Because we are primarily a raw and whole food household, kids mealtimes are easy. We rarely argue over meals that the kids don't want to eat; I don't surprise them with new recipes- I stick to the tried, true and simple approach.
I want to see about 50% of her plate carbs, the remaining 50% protein and fat. I look for a wide palette of color. This meal took about 10 minutes to prepare, basically the time it took to boil the noodles. Everything else was prepped.
Seth's meals are just a pureed variation, minus the protein right now which he gets from breastmilk. Because I make homemade baby food I prepare his meals with the same thinking. Rather than feeding him a serving of one food (like a jar of baby food) I serve him small portions of many foods for nutritional balance at every meal. Here is a perfect example- squash, mixed beans, sweet peas, carrots, banana & kiwi.
The other thing that I consider when preparing meals is food combining. "Food combining is the term for a nutritional approach that focuses less upon the quantity and kind of food consumed, and more upon the timing of their consumption."
The theory is that different kinds of food have different digestion times, and poor food combining can lead to gastrointestinal difficulties. For example, if an animal protein takes 2-3 hours to digest while an apple takes 30 minutes, eating the 2 together will delay the digestion of the apple, resulting in fermentation of the sugar in the stomach, causing indigestion, gas and bloating. I keep laminated food combining charts on my fridge for constant reference, and I swear by it. Here are some food combining charts you can reference, I just did a quick google:
Picture Chart
Text Chart with Digestion Times
Picture Chart
Text Chart with Digestion Times
So this is what works for us. Perhaps it is a bit unconventional but my whole family subscribes to a very healthy food plan- meals are relaxed, nutritious and consistent in my house, so I have achieved my goals!
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