Need Healthy Lunch Ideas for MOM

V.-

You've got great advice about the food. For the children, can you put the 6 month old in his high-chair and give him cheerios or a toy while you fix lunch? If he cries, let him. Just don't get uptight, talk nice while he's wailing, and continue to make lunch for everyone, then all sit together to eat. It may take a couple of days for him to get used to sitting there while mom is 10 feet away (putting on fun kids tunes & dancing while you work is a good distraction) and he can't be held, but he'll get it if you can be consistent. Then after lunch, clean up & pick him up. Be aware that the first couple of days he may scream so inconsoleably that he won't even eat, but you just sit there and eat. I had to do this with one of mine, and it was sooooo stressfull, BUT I persisted and she got over it after 3 days of this routine, then I got peace while I fixed lunch and she learned that after lunch I'd pick her back up. Good luck to you, you will feel better when you can set a good boundary and stick to it.

i love garlic roasted turkey (get it at the deli section of the grocery store) with roasted red pepper hummus. it's the bomb! sometimes i just drag the turkey thru the hummus and eat! spread the hummus on high fiber or wheat bread and make a sandwich. yum yum yum!!

When do you feed your older child? I recommend that you plan a meal for the two of you, and you sit and eat it with him. If the six month old is crying simply because he doesn't want you out of sight, put him near the table where you are eating... or if you are starting him on solids now, sit him at the table and feed him while you are eating. Just make sure you fix healthy meals and snacks for you and the older boy, serve them at reasonable times and you eat with him. This will get you to eating better, and may help your sons eat better too. You can't afford to keep on eating poorly. If you get sick who is going to take care of those precious boys?

I try to eat what my kid(s) eat - or something similar. If I make them nuggets and grilled cheese, then that's what I eat. All natural hot dogs. Grilled cheese and soup. A sandwich with (healthy) chips. These are our staples. I don't vary too much because my kids are picky. Sometimes I'll have leftovers. I also eat breakfast with the kids. We all sit and eat at the same time and it's the same thing (your six month old won't be there for a while) but keep him occupied with Cheerios or Puffs. I tend to snack when the kids snack as well. They get one snack in the AM and one in the PM. That's it!

Hi V.,

I am a student again and find my time is so limited, that I try to make lunch as quick as possible. Here are a few things I do:

1. Soup - I make a big pot of soup on the weekends and freeze into individual servings. Then during the week, I can pop it into the microwave to defrost and warm up while I make a big salad. Go for prewashed greens and include some non-lettuce greens like kale, chard, spinach and arugula -- they've got calcium and magnesium, something most of us could use more of. Add a handful of raw nuts and seeds to your salad for a nutritional boost. I make a quick vinaigrette using 1 T olive oil, 1 t white wine vinegar and a splash of Dijon. I love adding a little goat cheese to the salad as well.

2. Rice and beans - again, you can make a big pot of rice on the weekends. I mix rice with canned black or pinto beans, then quickly steam some broccoli and carrots. I add pepitas (dried pumpkin seeds), salsa and 1/4 of an avocado. Sometimes I add cilantro and chopped scallions. I usually add 1 T of nutritional yeast, which is really high in B vitamins -- those are the ones that give you energy and so are really important!

Another version of this I make uses lentils. I cook 1 cup each of lentils and brown rice in 6 cups water. I add chopped onion, carrots, ginger, garlic and curry. I let this simmer until the water is absorbed (30 - 40mins?), then add a bunch of chopped kale and cilantro at the very end. This makes a huge pot that I can eat for days.

3. I try to avoid packaged foods, but I love the Indian food meals at Trader Joe's. My favorite is Dal Makahni (sp?). It comes in a little foil package that you cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. While it's boiling, I steam veggies (in the same pot, using my steamer insert). I mix the whole thing with about 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 T nutritional yeast and eat with a toasted whole wheat pita.

I hope this helps! Remember, your family will do better if you make your health and happiness your #1 priority! It's okay to let the kiddos fuss for a little bit while you take 10 mins to put together a healthy lunch. The bonus is that they'll see you eating healthy, and copy your good habits! Good luck!

A.

String cheese, deli turkey slices, celery and peanut butter made the day before, and carrots and ranch dressing can all be grabbed from the fridge easily and munched on all day. Hope this helps! =)

V.,
I would find some power bars and keep fresh fruit in the house at all times. You can grab and eat on the run, just be sure to check the sugar content in the power bars, some of them are really loaded with it.
W. M

After they go to bed, scrub some carrots, cut them into sticks, and put them in a glass of water and put them in your fridge.

Everyone has already given you some great ideas. I also keep hard boiled eggs on hand (you could prepeel them so they are ready to go). I am a stay at home mom of 5 and I have learned that sometimes the baby just needs to fuss for a bit. If you have a sling or carrier and he's not too graby as long as your not using a sharp knife or cooking on the stove hold him. We also make a healthy pizza, cut into slices and keep in the fridge. If you make soup for dinner make extra for easy reheating the next day. Baked Potatoes in the microwave with a little cheese and salsa thrown on can be quit and filling too. Plan ahead, make a menu just like you might for dinner and get as much ready ahead of time as possible, cut veggies, shred cheese, peel oranges, etc... Fruit and yogurt is another quick one or fruit and nutbutters or whole grain cracker or chips and hummus. We also always keep raw nuts on hand, they are filling quick and I don't eat as much as I would with salted ones.

I found that having pre-cut salad greens really helps. When you are to busy you can always just grab a handful and put it in the bowl and there you are.