Menu Planning For Better Nutrition

 Concerned about your family's eating habits? Not eating the right amounts of the right foods? Eating too much fast food? Can't seem to find healthy snacks for the kids? Follow these tips to make planning your meals a breeze and ensure better nutrition for your family:

If you don't know where to begin, a great place to start is to simply jot down all of your family's favorite meals. Pull out a blank sheet of paper, draw a big long line down the center of the page (from top to bottom), and start writing out your list. In the left-hand column, write out a list of family meals that require extra prep work or longer cooking times. In the right-hand column, jot down the meals that are quick and easy to make.

Now, how long are your lists? If you have more than 20 different meals in your list, you should be able to plan out your menu for an entire month. If, on the other hand, your family's a little more particular, you may wish to plan for only one or two weeks at a time. FYI: Crock-pot recipes are great since you can simply add the ingredients to the crock-pot on your way out the door in the morning, and you'll return home to find a fully-cooked homemade meal! Another great idea is to double your recipe when you make a meal. Feed the first half to your family that evening, and freeze the second half to have a quick and easy meal on hand for another day.


Next, pull out your family calendar. Take note of the most hectic days, and pencil in some of the meals that you've listed on the right-hand column of your page (i.e., simple meals for crazy days). Then, add the rest of the meals on your list to the days that remain. Now you've got a plan! Make a copy of it to use each month, or go crazy and switch it up a bit from month to month, whatever you prefer. Simply having a plan (i.e., Rotation Menu) in place goes a very long way toward better nutrition and less stress for you and your family.

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