I'm in search of meal ideas for all meals and "packed lunch" ideas for my 14 mth old and 4 1/2 y/o. Any good websites? Books?? Food prep ideas? Thanks!
I love the laptoplunches.com website. Awesome ideas and EVERYTHING is healthy. It's hard to come up with new ideas but with help it can be done. Good luck!
L.:
See personal response I sent you re: my business which does meal planning by the week/month, meal prep, even grocery shopping and cooking with you if you request!
You may reach me at: ###-###-#### for more information as well!
A.
I've actually had a lot of luck with my American Heart Association "Meals in Minutes" cookbook. The ingredients are usually things alredy in our pantry, and we've liked everything we've cooked from there. I have to admit, I don't always follow the "rules" -- I might used regular canned tomatoes for a sauce instead of the no-salt-added kind -- but I don't think we're compromising our health toooo much. If you want to thumb through a copy at a bookstore, some of our faves are orange-barbecue chicken chunks, two-way border chicken (without cilantro!), and a pork loin with cinnamon sweet potatoes (I forget the actual recipe name).
Besides the cookbook, some good quick lunch ideas that have been a hit at our house:
Snack Lunch -- literally, a meal out of snacks. The kids choose what they want from a selection of fruit slices, crackers, cheese cubes, etc. They get a full tummy, and have fun in the process.
Ham rolls -- low-fat croissant rolls with a slice of lunch meat rolled inside. Usually have to tear the slice of lunch meat into smaller pieces so it fits in the roll, and we add cheese sometimes too. Serve it up with fruit and corn chips, or even green beans.
One thing my son loves is a tortilla spread with sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or peanut butter. Place a banana on the spread of your choice and roll up.
