We have all felt that rush of overwhelming frustration time and time again as we stand in front of the pantry or refrigerator door wondering “What am I going to make for dinner!” We see a kitchen full of food, but absolutely no creative solution comes to fruition on how to combine it all and make a dinner. You don’t want to create just any ol’ dinner, but one that is going to nourish you and your family, one that is healthy.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a family of 2 or 6 meal times can be stressful! Whether you work from home or outside of the home, an unplanned dinner can be a lot of work – so why not make it easy and PLAN AHEAD!

We decided to team up with two fabulous local businesses – Lunchalicious & Lindsay Rose Holistic Health to get their take on how to reduce the stress of dinner time by meal planning, and their tips on how to engage the rest of the family so that the responsibility of dinner time does not fall solely on mom. These fabulous women also gave us some insight on how to get the kids involved in meal planning as well as the benefits of planning ahead so dinner time is not nearly so stressful and a whole lot healthier!

According to Lindsay Rose Holistic Health, meal planning is beneficial in the reduction of stress. “We are bombarded by every day stressors in our lives, which are contributing to poor health across the country. Anytime a negative thought creeps into our mind, it is a form of stress. Throughout the week there are many times we cringe about making meals. From the ‘What am I going to make’ to the ‘Arrrggghh I don’t have time to make a decent meal’…. this is all stress. Working with a meal plan takes these thoughts out of it. If done on  a weekly basis, you know exactly what is going to be made on what night, you’ll already have the groceries for it, and know who will be making what. So that drive home from the office can be a little less stressful and spent singing your heart out to music instead of thinking about dinner.”

All of us agree that by planning ahead, we make better, healthier meal choices. Meal planning enables us to choose less pre made or frozen foods, meaning we eat less salt, sugar and items high in fat. Healthier choices mean more energy to do all that fun stuff like riding bikes, hiking and running around the park with the kids! Planning ahead also helps save money – making a week’s grocery list means less trips to the grocery store (we all know the impulse extras we make & don’t really need) or we skip the unhealthy take out choices which, in the end, do cost us more!

Lunchalicious stresses the importance of including the kids in your meal planning. “When we meal plan, we ask DD what sort of meals she would like to have that week. We also ask what veggies she would like to have throughout the week, does she have a preference on how they are prepared? We take the time to listen to her requests, and try to incorporate those into our meal plan.”

In their house, they don’t stop there, the kids get to go grocery shopping too! “Kids can get a sense of ownership and pride! Shopping for fruits and veggies is a fantastic life skill that can be taught to children even at a very young age. It’s easy to casually teach children what to look for when picking the perfect produce. Smell here, tap there, gently squeeze this and look at that!”

At the Par-T-Perfect Victoria house, we plan one night, (usually Saturday night) for “junk food” night – anything goes from nachos to homemade pizza to a spread of appys.  We also have one night to polish the leftovers so nothing gets wasted and of course some of our meals end up in the freezer for another night when we’re super busy and don’t want to cook!

Taking the time to plan ahead “allows time to breathe & enjoy life,” says Lindsay Rose. “There is one thing that most people will say is the most valuable in their life: Time. Time to relax and replenish, more quality time spent with the kids, or my personal favorite “Me Time”.  Planning meals ahead of time can free up A LOT of time. Think of how many minutes are spent running to the grocery store to ‘pick up a few items’ or spent in the pantry trying to figure out what to make. All this wasted time could be spent doing more of the things that make your heart swell and your soul sing. So when choosing what meals to make, aim for ones that can be done in the crock pot, or double up so you have a 2^nd easily ‘re-heatable’ meal later in the week.”

Planning the meal together as a family not only gives you some good quality time but also takes the pressure off and lets the other family members know you value their input too! In the planning process, ask your spouse to take care of cooking one night, have the kids assist with washing, peeling, and some of the other easy preparations that can be done by little (or big) hands. Sometimes as women, we believe we should “do it all!” Remember, asking for help is not only okay but according to both Lunchalicious & Lindsay Rose Holistic Health, it’s beneficial! Both women insist that the kids will enjoy the entire process from shopping to meal planning to cooking – they will most likely be more willing to try something new if they’ve had a say in it; and despite what our spouses may say, they too enjoy the rewards & opportunity to be appreciated!  How nice it will be for everyone to come to the table happy & excited about dinner!

Lunchalicious states, “Make food fun! One of my daughter’s favorite food is Pizza chicken, AKA Parmesan chicken. It’s simple…chicken, sauce and topped with cheese.”  Carrol also reminds us that it can take a minimum of 10-15 times for children to try new foods before they may accept it, so don’t give up! Try serving foods in different ways…even we have our preferences on how we enjoy certain foods. Get kids involved in making meals. Kids are way more apt to try a new food if they have picked it out and helped cook it! How about challenging the family to try something new by picking up that never before opened cookbook on the shelf?!

We all know that routine and structure around anything, especially meal time can make life simpler, easier and the goal… less stressful!  Try to have dinner around the same time each night. Often this is easier said than done, if this is the case in your household, try your best sit down and enjoy a family meal as often as possible, turn off cell phones, T.V. and enjoy a conversation with your family.

Finally, Lindsay Rose points out, “that we are responsible for creating the life we want to live. In every thing we do and every choice we make we are either Nourishing & Strengthening our health or Depleting & Weakening it. So choose wisely. You and your family are worth it!”

Don’t know where to start?  Check out these great websites that have calendars, recipes and a whole lot more!

http://www.everythingmom.com/free-meal-plans.html

Meals Matter

Momables

**Par-T-Perfect Victoria would live to thank Lindsay Rose Holistic Health and Lunchalicious for their invaluable expertise and advise!