Permission To: Welcome shortcuts to mealtime magic

Food has always been a big deal in my culture and an important part of how we express ourselves. My great-grandmother, Rosa Lee, was born and raised in South Carolina where she acquired some very interesting principles about nutrition that she was sure to impart upon all of us. First, it’s not a meal without meat. Crisco that is spooned out of a tin can, is the only oil worthy of entering your home. The makings of “good gravy” start with bouillon cubes and the mashed-up crispies left in the cast iron skillet after frying chicken (DO NOT try this at home, folks).  It is absolutely appropriate to smother any and everything in gravy and finally, don’t hold back on the morning grits. With butter and sugar, of course.

While I may have adopted some (very) different ideas about nutrition for our children, food and mealtime as a vehicle of expression will always remain close to my barefoot, Southern heart. The reality; however, is that the juggle of being a working mom is real. Just making sure that everyone is fed can get overwhelming at times, so the thought of sprinkling a little magic on top can be intimidating.

As a recovering Type-A personality I am a person who thrives when there are systems in place, basic principles that I can apply and as long as a shortcut doesn’t fall short, I can get behind it. So, here are a few of my basic principles and commonly used shortcuts that help me to make meals fun, easy and nutrient-dense:

Make meals colorful and cover your bases

If there is something green, something yellow/neutral, and something red/orange/brown on the plate, you are on the right track. For added excitement, throw in something purple, blue or black. Cover your bases, making a mental checklist so that each of the sections of the food pyramid makes an appearance on the plate. Veggies, check. Fruits, check. Grains, check. Dairy, check. Meat, fish or your preference of protein-dense food, check. Below are just a few examples of some of the Tiny Clarke favorites (not an exhaustive list):

• Something Green: Broccoli, peas, spinach, pears, grapes, kiwi
• Something Yellow/Neutral: Garbanzo beans, rice, banana, tortillas, yogurt, eggs, chicken, tortellini, popcorn, ditalini noodles (great “pincer grasp” practice)
• Something Red/Orange: Strawberries, papaya, cherries, mandarin oranges, cheese, nut butter, turkey burgers, sweet potatoes, apples
• Something Purple/Blue: Blueberries, black beans, prunes (we start each morning with an organic prune pouch to support regular bowl movements)

Make meals fun

This can include a change of location that requires minimal effort such as setting up a picnic. Picnics can be done indoors or outside. Just bring a blanket! If your littles are still messy, feel free to add a silicon scoop bib to save on some clean up.

Try fun shapes using tiny cookie cutters. This is also great for practicing letters, numbers, shapes, etc. You may be surprised at how much more your kiddo will be excited about apples cut into stars versus sliced apples. It doesn’t take a ton of time and you are guaranteed to sneak in a healthy snack of your own when you eat what’s left of the apple after the stars have been cut.

Waffle makers have become amongst my most commonly used kitchen appliances. They have so many different shapes and characters! I love this little shortcut to magic because the preparation of your batter is the same, you are just racking up on the “fun mom points” by using a cool character or shape. Our girls love the Minnie Mouse and Olaf waffles best!

Finally, when time permits, recruit the help of your tiny sous chef. Keep them busy with passing you things, washing the fruits and veggies, mixing, pouring or having them choose the menu or which cookie cutter shape they want to use.

Hold on the sugar

Establish a healthy normal. For us, we don’t introduce foods high in added sugar such as cookies, cake, muffins, etc. until at least 2. The exception being their birthdays. We encourage our 3-year-old to minimize sugar intake and to brush her teeth well by reminding her that she doesn’t want to get teeth like the Grinch. At this point, that is the most horrible thing she can imagine, so it’s very effective. NO SODA.

Cook the staples in bulk

This one is a biggie to make your life easier. This is especially true when the adult meals in the house are not exactly kid-friendly. Sometimes this may be because they cannot chew it properly (steak), is too spicy or is something that would create too much of a mess and you are exercising a little self-preservation. Prepare the staples in bulk and in advance. For example, cook and refrigerate 3 large containers of the staples to include broccoli, pasta and turkey burgers. At each meal, you can pull from your “stash of staples” and add things that supplement or add variety with minimal cooking required. Chop the turkey burger finely and add tomato sauce to your already prepared noodles for a 2- minute pasta and meat sauce dish (#winning). Label each container with post-it notes by simply writing the date to keep track of how long things have been in the refrigerator. We usually eat or toss the food at the end of day 3.

Separate the meal into “courses”

Try giving your kids a healthy serving of broccoli in their favorite character bowl while you whip up a quick quesadilla. Separating a meal into “courses” in this way can buy you some time and can also be helpful if you are met with veggie resistance. I have been met with much less resistance by my girls when they have worked up an appetite from playing and the only option they are given is a bowl of green veggies. Toss some shredded cheese and a tortilla in a skillet. Add diced/chopped turkey burger from your “stash of staples” and you have covered your meat, dairy, grain and veggie (bowl of broccoli) food groups. Finish the meal with their favorite fruit.

Plan ahead when you will be on the go

Even on the go, you can plan ahead to ensure that you have healthy foods on hand. Try packing lunches that consist of things that don’t need to be heated and that aren’t too messy. We store ours in a CleverMade Tahoe Soft-Sided Collapsible Cooler. For example, when we took our girls to the “Zoofari” here in Northern, Virginia, we used our PackIt MOD Bento Containers that separated small sections of strawberries, broccoli, pasta noodles, chopped grilled chicken and cheese cubes. Add a sandwich of your choice and you have a nutritious, on-the-go meal.

I believe being kind to yourself is one of the most important things you can do and demonstrate to your children. If you don’t have the time or you just aren’t up to it, please actively reject any pressure to “make magic happen”. Alternatively, if time permits and you feel up to doing a little extra, you are now equipped with a few principles and shortcuts. We are all in this together.

Until Next Time,

Self-Grace, Power and Gratitude