I'v written posts about meal planning before (and after about a month of not planning), I'm writing this blog mostly as a reminder to myself. I'm going to plan this week's meals, here is the what and why of my meal planning. 

Why do I meal plan?
1. Reduces my stress. Knowing what to cook and knowing that I have the ingredients in the house makes life so much easier, especially at 5pm with 4 tired kids in tow. Personally I find the thinking about what to cook, worse than the actual cooking. And you have to do it everyday! 
2. Helps me ensure we have a balanced diet. Being organised is really the key to healthy eating. The weeks I don't meal plan, I often forget to put in a fish dish or we don't eat nearly as many vegetarian meals as I would like. This way I can plan for the dietary goals I am currently working on.  
3.  Saves time and money at the supermarket. When I meal plan, I shop from a shopping list. I'm good at sticking to the list. I head to the supermarket every 1-2 weeks and the fruit shop and butcher about twice a week. When I don't meal plan, I find myself at the supermarket nearly every day. Working without a list means there is much more room for 'extras' to sneak into the trolley 
4. I put the meal plan on the fridge. The kids read it and look forward to their favorite meals and complain less about a less favourite meal. Because the menu is written down they tend not to ask "Is this all, can I have something else?" 

How do I meal plan?
1. I plan my busy days first. The ones where I am out of the house working or the ones where there is a mass of kids activities. I plan quick, easy meals on these days
2. I fill in the gaps and rotate between proteins and grains. Rotating fish, eggs, beans, red meat and chicken. Grains can vary between potatoes, pasta, rice, polenta, quinoa, couscous
3. Plan a new dish when I know I have time 
4. Aim to balance my plate with 1/2 veggies, 1/4 grains and 1/4 meat/eggs/beans/fish

This week's plan (actually I'm going to do two weeks as I'm feeling inspired) 

Monday: Pumpkin soup, salmon patties, kale chips and salad 
Tuesday: Tofu stir-fry noodles 
Wednesday: Japanese inspired soup (veggie, tofu and potato).  Moroccan chicken and  veggie grattin 
Thursday: Soy sausages and steamed veggies 
Friday: Porcupine meatballs on carrot and zucchini noodles 
Saturday : Minestrone soup and home-made pizza  
Sunday:  Oven baked fish and chips with salad

Monday: Mushroom and barely soup, roast chicken and veggies, zucchini fritters
Tuesday: Slow cooked lamb and apricots on polenta 
Wednesday: Zucchini and cauliflower soup, leftover stews made into pies 
Thursday: Tuna pasta and salad  
Friday: Mexican wraps (quorn strips, guacamole, salad veg, cheese) on home-made tortillas 
Saturday: Try a new recipe (maybe a soup too): TBC (bean, egg or fish based) 
Sunday: Gozeleme and salad 

Ok, I'll now print this off and put on the fridge and create a shopping list. 

What's on your menu this week?

In the middle of a busy day with still so much work to be completed and you reach into your secret lolly stash for support? 

Here are 5 pick-me up foods to reach for which will reenergise those braincells for far longer:

1. Fruit and veggies
Keep a stash of fresh fruit and veggies on your desk. Apples, mandarines, carrots, tomatoes, red capsicums, bananas (buy some ripe and greenish ones) will easily last the week.  

2. Dried fruit and nut mix 
Make up a delicious mixture and put it in portion controlled sealed tubs. About 16-20 nuts (8 for larger nuts like walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia) and add 1.5 table spoons of dried fruit. You can also add some seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds). 

3. Low fat yoghurt 
I find dairy is often lacking in my diet so I use snacks as an opportunity to increase my intake. Glass of lite milk, 2 pieces of reduced fat cheese or some plain yoghurt with some frozen berries (defrosted) and a sprinkle of museli. Often in the morning I pack a tub of yogurt and add a spoon of frozen raspberries. You can pre-fill containers at the start of the week and then just grab them. 

4. Wholegrains 
Wholegrain crackers with a little peanut butter or low fat cheese, popcorn, or sometimes I bake banana bread (recipe 1, recipe 2) or muesli cookies and keep them in the freezer. 

5. Water
Technically not a food I know, but make sure you keep a water bottle on your desk so you can stay hydrated throughout the day. It is easy to confuse hunger with thirst (or boredom) so try reaching for that water bottle and then having a snack.  How many times have you filled up your water bottle today? 

Asked a friend of mine recently. I am a notorious recipe modifier. I'm usually trying to make my food a bit healthier by increasing veggies or decreasing sugar, or I am improvising  because I don't have the actual ingredients. Even when I try to follow a recipe, I often end up changing it just a little. 

So, my friend sends me the Pumpkin Bars recipe. The name of the recipe sounded like something I would like. But when I looked more closely at the recipe, I was very disheartened by the amount of oil, sugar and butter! I think it had more sugar than a usual chocolate cake. Point 1: don't be fooled by names. Muffins are a good example of this, often very high in calories but people think they are the healthier option.  

Point 2: I tend to modify every day recipes. On special occasions, we do splurge (except when I can't bring myself to put in so much sugar in a recipe). If the Pumpkin Bars were a birthday cake, I'd say reduce the sugar just a tad and enjoy a small piece but if they were chosen as a healthier afternoon tea or lunch box treat then I would suggest a few changes... 

Today I will share with you tips for healthier baking. Next week I'll focus on recipe modifications for main meals. 

Kate's tips for recipe changes in baking: 

1. Reduce the sugar

• You can usually halve the amount of sugar in a recipe without anyone noticing. I go a step further and try to use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (or whatever sugar equivalent you are using, such as honey) per batch or loaf (batch to serve 12 or more)
• Use dried or pureed fruit in place of some of the sugar. Try unsweetened apple sauce or apple puree, an over ripe banana or using dates in recipes  
  
  

2. Use a healthy fat

• Increase the amount of fruit in baking (i.e more bananas in banana bread).  
  
• Try adding an extra carrot to the amount the recipe states for carrot muffins or carrot cake 

Here is how I changed the Pumpkin Bars recipe and turned it into something that would go into my kids lunch boxes. I think it is lucky that I never tried the original version as I did make quite a lot of changes: 

I recently made a conscious decision to reduce my own and my kids snacks.  I didn't do it because there is something wrong with snacking, I did it because I think that we were eating too much between meals (especially in the afternoon) and weren't hungry at meal times, especially dinnertime.   This becomes a problem when dinner is usually one of the most nutritious meals of the day and it usually contains the most veggies. 

Research shows that there is no perfect formula. No one size fits all when it comes to eating. Some people thrive on three meals a day whilst others prefer meals and a couple of snacks. What works for you? 

Here are a few things to remember about snacking: 

See snacks as an opportunity. For our family, fruit and dairy are not usually a key feature of our main meals so we focus our snacks on these. Everyone can do with eating more veggies so a veggie based snack is great too. My kids love their grains (bread, pasta and crackers especially) and these form the basis of most of our main meals. Whilst sometimes I make them a baked healthy treat I do use snacks to balance out their eating and tend to have grains as snacks. Base your snacks around the five food groups (wholegrains, veggies, fruit, meat/fish/eggs/beans/nuts meat and dairy).  Think of which food group you could eat more of and take the opportunity to include them in your snacks. 

Watch the size and timing of snacks.  Be careful to keep snacks, snack size. Watch the timing of your snacks so that they are not too close to meal times. If it is almost meal time, is it ok to wait till the next meal. If it is between meals and you feel hungry then enjoy a healthy snack. When it comes to our kids, we want them to come to the table hungry and ready to eat, especially at dinner time which can often be a tricky time. 

Remember: enjoying meals and snacks is not the same as grazing. We want our bodies to experience both hunger and fullness. This is important for kids too. Constantly eating doesn't allow the body to go through the hunger fullness cycle which is important for mindful eating.  

The changes I have made to my family recently: smaller snacks and I aim for not snacking within 1.5-2 hours of meal times. If we are having an early dinner or had a late breakfast, we skip the snack, especially when I know meal time is just around the corner. If my kids are famished, I do let them snack on the veggies I am cutting up for dinner (I figure it's dinner anyway).

Do you have a healthy snack to share? A small smoothie, veggie sticks, fruit and plain yoghurt mixed with frozen berries are common in our house.  

Do you dread or love dinner time? I used to find myself panicking before even sitting at the table, obsessing over whether and how much my kids ate and spending my time coercing them to eat what I'd cooked. Then one day I decided to relax, enjoy my dinner and my family's company. I can sit and enjoy my meal even if the others don't want to, why should they ruin my dinner?  And they quickly learnt! From then on I have had a much more enjoyable time (and so have they) and I was able to get more adventurous with my cooking (and my kids are getting more adventurous in their eating too). I encourage them to try but I no longer criticise myself if their eating is less than perfect. It's a journey, they'll learn in time. 

Creating a happy family meal time is easier than you think. Here's how:

Firstly you need to eat with your kids at the table and turn the TV off. Creating a nice supportive environment where you can role model healthy eating is one of the biggest predictors of children's diet. At least one parent should sit and eat with the kids at least once a day. If you currently feed the kids dinner early and eat later with your partner, it's time to change (harsh, I know but you can still enjoy your partner's company while they eat). And if you currently cook different meals for the different dinner sittings, now is the time to give yourself a break and cook one meal (you can combine food kids love with new foods to make it less scary for the kids). 

Secondly set some family table rules. Teach your kids to sit at the table and chat, preferably even once they have finished (this may improve with age but start to encourage it). Involve them in the setting the table (they can choose some nice plates, maybe some napkins) and the cleaning up. Most importantly teach them the food politeness rule. 

Lastly create a loving and calm environment which encourages kids to try new foods and ultimately enjoy healthy foods. They can learn that healthy food is fun and enjoyable, not about being gruffly told to "eat your veggies".  Stop the nagging and start talking about your day and the food. Forget bribing but remember marketing. Use descriptive words like crunchy, sweet, colourful and fresh. Encourage kids to not just taste and food but see it and smell it as well. Sell healthy foods to your kids by explaining fish is brain food for tomorrow's test, that green foods help you jump high and veggies of the traffic light make you a faster swimming. 

I often have nights where one of my kids tells me they are not going to eat. We ask them to just sit and wait at the table. Ask them about their day. Talk about how delicious the meal is. Usually within a couple of minutes, they start eating and I smile to myself. 

How do you create a fun family meal time? 

After a lovely couple of weeks off, it's time to get back to work. While holidaying at the beach, I read some nutrition books and spent a bit of time in the kitchen. I realise that this year is going to be a big one. With more work for me and growing kids I want to make a plan to make my life easier for the year ahead.

I'm writing down a tip sheet for myself and a meal planning plan! I thought I would share my plans with you all. My main aim is to increase variety. My kids are very good about eating the healthy food they are used to, so now I want to challenge them further. They are great at trying a tiny bite of anything and now I would like them to eat more of certain foods (namely fish and their non favourite veggies).

Here is my plan:

Breakfast (we currently have choice of porridge, eggs, multigain weat bix, milk and mulitgrain toast): ADD some fruit and/or veg (maybe in smoothies) and/or nuts and seeds (on porridge).

Lunches: AIM increase variety.
Not sandwiches everyday. Rotate with whole grain crackers or wraps. Fillings to be different from previous day. Aiming for 1-2 days  a week (1 school and 1 weekend) of non-typical  lunches (ie. frittata, sushi, leftovers) 

Dinner:

I would like to try a new recipe once a fortnight
Serve soup or veggie entree every second day (to increase veggies)
Use the freezer

Weekly meal plan guide (all meals below plus veggies and a little grains)
1 x red meat (include kangaroo)
1 x chicken
1 x fish
1 x egg or legume (chick pea, red kidney beans, lentils)
1 x tofu
1 x fish or legume
1 x red meat or chicken

Red meat meal ideas: bolognase sauce, porcupine meat balls, cutlets, stew, fajitas
Chicken meal ideas: roast, schnitzel, stew, Moroccan, soup, gozleme, pie, pizza
Fish meal ideas: coconut curry, pasta bake, crumbed, patties, in foil , with salsa
Tofu ideas: with satay sauce, stir ifry, burgers, sausages
Egg and legume ideas: lentil sauce, lentil burgers, frittata, omelet, baked beans (I want to try make my own), egg and baked beans on toast

I'm also aiming for happy family mealtimes and reducing snack sizes. More on that next blog....

What are your food plans or goals for the year? Your plans may be very different to mine and that's great.  But thinking and planning your eating, is one of the secrets to success. Being organised really helps my family to eat well without too much stress.

Do you have any great recipes for me to try?

At New Years, people often make grand plans for huge dietary upheavals. Sadly when we try to make changes that are massively different from the status quo, they often fail.  :(

How to succeed?

Start as you wish to continue! Make small, sustainable changes to your diet.  Plan to make changes that you can do forever. The problem with going on a diet is that one day you go off it again. Instead, start as you wish to continue.  No diets, no restrictions....just healthier eating that you can maintain. 

Nothing breed success, like success so set a small goal you can easily achieve. Once achieved, set another! 

Think about your motivation. What's in it for you to become healthier? Look good, feel good, have energy to play with your kids, reduce your risk of illness, be a good role model?

With this in mind, here are my top tips for a healthier year: 

Be colourful! 

Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables everyday.  Different coloured fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients.  So eating a traffic light of colour  (red, orange, green) each lunch and dinner increases the  range of nutrients your body needs to function at it's best. 

Think of how many serves of colourful fruits and vegetables you are currently eating. One serves equals a medium piece of fruit, half cup of cooked veggies or a cup of salad veggies. Whatever you eating now try to increase your intake by just one serve. 

If you currently eat one piece of fruit per day, increase it to two. If you only have 2 different colours on your dinner plate, increase it to three.  If you currently eat veggies 5 times a week, increase it to 6. 

Introduce meat free Mondays (or another day of the week that suits you). On this day enjoy eggs, lentils, tofu or beans into your meal. Try a tofu stir-fry, frittata or use a can of lentils (drained) in place of meat in your spaghetti sauce. 

Read my Be colourful blog post for more practical information on increasing colours. 

Be organised 

Buy enough fruits and veggies to last the whole week. 

Have a frozen back-up. Frozen veggies, meals, berries are great when you don't have fresh. 

Start planning your meals. Read about meal planning. 

Happy New Year and this year make a small (sustainable) resolution.

Get creative this summer and vary the BBQ menu. 

Make a mexican themed BBQ by making your own BBQ tortillas. Serve with guacamole, salsa, grilled lamb or chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, corn and grated cheese. A fun way to eat!

Go turkish and make your own BBQ gozleme (pictured).  The dough has only two ingredients! 

More tips for BBQing this summer:

Add Colour!  

Fill your plate with lots of colour! Aim for half of your plate to be veggies. 
Ideas to help you balance: 

Make sure to have lots of salads with low fat or healthy fat dressings. Great dressings include plain yoghurt with a sprinkle of paprika or balsamic vinegar. 

Include some non-meat alternatives such as tofu burgers, soy sausages and veggie kebabs. 

Add grated and diced veggies to your hamburger mix. 

Grill asparagus, corn and mushrooms. 

Go for quality not quantity

Choose smaller, higher quality steaks with minimal ‘marbling’ and remember to trim the fat.

Try cooking fish on the BBQ. Salmon with a good smear of crushed ginger and some soy sauce works well. 

Use the grill section 

Use the grill section of the BBQ so the excess fat drips away.  

Get fruity 

For a healthy dessert try grilled fruit kebabs, bananas (skin on) or mango halves.

What are your healthy BBQ tips? 

Get your kids in the kitchen! 

1. More than cupcakes. 
Many people bake with their kids, but I'd like to see you involving your kids in the preparation of healthy foods and cooking dinner! I rarely bake with my kids but they are often at my bench washing and cutting veggies, crumbing fish or putting cut veggies into the steamer.  Many parents struggle with fussy eating, this can be reduced by allowing your kids a hands-on experience with a variety of foods!


2. Allow extra time - it's an activity! Kids may take longer than you to do something or make a little(!?) more mess. That's fine, just start cooking a bit earlier. Think of it as an activity where you can spend time together. It will pay off in the long term, I'm hoping my kids will soon be making dinner for me! 

3. Stay with them in the kitchen. You are their guide, so even if you think you can't cook, have confidence. You can learn to cook together! I'm a self taught cook and my mum certainly isn't a master chef, but she put a veggie filled dinner on the table every night, so that's a good cook in my book! Look up simple recipes together. The kitchen is full of hot and sharp things, so teach them to be careful. 

4. It won't be perfect, it will be better. Wonky cut carrots cut by my 8 year old are better than my more evenly cut carrots. When my 3 year old shapes the meatballs, they are often too small but I just re-roll them. It's important is that he tries and we keep encouraging and praising each attempt.

5. Teach them to help clean up. Being clean is an important part of cooking. We teach kids to wash their hands before starting. Encourage them to clean up at the end. Helping to put dishes in sink, wiping the tables (my kids love doing this!), washing dishes or stacking dishwasher.

6. Give them age appropriate activities. Make sure the tasks are safe, but don't underestimate their ability. Keep challenging them.

Great meals to cook with your kids (of varying ages) include:

Breakfast
- scrambled eggs 
- porridge (my son started by mixing and I would put it on the stove. Now, at age 8, he does it all himself)

Lunch
- make sandwiches or wraps 
- wash and/or cut veggies for salad  
- re-heat leftovers 
- make sushi (see our recipes section)

Snacks
- fruit salad 
- smoothies 
- fruit kebabs 

Dinner
- wash veggies to make salad 
- crumb (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) fish, veggies or chicken
- shape meatballs
- cut veggies and/or put veggies into steamer or roasting tray 
- sprinkle seeds onto salad or roast veggies 
- make frittata or pasta bake 
- tortillas 
- veggie fritters

What do you like to cook with your kids?  

The smell of gingerbread and mince pies fills the air, carols can be heard all around and the Christmas functions are in full swing. 

It IS possible to remain healthy and still indulge the foods you love. Remember to first balance your week and your plate, filling up on delicious summer fruits and veggies. Then you can choose your treats (read last week's post). How do you eat less but enjoy it more? 

Rule 3: Eat slowly and enjoy

And I mean really, really slowly.  Turn off the TV, close your eyes, oooh and ahhh ... savour the smell, the taste, the moment. Treats are made to be enjoyed, so s-l-o-w down and really enjoy it. Smell the piece of chocolate, feel it's smooth texture in your mouth. Sip your wine slowly, swirl it in the glass and enjoy the aromas. In our house the one who eats their treat the slowest is the winner. 

Slowing down your eating also works for everyday foods. Slowing down to eat gives your brain more time to listen to your stomach's hunger signals and you are less likely to over-eat.

Enjoy your food slowly this festive season. Have fewer treats , but enjoy them more. 

Happy Healthy Festive Eating