there. With all the “expert” advice and contradictory information out there I can only imagine how frustrating this decision can be. I will point them to your site!

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      June 4, 2014 at 10:38 am

      Thanks Ana. You are right, this is tough decision and there isn’t enough support. Hope I can help!

      Reply
  2. Gillian says

    June 3, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Good for you for trusting your gut! As with all things parenting-related, we take in loads of information and have to process and decide for ourselves. Not an easy task!
    For what it’s worth, I have a late birthday and was always one of the youngest in my grade (and, as it happens, one of the shortest too). It made me a little scrappy I think – in a good way. I learned to stand taller because I had to, if that makes sense.
    Good luck to Little D and to all of you!

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      June 4, 2014 at 10:41 am

      Thanks Gillian. I was so obsessed eith this topic and starting asking all my friends how their age/birthday affected them. There were quite a few that were glad to be younger — but didn’t like getting their driver’s licence later than everyone ; )

      Reply
  3. Sally Kuzemchak says

    June 3, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    Glad you hear you reached a decision you feel good about! Loved this part, so wise: “I was reminded how easy it is to get swept by a trend (and the underlying fear that usually drives it) without checking the substance behind it.” And you’re right–happens with food/nutrition a lot too!

    Reply
    • Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD says

      June 4, 2014 at 10:41 am

      It’s funny Sally I always relate things back to nutrition. Can’t help it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?
  • 3 Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life with Nick Heath [Podcast]
  • 6 Dietary Supplements Most Teenagers Need

Random Posts

  • Easy Spinach Pancakes [Recipe]Easy Spinach Pancakes [Recipe]
  • Monthly Meal Plan (April)Monthly Meal Plan (April)

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT