Weekly Meal Planning is back! My kitchen is still not complete but at least we now have counter-tops, a sink, burner, toaster, and microwave. I’ll be sure to post some pictures when it’s all done.
Life is good.
I’ll be relying on the slow cooker and burner for most of the meals this week. I’ll be trying a tasty-looking shrimp dish. I’m also trying a new chicken meal in the slow cooker.
I’ll be expanding my meal planning with a “salad of the week.” My goal is to vary the salads we eat, which was one of the reasons for the 8 Salads That Will Get Kids Hooked post.
For more meal ideas see Org Junkie.
What’s Cooking this Week?
Monday: Have it Your Way Tacos
Tuesday: Veggie Lasagna with bread and salad
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chicken, carrots and potatoes with fruit salad
Thursday: Tomato Shrimp Pasta, bread, and salad
Friday: Leftovers
Salad of the week: Apple Pecan Cranberry Spinach Salad
The Fallacy of the Good Eater
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how differently my kids eat right now. My 4-year old daughter (Big A) is picky, still somewhat afraid of new foods, and is pretty erratic in how much she eats.
My 19-month old boy (Little D) is still eating with gusto at almost every meal. In fact, he has always had a big appetite. He is smaller than my daughter – usually 20th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height at well check visits. She’s usually about 50/50.
It’s interesting to hear the comments family and friends make when they see Little D eating. “Wow he’s a good eater,” is common. And if he’s really going at it we might hear “excellent eater!”
My sister-in-law, whose 13-month old who eats much less than Little D, always says “I wish Little R ate like that.”
What do you think people would say if Little D was a bigger-than-average child? Would he still be a good eater? Or would they stare at me when I keep giving him food?
The definition of a “good eater” changes for adults. It seems those that are more controlled with their eating are considered the better eaters. Adults always seem to justify eating more food by saying “I really shouldn’t do this but I’m having more.” Or they make excuses like “It’s vacation — I’m going to eat what I want.”
I guess my point is that these judgments around eating keep people from getting the right amount of food their bodies need. Kids who eat less are not worse eaters than those who eat more, especially when they are following their appetite. And why shouldn’t a big kid have a big appetite?
My son doesn’t understand the good eater thing yet, but my daughter sure does. Sometimes when she finishes her food she’ll look at me and say “look mom I finished.”
I always tell her that eating more food is not better. She needs to listen to her body (stomach) — and not mommy or anyone else.
News: The Fat Debate and Snacking for Meals
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) annual conference was held in Boston a few weeks ago. One session that received a lot of attention, The Great Fat Debate, had four expert panelists on to discuss the role different types of fat have on health.
While there was plenty to disagree on, all the panelists agreed that replacing fat in the diet with carbohydrates is not beneficial for health (basically a low-fat diet).
What scientists now know is people are better off including healthier fats from plants and fish. There are some who think saturated fats (animal-based) are not as unhealthy as Dietary Guidelines say but more studies are needed to confirm this. I’ll be posting more on fat’s role in the diet in the New Year.
A survey conducted by the ADA Foundation showed that more than 40 percent of children aged 8 to 17 don’t eat breakfast every day. And more than 20 percent do not eat dinner daily. The survey also found that missed meals were often replaced with snacking.
In my post “Is Your Kid a Good or Bad Snacker? I talk about the positive role snacks play in the diets of children. When timed appropriately and included as nutrient-rich mini-meals, snacking is beneficial for children (and adults!).
In order to manage hunger appropriately, meals are essential. I tend to graze more on weekends (Sunday) and am never satisfied the way I am with sit-down meals.
Well, that’s enough rambling for now. I hope you have a great week!
ant to create your own dinner rotation? Get step-by-step help in Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution.
My daughter is a naturally big eater and a naturally big kid. At this age (19 months) it’s all positive comments about what a “good eater” she is, I wonder if/when it will change to “she eats too much”. She’s very healthy and certainly doesn’t eat too much but I worry that she’ll develop negative associations with food if people start telling her she’s too big and eats too much. Wish there was an easy way to handle this!
Megan,
I do think the biggest influence on a child’s eating is the home. Like I said, my daughter gets the message that eating more makes her good but I constantly talk to her about it. So if your daughter gets influenced from the outside, you’ll want to make sure your message is much stronger.
I hope your family enjoyed the tacos. We had them for dinner last night! I’m a big fan of the good fats and never agreed that replacing fat with carbs was a good idea. For my family, I emphasize mono and poly fats and try hard to get omega-3 fats on the table when possible. Salmon, canola oil, walnuts. Good stuff!
Liz — I use your taco recipe often. Love it! Your smart to have not limited healthy fats for your family. I used to be fat phobic in college but changed that in my internship (I was in New Orleans and couldn’t avoid fat!)
We try to never use language around good eating and bad eating in regards to quantity. Thanksgiving weekend was rough because there was a lot of extra sweets around and my older daughter just wanted to eat it all the time. I did set some limits but for the most part let her enjoy herself just as all of the adults were. All the extra sweets were gone by Sunday and yesterday and today were back to normal. And she hasn’t asked for any sweets. Whew. I’m glad I didn’t make a big deal out of it over the weekend.
I wrote a post today, by the way, about how we solved a meals/food dilemma in our house. http://goodfountain.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/operation-variety/
Hope you had a good holiday weekend. 🙂
Goodfountain — thanksf or sharing your post. I’m glad you had success!
It’s funny but my daughter who has a big sweet tooth wasn’t into the holiday sweets. She loves cake, ice cream and cookies but isn’t much into pie (yet).
My 2 1/2 year old it at the top of the charts for both height and weight. At her 2 year check, her doctor made it a point of telling me that her weight was normal for her size – which is kinda what I would expect for a big kid.
She is also a “good eater” – but goes through phases. Right now, we’re in the hollow leg phase (which also usually is the same as a massive growth spurt) where she is eating non-stop. The only things that she has access to are healthy things, so I don’t worry. We eat meals together and she snacks on demand through the day – usually carrots, apples, bananas, home made granola bars… About 6 months ago, she suddenly stopped eating the same amount and again, I didn’t worry. Growth spurt over.
The key for my family is that she eats real foods. We enjoy occasional chips and donuts as treats but they are not a part of our every day diet. What she does love is black beans, apples and green beans and broccoli… That is what her parents are proud of, not the volume. Love of and willingness to eat healthy foods is our definition of what makes a “good eater”.
OH, one additional note… When I was a teen, I was very tall (around 5′ 10″ at the time) and very thin – and very hungry. I ate MASSIVE amounts of food. As in 2-3 full servings per meal plus snacks and dessert. Plus hiding chips in my room. My parents, not knowing what to make of that, told me that I would be fat when I grew up if I didn’t slow down on the eating… and limited my food intake. (Thus the chips in my room.) Well, at nearly 40, I’m still not fat. I know that I am lucky on the metabolism end of it all but I also listen to my body. I hope I can teach my daughter that too – and I hope that I also don’t freak out with her, at age 16, eating an entire large pizza by herself and still being hungry. 🙂
Good for you Genie! Most people don’t realize that teenagers go through a major growth spurt: puberty! It is a time they should eat a lot. Sounds like you have a very healthy little girl.
Thanks for the input Maryann, I’ll try to keep the positive attitude strong at home!
me and my colleagues.
right here.
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