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momneedscoffee 09:01 AM 04-01-2016
I am in need of advice on meal prepping...I have been so lazy! I don't do a food program but try to follow their format somewhat (fruit, veggie, protein, grain). Lately I have just been throwing stuff together last minute out of sheer laziness. SO I am wondering what method works best for you guys? Prep the night before? Freezer meals? Crockpot? Prep as much as possible for the entire week on the weekend? Prep early in the morning? If you have favorite recipes or meal ideas you like to prep ahead of time please share! I have also been in a food rut and picky kids are frustrating to feed! I don't like food waste.
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Blackcat31 09:07 AM 04-01-2016
Originally Posted by momneedscoffee:
I am in need of advice on meal prepping...I have been so lazy! I don't do a food program but try to follow their format somewhat (fruit, veggie, protein, grain). Lately I have just been throwing stuff together last minute out of sheer laziness. SO I am wondering what method works best for you guys? Prep the night before? Freezer meals? Crockpot? Prep as much as possible for the entire week on the weekend? Prep early in the morning? If you have favorite recipes or meal ideas you like to prep ahead of time please share! I have also been in a food rut and picky kids are frustrating to feed! I don't like food waste.
Menu planning is part of our Friday routine.

The kids help me plan the meals they want to eat for the next week. I add in missing components.

I do the shopping on the weekend and then I just prepare that day. Having a pre-planned menu helps with shopping but also helps with prep because I already know what we are having

It also helps that the kids participated in the menu planing because they rarely give suggestions to serve foods they don't like.
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thrivingchildcarecom 09:50 AM 04-01-2016
So I'm also not on a food program anymore, but I still use the menus in my KidKeeper program that I have used for years. There are 10 different menus and all meet USDA requirements. The menus are preplanned but I find ways to be creative with the foods.

One of my ninja tricks is to use the Deceptively Delicious cookbook (now several years old). All of the recipes incorporate fruit and or veggie purees into the foods. The foods taste great and the kids are getting more fruits and veggies at the same time.

One more thing; I have found that you will begin to develop a food clout with the kids if you serve them tasty eats. I know easier said than done right?! But seriously, all the organic stuff doesn't matter if they won't even try it. So I use flavorings like coconut milk to make my rice and pancakes, (leftover) pineapple juice to make pancakes and flavored coffee creamers in muffins and cookies. If it smells good, they will eat it.
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Unregistered 02:12 PM 04-01-2016
I make extra dinner
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Unregistered 11:45 PM 04-01-2016
Planning! I love variety so I have lots of weekly menus! I do organic but kid friendly. I teak traditional quicker recipes to be healthy yet kid friendly.

I use the crock pot for chicken and roast beef. Some of my meals take a bit more time but most are quick. I love to serve breakfast foods at lunch-scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast bake, breakfast pizza, breakfast burritos, etc.

The pancakes are from scratch, I use a whole grain food co-op bread for the fr. Toast bake, I upgrade to organic tortillas with basic ingredients for any recipe that needs those.

I love to serve a picnic lunch or homemade lunchables-crackers, cheese, veggies and a dip that is just sour cream/dry organic ranch dip packet, yogurt, & fruit.
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AmyKidsCo 06:47 PM 04-06-2016
I have rotating menus to get me started but I change them all the time. My favorite lunch is last night's dinner leftovers - we often make extra then set some aside before feeding the family. Other favorites are tortillas. My kiddos will eat pretty much anything if it's in a tortilla: Scrambled egg tacos, regular tacos, cheese quesadilla, lunch meat roll-ups, PB banana roll ups (for snack, not lunch) etc.
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permanentvacation 08:59 PM 04-06-2016
When I used to go out to work, I loved using the crock pot. I'd put everything in the crock pot, put it on 'low' and when I got home from work that evening, dinner was ready. Plus, since I'd chop everything up on one plate in the morning while preparing the meal, I just had one plate to wash in the morning and the crock pot to wash (along with my dinner plate and silverware) at night.

While doing home daycare, I like to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at the same time, first thing in the morning. Sometimes, over the weekend, I will cook a couple of day's lunches and dinners ahead of time. I've tried using a crock pot for daycare, but since I'm in the house smelling the food while it's cooking for so long, I dip into it too often and eat most of it before it's even finished cooking!
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Stevejane 11:38 PM 04-10-2018
My favorite recipes are the cheese and chicken quesadilla, both of them can be easily and quickly made by quesadilla maker or electric roaster
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