23 // Wondering how to role model trying new foods when you don’t eat the same lunch as your littles?
Wondering how to role model trying new foods when you don’t eat the same lunch as your littles?
Try THIS household tool as your secret to effortless lunches w/ ingredients you already have on hand
On this Meals Made Easy Monday episode, we are diving right into one of my all-time favorite tools for easy lunches that are super impactful.
That is, the muffin tin! It can be so tempting to just eat the scraps off of our kids plate for whatever they didn't eat at lunch. But take a quick minute and think about not only what that does for you and your own mental and physical health, but also what teachable moments may be missed here.
You are likely eating excess of their love it foods or more than likely, their learning it foods. What if you had a way to eat from and enjoy these foods alongside them in an effortless way AND you could use up the random ingredients you have on hand in the process?
You can, and this episode will walk you through the details of when, how, and why!
Listen to this episode of The Veggies & Virtue Podcast now!
Full Episode Transcription
Please note this a raw transcription. If something doesn’t read correctly, toggle to that timestamp in the show so that you can listen in on what was actually being said!
[00:00:00] Mama, are you struggling with how to feed your kids? Right? Do you wish that there was a way to help your child try new foods? Do you look at a pantry cluttered with pirate, booty and a fridge full of the same food every week and wonder how you're going to get your family's meals off the hot mess express.
[00:00:16] I know what it feels like to scroll through all the feeding accounts on Instagram and to see a bunch of Fuji food that my family would never eat. And I too have pinned all the healthy recipes with good intention. But zero execution. I understand as a busy mom of three, that it can feel really unattainable, especially on the days when I'm exhausted.
[00:00:34] I have a short fuse. He really just want an easy button. And the date went well. That's where these meals made easy episode ideas come from with everyday ingredients that you already have on hand, I give you one meal or snack idea week that's dietician. Mom approved. Dan is gonna fit in your family's busy life.
[00:00:52] So get ready to press, add to cart and to make meals. Again, Hey there as we jump into the summer months, I know we start somewhere here in Texas a little bit earlier than some other places and school systems and things like that. But a conversation I was having with a friend that made me think this is the perfect time of year to be talking about.
[00:01:14] This is one where we were talking about what moms eat for lunch and how often we can feed our kids separate from our. Which from a self care perspective. And as we celebrate mother's day and things like that, I totally honor that sometimes I just want to eat by myself in peace. The reality is, is sometimes that also means that I'm just eating like the scraps or the random bits and pieces of things that my kids eat, which is not great for me and feeling my own body and taking care of my own self.
[00:01:45] But also it's not great in role modeling to my kids. The different variety. It's much easier. I think to get in a rut, feeding our kids. When we're not eating alongside them. And so if we're giving our kids, let's say PB and J every day, we're probably not eating that ourselves or we're eating PB and J scraps every day.
[00:02:01] And so what I want to challenge you with in today's meals made easy episode on lunches is how we can look towards summer as an opportunity for some great new food exposures. Through the lunchtime experience and through eating with our kids, with our kids home more over summer. I want you to really challenge yourself to think about how you can eat with your kids.
[00:02:22] Even if you choose to say, make something like a sandwich or a salad or something that maybe your kid isn't yet eating or is still learning to like later on after maybe they've gone down for nap time or something. I want you to still think about how you can use this concept, Atlanta. To help expose your kids to eat and ultimately also help role model to them, how you eat and enjoy these foods alongside them.
[00:02:46] So it's not what kids eat and what mom or dad. For lunch, but instead it's, this is option or excuse me, these are options that our family enjoys or is learning to like at lunchtime. And so the idea that if you followed me for a while, I haven't shared it as often, especially since my girls have gone back to school and now that I have to in school and things like that, I don't do it as often with just Owen and I really should, but maybe it's a challenge to myself.
[00:03:10] This. To get back onto doing this because my kids have always, always, always loved muffin tin meal. Again, if you remember way back when, when I first started veggies of virtue, we did these every single Monday and it was kind of our go-to. My girls went to mom's day out on Tuesday, Thursdays, and it was what I shared with y'all every Monday.
[00:03:28] And it was. And I think it's a great idea for you to get into this summer. And as I said, something, I needed to challenge myself with this summer so that we can use that novelty to our advantage of something like a muffin tin presentation that our kids aren't likely used to every day as their lunch hop option.
[00:03:46] But it's kind of like that great at-home bento box that you just put in there. One of the things I love from a mother's perspective is you can have the most random assortment of. And somehow it just works when you put it in a muffin tin, because you really just need small offerings of each of those things.
[00:04:03] So it's a great way to use up the things that you maybe only have like seven crackers left, or like the end of you know, the bag of carrots that only has four carrots in it and thinks it's a great way to just kind of use up that hodgepodge of what you have. It's also a great way to expose your kids to love it, like it and learning it.
[00:04:22] Yeah. For the Lovett foods, you know that your kids, especially if all of your kids, if you have multiple kids love a given food, you probably want to fill more than just one of the muffin cups with that. Given food or else, you might have a little bit of a food fight on your hands to me. But I think if you consider, okay, these are the foods that my kids love and I'm going to offer them different food groups, or I'm going to make sure that we're offering foods with fat fiber and protein so that we have some fruits and veggies, maybe some dairy or some meats or some non-meat protein options, and then maybe like a whole grain or something like seven.
[00:04:58] Nuts or nut butters on some toast, if you wanted to have a PB and J in there or something like that, so that you have a wide variety of options for not only nutritionally, but also for the foods that your child loves and is still learning to. Like, and the reason I think this is great is because as I mentioned for the foods that they eat.
[00:05:17] They're likely going to eat a larger portion of it. So include a few different muffin, tins of that, given love food or whatever those love it. Foods are a lot of times in our family. This is things like the crackers, the cheese, the fruit, those are the ones that are often first to go. Additionally, though, think about how this gives you a great visual reminder of how to be offering the like it and the learning.
[00:05:39] 'cause you only need one little muffin tin with learning it foods. If it's not a food that your kids are likely to eat, but this is also the perfect time for you not to wait and eat it as a scrap after the meal. But instead to sit alongside your. And snack on those learning at foods. It may be fresh bell pepper.
[00:05:57] It might be broccoli with some hummus dip. It could be anything that, you know, you want to expose your kid to, you want to role model to them enjoying, and you want to help shape their learning or excuse me, their feeding habits so that they learn to like it. But instead of waiting until they've just not eaten it, eating the scraps, which know.
[00:06:17] Reinforces great mental health for us as moms, but it also doesn't reinforce that role modeling to our kids. So instead, next time you're kind of out of ideas for what you want to do for lunch or it's on a weekend, or as you get into summer, I want you to pull out your muffin, tins whatever kind will work.
[00:06:33] I've even done it with the mini muffin tins, but pull out a muffin tin and begin filling it with different, love it, like it learning. Get foods from a variety of food groups, engage your kids in this say, Hey, what should we put in this one? Or, you know, go for different color choices and say, Hey, I know that we have red, orange and yellow.
[00:06:52] Can you help me pick something green, engage them in this process. And I promise you, it is a never ending opportunity for new food exposure added nutritional variety. And for you to role model to them eating these foods that they're learning to, like, because you're just sitting there chomping away snacking, enjoying the Buffington meal with them as they eat some of those other foods.
[00:07:13] But that can be a really fun, low pressure way for you to begin kind of sitting there and gaining comfort and exposing some of these new foods to them and a really small nonpressuring presentation. And it can really start to get those wheels turning because I feel like this has, when I, as a mom, tend to be just really low, key and relaxed and find the most opportunities for food play that just naturally come about.
[00:07:40] So go ahead and try this method. Share it with me on social tag, me at veggies and virtue. And let me know how this works for you guys. This is a longtime favorite of mine, and I'm excited to share it with not just this friend who I was talking about it with, but also those of you listening in today who need.
[00:07:58] Neil's made easy lunch ideas for summer. If these meals made easy, ideas are helping you in any way, or this show is encouraging you and the message and the mealtimes of motherhood, I would love to hear about it. All you need to do is scroll down on apple podcasts and tap, write a review. I check each and every one of these and they truly plus need to read and to know how the show is helping shape your family's relationship with food so that I can continue to create content that serves you best.
[00:08:25] Thank you. For taking the time to leave me a review. And I look forward to seeing you back here next time.
