Sunday Meal Prep | Week of February 23
Are family dinners the secret to raising healthy, happy kids?
It’s really important to me that most nights we eat dinner as a family. A quick google search will provide you a laundry list of “too good to be true” benefits like better academic performance, lower rates of anxiety and depression, a reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, higher self esteem, lower risk of substance abuse, stronger familial connections…should I go on? I mean, is dinner the secret sauce to raising happy, healthy children? I’m not sure, but the research is undeniable.
Back to reality. Last Sunday I had a plan to test a new dish for this series, but got stuck in an epic Monopoly game with Ozzie and didn’t have time, so I just roasted some salmon with cherry tomatoes and a bunch of colorful cauliflower I got at the farmers market and served it alongside a simple green salad with croutons made from stale sourdough bread. I know I’m making it sound fancy, but it was kind of basic and it’s not on the menu this week.
Ozzie does not like cauliflower. I’m not sure if he ever has, and I don’t blame him. But this cauliflower was different: It was purple and roasted in olive oil and salt. Freya tried some and was giving us quite the mmmmm…but Ozzie wasn’t buying it. I purposefully sliced some cucumber for his plate to replace the vegetable I didn’t think he’d try. The chances of him trying the cauliflower I made was slim to none, but we still encouraged, and after trying the world’s smallest bite, Ozzie decided that he actually loves cauliflower…when it’s purple and roasted with olive oil and salt that is. We all laughed at his change of heart as we polished off the plate. A big (and I’ll admit unexpected) win for family dinner.
It doesn’t always go like this. More often than not, dinner is rushed and messy and comes with a baby on my lap (eating my food and throwing it on the floor), a 5 year old complaining about not liking something, and two adults trying to get the 5 year old to sit down and eat so he doesn’t suddenly (and conveniently) feel hungry right as he’s tucked into bed. It’s exhausting.
We should probably get a dog, but that’s not where I’m going with this. My point is: I know it’s hard, but sometimes a moment will present itself that reminds you that your effort is worthwhile. Even if it’s just one cauliflower floret.
And, research shows that parents typically only offer a new food to their child 2-3 times before giving up, but it can actually take between 8 and 15 tries before a child will accept it. Moral of the story: don’t give up!
Okay, this week’s menu has a new recipe that I’m really excited about—Chicken Larb. Essentially a flavorful ground chicken served in lettuce cups, it’s one of my favorite Thai dishes (the name doesn’t do it justice) and it’s been on my list to test for a while. I’ve made it a couple of times now and can’t believe how quickly and easily it comes together. Let me know if you try it!
And for the record, Ozzie did not try the chicken larb lettuce cups with all the little green things mixed in. I might be a nutritionist, but I’m not a magician. He had some meal prep chicken, steamed vegetables, hummus and Primal Kitchen ketchup, which (thanks to a little advanced planning) took zero time to put together.
Alright, let’s cook.
Here are a few meal prep adjacent things I’m loving these days:
Weight Lifting Accessories
Me and my weight lifting journey are getting serious. I went up in weights this week and felt like I needed some new accessories to match my new found strength. Loving these gloves (I don’t need calluses on my hands or scratched rings) and my cool new headphones. And, of course, I have my creatine in my water bottle.
Products I’ve Tried & Loved
I’m constantly testing new wellness and beauty products and here are a few that I am super into.
Eight Sleep’s Sleep Elixir: You might recognize Eight Sleep because they make that incredible sleep pod that regulates your body temperature (I want one!!). They used data from over 600 million hours of sleep (!) to create this sleep supplement. Jamie and I have been using it for the past few weeks and we really like it (full review here). Just ordered our second bottle!
IS Clinical Warm Honey Cleanser: It’s kind of sticky like honey and warming in a really satisfying way. This is the first time I’ve tried an IS Clinical product, but they very generously donated product for LA fire victims through Moms4Relief and all the mom volunteers were raving about the brand. I like and am excited to try more for them. If you have a favorite, please let me know in the comments.
True Botanicals Overnight Lip Treatment: I have chronically dry lips and this feels so luxurious. I use it during the day at night, really anytime I go into my bathroom. If you’re a True Botanicals freak like me, these eye masks are also a favorite.
U Beauty Super Intensive Face Oil: Wow, this is soo fancy. You can see the antioxidants in it’s bright orange hue. It has two types of hyaluronic acid to hydrant and plump away fine lines. Very into it.
Protein Bars: I tried to new (or new to me) bars recently and I like them. Promix Protein Puff Bars are kind of like a rice crispy treat. They turn they whey protein into little crispy pieces and bind them with marshmallow. Pretty good. And Jacob is the alternative to David bars (both 20g of protein) with organic ingredients you actually understand.
This week we are riffing on a Sunday meal prep favorite to make a BBQ pulled pork plate. We’ll use the leftovers for tacos and lunches later in the week. We also have a warm lemony greek soup, a veggie noodle stir fry, and that chicken larb I’m obsessed with. With a little prep today you can have all these meals together in less than 30 minutes. It’s really that easy. Enjoy!
