Family Meal Times - Eating Healthy Together

Are you wondering if the grab-and-go foods you are serving are nutritious enough? Are sports and after-school activities interfering with dinner time? Do you wish your family sat down and shared more meals together? Don’t despair – you can bring order and enjoyment to your family meals. By following this basic daily “menu” you can make sure everyone gets their servings from all of the food groups.

For the various members of your family consult MyPyramid.gov for specific servings recommendations based on age, weight, gender and activity level.

Breakfast
It takes only about 10 minutes to eat a nourishing breakfast. Routine and simplicity are helpful to ensure that your family gets nutrients from real foods to give them a good start on the day.

• Start with calcium-fortified orange juice
  
• Choose low sugar, high fiber, whole grain cold cereals or hot oatmeal. Mix two types of cereals for variety in texture and taste.
  
• Choose vitamin-D fortified skim or low fat milk. Or use a dairy-free alternative such as soy or rice milk that is fortified with the same %DV of calcium and vitamin D as milk.
  
• Top your cereal with dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries or apricots.
  
• Add a few walnuts or almonds to provide beneficial fats and some additional protein to keep you going throughout the morning.
  
• Enjoy coffee or tea with your breakfast, make it to go or have it during your break at work.
  
• When you have more time on weekends or days off, substitute whole grain pancakes for the cereal and serve fresh fruit.

Lunch
If your workplace has microwave ovens you can enjoy reheated leftovers – or “planovers” – for your lunch. Pack up meals in re-heatable containers the night before so you are ready to put them into your lunch box and go out the door in the morning.

For school kids and workers who don’t have access to kitchen facilities, build a better sandwich for your lunch box using these ideas:

• Choose whole grain breads, rolls or wraps
  
• Select lean lunch meats and low fat cheeses.
  
• Use mustard, olive oil or low fat mayonnaise. Wake up the flavor of your sandwich with a few shakes of black pepper and oregano!
  
• Pack lettuce, tomato and onions separately and add to your sandwich just before you eat. Have carrot or celery sticks on the side too.
• Don’t forget to pack fresh or canned fruit.
  
• If the lunch can’t be refrigerated, use ice packs or a frozen juice box to keep it cold. The juice will thaw out enough to drink by the time lunch rolls around.

Snacks
When sports, exercise or after-school activities are on the calendar, make sure everyone
eats a nourishing snack late in the afternoon, then serve a later dinner when everyone gets home. Yogurt and fresh fruit, nut butter or low fat cheese on whole wheat crackers, or nuts and dried fruit are good choices that aren’t just empty calories.

Dinner
If the kitchen or dining room table is a regular dumping ground for mail, books and other miscellaneous items, reclaim it for your meals! When you collect the mail each day, file away bills and toss the envelopes and junk mail into the recycling bin right away. Put other items in a box or basket for sorting later. Kids can use the table for homework until dinner is ready, then they can pitch in to set the table.

• Choose recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less or use some convenience items to speed up preparation. For a balanced meal, the plate should be 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, and 1/2 veggies.
  
• The protein source can be meat, poultry, fish, eggs or beans. Rotisserie chicken, prepared meats and frozen seafood entrees are a good start if you don’t have time to cook from scratch.
  
• For the starch choose whole grain pasta and breads, brown rice, bulgur or other whole grains.
  
• To create the half plate of veggies, serve a salad and a cooked vegetable. Various greens topped with tomatoes, cucumbers and other raw veggies are a good way to include variety. Frozen vegetables are nutritious, economical and convenient to cook.
  
• Serve milk or water. Avoid caffeinated drinks late in the day.