Theme nights are not only fun for kids but are also a great way to meal plan with your child! A theme can be based on a specific cuisine, season, holiday, character, ingredient, or any other idea you can imagine. Once you have a theme, base your meal plan around the theme whether it's for the week or just for one night. For example, we frequently have a Mexican themed night for dinner because my kids love tacos. However, we also focus on incorporating an ingredient into the meal we make which is typically whole grains. Instead of regular crunchy taco shells, we use 100% whole wheat tortillas. Instead of Mexican rice, we use 100% brown rice. Instead of store-bought chips for salsa, I make homemade chips using 100% whole wheat pita which I cut up into triangles, brush with EVOO, salt, pepper and broil in the oven. I put a lot of focus on incorporating whole grains into our meals because it's very easy to do and the sooner you do this, the sooner your kids will consider 100% whole wheat ingredients as a normal part of their diet. We also make sure to include lots of fresh cut up vegetables to put on our tacos! Below you will find a link about incorporating more whole grains into your diet and a delicious recipe for fish tacos! Enjoy!
http://www.eatright.org/kids/video.aspx?id=6442470405
http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471695
Great idea to get the kids excited about dinner. Plus changing the tortillas for whole wheat is a plus. I will use this in my own repertoire. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteHave themed dinners is a GREAT idea! Helps narrow down the food choices when you are busy and also entertains the kids. We are partial to Mexican at my house.
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