Ask a Dietitian

The teacher’s strike is on with no end in sight. Many families in BC have tweens and teens at home fending for themselves for meals while parents are at work. What are they eating? Without a plan and some guidance it may be granola bars and cereal. Here are some tips to help you organize your kids with some easy to prepare meals and snacks for the week.

1. Write a meal ideas list with breakfast, snack and lunch ideas. Include your kids in the process.
2. Write your grocery list and be sure to get all the ingredients on your meal idea list for the week.
3. Post the meal idea list on the fridge for the kids to refer to when they are hungry.
4. Remind them of the importance of regular eating during the day to control sugar cravings.
5. Keep junk food and pop out of the house. If you buy it you can’t expect them not to eat it.
6. Keep up their sports. Consider starting an out of school sport while school is out. Encourage the kids to walk or ride their bike to friend’s houses, organize a game of soccer or baseball at the local school field or use the pool at the aquatic centre.
7. Help them create a routine. Kids thrive on routine and it helps the day go by faster. Encourage them to get up at a normal time, eat breakfast within the hour of waking, do 2 hours of reading or journal writing, on-line math etc. Take a snack break, walk the dog or go walk around the block. Come back and work for another hour or so. Make lunch and go outside to play with friends.
8. Keep a container of cut vegetables and cut fruit in a container in the fridge for easy pickings
9. Make extra dinner so you have leftovers in the fridge. Leftover pizza, spaghetti, chicken breasts and stir fry are delicious reheated in the microwave.

Easy breakfast ideas:

1. Peanut butter and jam on toast and a nectarine
2. Frozen strawberry, banana and yogurt smoothie
3. Bowl of blueberries with yogurt and granola
4. Cereal with milk and a banana
5. Tortilla spread with almond butter and wrapped around a banana
6. Scrambled egg wrap with cheese and salsa

Easy lunch ideas:

1. Turkey and cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomato, cucumber slices on the side
2. Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup
3. Leftover chicken breast sliced in a wrap with tatziki and veggies
4. Crackers, cheese slices, cucumber slices, deli ham, bell pepper strips, yogurt container
5. Leftover pizza and green salad from dinner
6. Leftover spaghetti, glass of milk
7. Leftover chicken stir fry on rice
8. Tuna melt and cherry tomatoes
9. Fruit salad and yogurt with granola

Easy snacks:

1. Fruit: peach, nectarine, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, banana, apple, orange, pear, plum
2. Vegetables and hummus: carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, broccoli
3. Fruit and yogurt smoothie
4. Crackers and cheese with cucumber slices
5. Cereal and milk
6. Yogurt
7. Milk and homemade muffin
8. Granola bar and fruit
9. Cheese quesadilla with veggies
10. Nacho chips with cheese, diced tomato, guacamole and olives
11. Fruit cup or apple sauce
12. Yogurt tube
13. Dried fruit and almonds

Reading a list of meal and snack ideas is much easier for kids than staring into a full fridge and thinking there is nothing to eat. A little guidance will make them more independent and healthy eaters.