My primary reason for eating a plant-based diet right now is to lose weight. Secondary is the health. The other members of my family eat meat/dairy and I encourage lots of fruits/veggies! I think my kids in general eat pretty healthy. This blog inspired me to start a "Monday Meal Plan" post each week. As you can see, we don't all eat the same thing! Pretty typical of a family with little ones and different tastes, in my opinion. Things don't always go as planned either, but this will be a rough guide.
Monday
Breakfast:
kids- honey nut cheerios w/milk and fruit (youngest eats baby food)
mom- Cinnamon Bun Smoothie (I added several handfuls of spinach and 1 T of chia that I ground up first. My 2 y.o. always love to sample the smoothies I make)
Snacks: (throughout day for kids)
fruit, nuts, seeds, pretzels, cereal (they could eat it all day)
Lunch:
(6 y.o. eats at school and Hubby eats at work)
kids- cheese tortillas, chopped fresh fruit and veg with hummus, kale chips
baby- yogurt, fruit, breastmilk (same all week)
me- Hummus , spread on Spinach tortilla with lots of fresh assorted veggies. Kale chips (rubbed with organic apple cider vinegar instead of olive oil, then our favorite spices). Fruit for dessert, B12 vitamin
Dinner:
family- chicken fajitas (I add lots of veggies)
me- Hummus wrap like lunch and fresh fruit
Prep for Tuesday:
Crock-pot Lentils (cooks overnight)
Tuesday
Breakfast:
kids-cereal and fruit (will encourage them to try my smoothie, sometimes they will drink them)
mom- same as Monday, b12 vitamin
Snacks: (same all week, fruits/vegs/nuts/seeds/string cheese)
Lunch:
kids- leftover fajitas and fresh fruit
me- lentils from crockpot over salad with Maple Tahini dressing (see dinner)
Dinner:
family- breakfast night: ham/veggie quiche, fruit, whole wheat banana-blueberry muffins
me- Lentil soup from crock-pot lentils and salad with Maple Tahini dressing (I'll post link later when I find it)
Wednesday
Breakfast:
kids- cereal/fruit/smoothies
me- oatmeal recipe from theoatmealartist.com probably! b12 vitamin
Lunch:
kids - veggie pizzas
me- Veggie Pizzas (use spinach torts as crust)
Dinner:
family- leftovers from M/T
me- Hummus wrap or lentil soup/salad
Thursday
Breakfast
kids- scrambled eggs/fruit/smoothies
me- smoothie or oatmeal, b12 vitamin
Lunch:
kids- mix of leftovers/fruit/veg
me- lentils with hummus and fruit for dessert
Dinner:
fam- Tuna Noodle Casserole (They love it, thrifty option for large family. I throw in extra veggies)
me- leftover lentil/salad/hummus
Friday
Breakfast
kids-cinnamon toast and fruit
me- smoothie, b12 vitamin
Lunch:
kids and I: leftovers from week. I love to put their food in an ice cube tray..great way to make a "rainbow" of healthy food and they enjoy it.
Dinner:
fam- leftover casserole
me- leftovers
Saturday
kids/I: donuts at the park :)
Lunch
kids- Veggie tortilla pizzas
me - same
I need to get better at planning out lunch/dinner for Saturday/Sunday. Hubby likes to cook and will often make something if he is home. I continue with salads/lentil leftovers. I also love to drink coffee (with coconut or soy milk and cinnamon) and some sort of tea (earl gray and green) during the day.
If you are just starting out with making healthier meals for your family, make it fun. Monday can be "Meatless Mondays". Tuesday can be breakfast, Wed can be leftovers plus sandwiches to help fill the plate. Thursday make a family favorite with extra veggies and homemade as possible, and Fridays leftovers. Set out plates of fresh fruit/vegs with nuts/seeds as snacks.
Looking over this week, I don't see many grains. I love cous cous, quinoa, millet, etc and often include it. Lentils fill me up so much!
