{"id":7653,"date":"2013-06-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/meal-planning-with-food-restrictions\/"},"modified":"2013-06-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-20T00:00:00","slug":"meal-planning-with-food-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/es\/meal-planning-with-food-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Meal Planning with Food Restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Making time for meal planning can be a challenge for every busy parent. First, you have to take the time to plan<\/em> what you\u2019ll eat, when you\u2019ll eat it, and then you actually have to get to the store to buy<\/em> the ingredients that will turn those plans into reality. Throw in a food allergy and a picky eater or two, and meal planning can easily be upgraded from \u201cchallenging\u201d to just plain \u201ccomplicated!\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Together Counts \u2122 program ambassador, I\u2019m always thinking about making mealtime a great experience for my family. But because three out of my five family members have food allergies (to gluten, oats or MSG), I have to plan very carefully to make dinners that all of us can safely eat and enjoy. Time, experience and a couple of mild mishaps have helped me develop a few tips to make meal planning with family restrictions a little simpler.<\/p>\n

Plan Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>This may seem overly-simple, but it\u2019s key! One of my best strategies is to take stock of what\u2019s in the freezer and the pantry on Saturday afternoon. When I do that, I at least have a mental meal plan to start the week with \u2013 even if I don\u2019t get around to writing it down until Monday.<\/p>\n

Use a Formula<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know what your family likes and what they can eat, so develop a simple \u201cformula\u201d of sorts for your family meals. The formula that works really well for us is \u201cMeat + vegetable + gluten-free grain = dinner.\u201d It might be pork tenderloin with carrots and celery with a side of brown rice or beef roast with salad and quinoa, but it all follows the same pattern. Sure, once in awhile we go crazy with a tasty soup or some gluten-free pasta and marinara sauce, but in general sticking to the formula saves me a lot of time.<\/p>\n

Have a Fail-Safe Meal Ready<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, even the most carefully planned menus fall apart sometimes. Whether you forget to start the slow cooker or get a flat tire on the way home from work, every once in awhile you need to pass on the plan and just make dinner \u2013 NOW! A good strategy is to always keep ingredients on hand in the freezer and pantry for a \u201cgo to\u201d family-favorite meal that you can make quickly. In our family, it\u2019s a mild meatless chili made of diced tomatoes, corn, chili beans, and kidney beans. I always have the ingredients in the pantry for when we need an allergy-friendly meal fast.<\/p>\n

These guidelines keep my family dinner plans flowing pretty smoothly from week to week. How do you plan dinners for your family if there are diet restrictions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more Mealtime Planning tips, check out these Together Counts resources<\/em>:<\/p>\n