Cooking For the Troops

It is appalling how many children in the United States are battling obesity and health issues due to poor nutrition. Nutrition is a huge concern for most moms. Many of us work full time and cooking a well balanced meal can be a challenge. However, the benefits of a nutritious meal far outweigh any inconvenience caused by cooking. With a little preparation we can provide our children with healthy meals throughout the week.

Prepare a weekly menu – Create a chart with the days of the week and look for healthy recipes to fill each day with. Get your children’s input and honor their requests as long as their nutritious. Build your grocery list around your menu. Choose simple recipes that don’t require hours of preparation.

Invest in a slow cooker – Slow cookers are a mom’s dream come true. While you’re toiling away at work the slow cooker does the cooking for you! Prepare your ingredients the night before, place them in the slow cooker and turn it on low before you leave for the day. When you get home your house smells yummy and your meal is ready to eat. Cooking can’t get much easier than that!

Make lunches the night before – If your kids take their lunch to school it’s best to prepare them the night before. Prepare items individually in ziplock bags for each day of the week. For example, it you pack fruit, store five days of fruit in individual bags. You’ll just have to grab the baggie and throw it in their lunchbox the night before.

Choose a day to prepare for the week ahead – If your kids visit their dad every other weekend, this is an opportune time to set aside a couple of hours to wash and dice veggies, make sauces, or prepare meats for the week ahead and store them in the freezer or refrigerator.

Get your kids involved in the cooking process. Buy them an apron and put them to work! This is a fun way to bond, teach them how to cook, and work together as a family unit. Most importantly eat together around the table and have conversation! The benefits of eating together as a family are unbelievable! This is a wonderful time to talk about what’s happening in their life, school, God, or just simply enjoy one another’s company.

Copyright © Chere Williams, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved