Weekly Meal Plans for Kids

Ease back into the school lunch routine with our easy meal plans made to satisfy every type of eater. Using our template of shopping lists and quick recipes, you’ll be set with a convenient formula to follow all year long! 

 

PICKY EATERS

If you have a picky eater on your hands, fret not! It’s common for kids to reject a wide range of foods, but their taste buds are still developing and it takes time. With some patience and creativity, your kiddo will soon come home with an empty lunchbox. 

 

Top 10 tips for enticing picky palettes:

1. Consistently expose to new foods. It can take more than 10 times of tasting before your kiddo’s taste buds agree. 
2. Offer variety in small amounts.
3. Encourage autonomy by letting kids choose their favorite fruits and vegetables during shopping trips.
4. Combine unfamiliar foods with familiar ones.
5. Don’t restrict foods, this can create more want.
6. Instead of giving free rein, offer choices between 2-3 items you would like your kids to consume 
7. Make food fun by incorporating shapes, different sizes and textures, and color themes
8. Let them be a part of lunch-making! Our Prep to Pack Three Piece Prep Set and Prep to Pack Cutting Board come in handy here!
9. Don’t force a meal or snack when they’re not hungry.
10. Teach your kids the fun benefits of the food they are eating.

 

Download the Picky Eater Plan Here

 

GLUTEN-FREE

Whether your kids are gluten sensitive or not, these recipes are full of flavor, not gluten. We’ll show you how easy it is to shop for gluten-free ingredients and prepare scrumptious meals that won’t ever let your kids feel like they’re missing out on the good stuff!

 

Top 10 tips for eating gluten-free: 

1. Read labels. As a rule of thumb, anything containing a wheat ingredient, malt, or oats contains gluten. 
2. Focus on whole foods: vegetables, fruits, poultry, fish, cheese, eggs.
3. Gluten-free doesn’t mean grain free. Explore alternatives such as quinoa, amaranth, corn, millet, and polenta are all great grains.
4. While there are many gluten-free brands on the market, making your own treats is easy with so many gluten-free flours now available.
5. Incorporate fiber into your meal plan. Many gluten-free snacks are made of low fiber substitutes.
6. If your kiddo isn’t loving gluten-free breads, try roll-ups, skewers, or gluten-free cracker sammies.
7. Get your kiddo involved in the grocery shopping so he/she can learn what’s off limits.
8. Focus on the foods your kiddo can eat, instead of what they can’t so they won’t feel restricted.
9. To fill your lunchbox, choose 1 protein, 1 grain, and 2 fruits/veggies.
10. Get creative with sauces and dips! Stock up on containers to keep it fun and interesting. 

 

Download the Gluten-Free Meal Plan Here

 

VEGETARIAN 

Everyone can benefit from a lunchbox full of nutrients, so we shopped the aisles and skipped over the meat department to fill our lunchboxes with fresh produce & energizing grains. These colorful lunches provide vitamins A to Z! 

 

When going vegetarian, remember:

1. Eggs, dairy, legumes,  and whole grains offer plenty of protein as alternatives to meat sources.
2. Incorporate iron-rich foods into your meal plan: broccoli, leafy greens, dried fruit, beans.
3. Incorporate zinc-rich foods into your meal plan: nuts, seeds, whole grains, dark chocolate.
4. Incorporate vitamin B into your meal plan: yogurt, eggs, tuna, sweet potatoes.
5. Offset heavy fiber intake by incorporating healthy fats into your meal plan: avocado, flax, olive oil 
6. Include vitamin C with every meal to facilitate iron absorption.
7. Be careful not to indulge in sugary, saturated foods to compensate for calories.

 

Download the Vegetarian Meal Plan Here