Weekly Meal Plan: Monday May 24th

Last Tuesday we all enjoyed the Ravioli with Spinach and Sun-dried tomatoes. On Friday, we accepted a last-minute dinner invitation so I moved the homemade pizza to Saturday.

After I preheated the oven I noticed an overwhelming burnt smell, then I saw the smoke oozing from the oven, and before I could do anything the fire alarm went off.  I totally forgot to clean out the fallen food particles from the last time I used the oven.  As I said before, I’m a messy cook.

Because it was close to dinner time we decided to have leftovers instead.  I ended up cooking the pizza later that night since I had all the veggies prepped.  It was a nice and tasty lunch the next day.

Today we are headed to Disneyland but will be back in time for dinner.  So I’m finally going to make the slow cooker red beans and rice I never got to a couple of weeks ago.  It’s really simple: red beans, brown rice, water, onion, cumin, and chopped carrots.  I’m a little afraid it will taste bland.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I can’t wait to tell you about my new cookbook later this week but I first have to try one more recipe.  And I’m going to make carnitas for a slow cook day.  Yes, fattier meat, but my husband enjoys it (that matters right?).

For more meal plan ideas see Org Junkie.

What’s Cooking this Week?

Monday: Post-Disneyland Red Beans and Brown Rice with a salad and fruit.

Tuesday: Crispy Parmesan-Panko Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Carrots (new cookbook!)

Wednesday: Carnitas with whole grain tortillas, side of black beans, and tons of toppings.

Thursday: Leftovers/potluck

Friday: Baked salmon, sweet potatoes (in the slow cooker), green beans, and bread.

Challenges

Last week, one day after breakfast my 3-year old announced, “I finished my French toast, I’m a good girl!”

I could not believe what I heard. How is my daughter getting the message that finishing her meal makes her good?

So I sat her down and told her that eating a lot or little does not make her good or bad.  She needs to listen to her tummy – sometimes it might want more and other times less.

I realize that I’m not the only one who feeds her. I have noticed that my mom sometimes says “good girl” when Anna eats. I also thought about how my mother-in-law reports back to me how much she eats at lunch. She might say something like, “Anna ate all of her chicken today at lunch,” in a positive tone or a less enthused “She only had her apple but didn’t touch her sandwich.”

These comments seem harmless, but as parents, we cannot underestimate the power even subtle “eat more” messages have on our kids. This often happens when kids are really young and picky and caregivers want them to eat well.

So I talked to my mom and plan to mention something to my mother-in-law too. A post on Family Feeding Dynamics discusses the importance of staying consistent with feeding.

Have you had to talk to other caregivers about how or what they feed your kids?

News

Right after I posted about Michelle Obama’s childhood obesity task force report, there was another announcement from her that 16 major food companies plan to trim a trillion calories from their food products by 2012.

Janet Helm, a fellow RD, from Nutrition Unplugged summarizes this news on her blog.

I’m not sure how this will play out but it should be interesting. Will making such reductions really help people manage their weight?  Time will tell.

Also in the news was a report of a study published in Pediatrics that found kids with higher levels of certain pesticides in their urine (organophosphates) were twice as likely to develop ADHD.  This does not mean that pesticides cause ADHD, all it means is there is a potential link that needs to be explored.  I write about other potential links in my “Can Diet Prevent ADHD” post.

This study got me thinking about how the media reports nutrition-related studies. For example, they often announce results in sound bites saying, “A new study says X decreases cancer risk.”

But one study is not conclusive. Scientists need to repeat studies to better assess if there’s a potential link. When they go on to do more studies, sometimes the results are mixed. Other times the link becomes stronger or it totally fizzles.

I’m not denouncing the study or the results. I just hope you approach health news with a healthy dose of skepticism. Feel free to email me any of your questions. I always love to hear what’s on your mind.

Have a great week!

Want to create your own dinner rotation? Get step-by-step help in Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution.