Meal prep for busy families

Who knew that being a mom or dad meant you would have to come up with delicious meals every day for the rest of your days? Dinner time can be very stressful, yet it can be super easy if you are prepared and organised.

What do we know about children’s nutrition?

A balanced diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, protein, and grains is the best way. That means that if planned right, you never have to feel guilty by pulling out a pizza from the freezer because your child eats healthy food most nights and days.

Here are the steps to weekly meal preparation:

1. Plan a menu

It is important to choose things that your family likes. For example, if Spaghetti Bolognaise is a hit, make a batch enough for 3-4 meals. 

Planning the menu will also ensure that you can shop for the right ingredients so that you don’t have to stop at the shop every couple of days and save money in the long run.

2. Ensure that you have enough containers

This is a once-off purchase that you can use time and time again—choosing containers that are freezer friendly.

3. Portion out your meals 

Make sure that you can take out your meals, and they feed your family with just enough. You will only be able to reheat food that has yet to be reheated. 

4. Variety

Children love variety, though they don’t mind having the same or similar foods on a specific day. For example, Mondays could be beef day, Tuesdays could be chicken days, and Fridays could be pizza day. While they love variety, they also love predictability. 

5. Get the children to help.

Children love to assist in the kitchen. They can do age-appropriate chores like mashing potatoes or mixing ingredients. This is a great way to teach your child about healthy eating habits and allow them some bonding time with you.

Remember to have fun! Dinner times can often be a time of stress and anxiety, let’s choose to create great memories for our children. 

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Junior Colleges

Junior Colleges is a pre-school group consisting of 5 stunning schools situated throughout Gauteng. We are proud members of the ADvTECH school's division. Our schools cater from babies to Grade 0 and are open from Monday to Friday, from 6 am-6 pm with an interactive and exciting holiday program included. Our schools have beautiful safe and shaded playgrounds and large well-lit classrooms with state-of-the-art facilities. Along with the full EYFS/ISASA curriculum, Time2read, digital literacy, creative play, and Edtech, weekly gross-motor lessons and music therapy are incorporated into their daily routine and included in the school fees. At Junior Colleges we believe in holistic development and creating a fun, safe space where children can learn through play-based activities, to develop emotionally, academically, socially, and physically.

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