We've probably all seen the funny memes, mocking the difficulty of deciding what to eat for dinner, EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. lol. Reality is though, it IS exhausting to plan and meal prep for yourself, 365/24/7. Now add in some kiddo's and/or a significant other?! Pheww.... I feel it.
Lucky for me, my second grader is quite a fan of their school lunch. That does ease the workload on a day to day basis on my end a bit.🙌 If your kiddo doesn't like the school lunch or if your school/daycare does not offer meals or if your little one is still home with you., it can seem like you are CONSTANTLY preparing meals. (Trust me, our preschool only provided snacks. & packing my own lunch + my kids every day... kind of made me feel like this by the end of month 1...⤵)
One tool I use to help in my meal planning?!
My Plate

The USDA replaced the Food Pyramid in 2011 with MyPlate as a visual "recommendation" regarding diet, serving sizes/portions, and how to fit various foods into your day.🧀🍕🍉🌽
I personally love this tool because it is SIMPLE. When I plan meals for my family, I run through this plate in my head. How many food groups was I able to check off in this meal?! Do I hit all of these marks?! It's also helpful in remembering how much protein we need and encourages adequate vegetable and fruit intake!✅✅✅
If it sounds tough.. I promise, it just takes a little practice. & it is probably more practice just identifying the sources than actually trying to get these sources into the diet. You may already be hitting these marks!
Let's pack a quick meal for my second grader (age 7):❤
1 turkey and cheese sandwich with ketchup (protein, carbohydrate, dairy)
1 cup of strawberries (fruit)
1 yogurt (dairy)
Carrots and Dip (veggie)
Milk (dairy)
Now, that may seem like a simple one. Let's pack one more meal, a go to favorite of ours:
Meatballs + Marinara Sauce + Cheese (protein, dairy, (maybe veggie?))
Bread / Roll (carbohydrate)
Applesauce (fruit)
Cottage Cheese (dairy)
Green Beans or Veggies & Dip (Bell Peppers, Carrots, Cucumber, Broccoli) (vegetable, dairy?)
Milk (dairy)
Picturing that plate in my head is so helpful in assuring I am covering a variety!
Keep in mind, some meals may have multiple components in 1 food item!
An example?! 🍔🌮🍱🥘🧆
Chicken Pot Pie (protein, carbohydrate, vegetable, dairy)
1 cup Raspberries (fruit)
Milk (dairy)
A few extra quick tips?!❤❤
You CAN repeat foods & meals in the same week! I often serve the same thing on Thursday as I did on Monday & the same on Friday as I did on Tuesday. This helps consolidate variety of foods bought and helps to avoid spoilage
Pick 2-3 fruits and veggies each week and keep rotating these
Sometimes, simple changes to a meal can make a total difference. If you often serve sandwiches, cut into shapes or prep in a different way occasionally
Sauces are powerful tools and do NOT take away from nutritional value of other foods! Use sauces as you need to encourage intake (check my Blog Post on that topic here! https://www.babyfoodandfun.com/post/does-adding-a-sauce-take-away-the-good-1)

What W Eats Fun!! 🥳🥳
Here are some of the yummy things we’ve eaten this week! 🥳👇🏼
Mini @reeses Cup Dessert 🍫🥜
Vanilla Greek Yogurt + Baked Sweet Potato & Apple + @nutrigrain Bar 🍎🍠
Deconstructed’ Taco + Refried Black Beans + Blueberries 🌮
Couscous & Meatballs with Pasta Sauce + Baked Sweet Potato & Apple 🧆🍠🍎
frozen Grapes to chew on (in feeder). I think we have almost all our teeth now?!🍇🧊🦷
Couscous & Meatballs with Pasta Sauce + Refried Black Beans + Strawberries & Blueberries 🧆🥫🍓
Sugar Cookie 🍪
Whole Wheat Toast with Butter + Mixed Fruit Overnight Oats 🍞🧈🍑🍓
Pasta + Applesauce + Mixed Veggies with Ranch (Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Onion) 🍝🍎🧅
Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Popsicle 🍓🍦
My little one loves those popsicles and chewing on frozen fruits while teething 🤩🧊🍇🍦
Does your kiddo have all their teeth?! 🦷
What is your go to help for the pain?! 🧊🩹
In November 2022, the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) released a study (see link below) which indicated that only ~25% of the American population is familiar with MyPlate.😮
1/4.
MyPlate replaced the Food Pyramid in 2011.
It’s over a decade later, and only 25% can tell you about it?? 🤔😔
What’s worse?
Only 8% use it as a tool..
This really surprised me.😱
The National Center for Health Statistics released their study, Awareness of MyPlate: 2017-2020,
Conversations continue at various levels of government and beyond regarding nutrition and diet. How can the facts be communicated best? Is a front of package nutrition label the answer? Bold the calories? Stoplight approach? List every single nutrient in an item? Leave things as they are?
I don't know the answer to these questions and what is best for us as consumers.
But I do know that MyPlate is a tool that is already in place, is super helpful, and is absolutely underused as a resource. Let's start here. With variety. With appropriate portions. With ALL the food groups... and let's just see where it goes
Happy Meal Planning!! ❤
Food Storage Magnets on the Baby Food and Fun Shop!!
Starting solids can be stressful. You've just gotten used to a feeding schedule, and suddenly, it is time to start trying solids! Check out our magnet with Baby Food Storage Guidelines to help take some of the confusion and stress off your plate!
**Also available in Formula Feeding ; Breastfeeding ; and Combination Feeding
❤❤
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I truly enjoy sharing this information and I hope you find the information provided valuable. If you do find this information helpful, I kindly ask that you consider sharing - via social media, word of mouth, email, etc. I would love to help support as many out there as I can! <3
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Jessica Enderle, R.D., L.D.

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