lunch/snacking

[Truscifi]

Some of the recent food related threads have gotten me thinking about lunch and snacking. Ds6 usually prefers yogurt or smoothies for breakfast, but I mix it up with eggs/oatmeal/pancakes/etc occasionally, and I make dinner every night with a protein, at least one veg, and usually a starch.

 

But he is largely on his own for his other food for the day. I make sure he has healthy snacks that he can get himself - fruit, yogurt if he didn't have it for breakfast, bread, cheese, leftovers from the night before, sandwich stuff, etc. I don't keep junkfood in the house. He gets what he wants when he is hungry up until an hour before dinner - no more snacks at that point. Ds is very independent and prefers to pick what he eats, but he knows he is only allowed any given snack once a day unless he asks permission to have more, and if he wants something he doesn't know how to make he just asks. I either show him how or make it for him if it involves cooking or using a knife.

 

I'm curious. Is this unusual? Do most of you serve hot lunches or eat a set lunch? Is my way workable because I only have one child and he is good about his eating habits?

[LibraryLover]

I am not always the one to prepare it, but yes, we usually decide what to eat and then we make it. Today my teen ds son made a chicken stir fry for 'brunch' for his sisters, and little cousin. (PS No more school, school is out, yeah! ) I was out in the barn during prep and eating, but I did have some. Yum. Today is the first day of summer vacation, so he slept late and we aren't on any schedule right now. (Yeah!!!!)

 

Some days are more catch- as -catch- can if people are busy with activities.

Edited June 18, 2010 by LibraryLover

[fairfarmhand]

This is sort of what I do for my kids. There is sandwich stuff and ramen and things like that for the bigger ones to fix for themselves for lunch. They usually eat around noon. The smaller kids I'll fix something for. I have them ask for snacks. Otherwise they will eat all day with no appetite for real food. And food becomes something they turn to when they are bored. And I'd be broke with 4 kids grazing all day.

 

The only time we have a hot lunch is if we are having leftovers.

[Daisy]

I'm more flexible about breakfast and lunch.

 

The kids just have to tell me what they want to make and I say yes or no based on our activities for the day, what's for dinner, etc. By this age, they can make their own eggs, pancakes, smoothies, bagels, sandwiches.

 

They tend to "fend" for those meals. They are not opposed to my making lunch and some days I'll say, "Hey, I'm eating tuna for lunch so wait until I get it made and we can all eat that."

 

They have to ask for snacks though because they'll eat 30 minutes before meal time otherwise. I don't care what they get for a snack because usually I only have veggies and fruit available anyway.

 

So maybe I'm in the middle a bit. Not totally a free-for-all, but I'm not cooking 3 meals a day either.

Edited June 18, 2010 by Daisy

[Parrothead]

So maybe I'm in the middle a bit. Not totally a free-for-all, but I'm not cooking 3 meals a day either.

:iagree:That's me.

[2squared]

I'm curious. Is this unusual? Do most of you serve hot lunches or eat a set lunch? Is my way workable because I only have one child and he is good about his eating habits?

 

For me, yes. Workable because you have one kid.

 

My 6yo and 8yo could get all their own food. My 3yo and 2yo need someone to feed them. I need the kitchen to be closed down for periods during the day, and my grocery budget needs a strategy for filling bellies on low-cost foods and finishing leftovers. I would be :willy_nilly: if everyone was eating whenever and whatever they wanted.

 

I do let my olders make their own food at times, but not if their foods are more appetizing than what the rest of us are eating. No one really wants to eat leftovers, but that's life.

 

Everyone gets their own snacks when they want them, though. Snacks = fruit in our household.

[Daisy]

No one really wants to eat leftovers, but that's life.

 

 

Funny. Leftovers are the most popular item at my house.

[Dawn in OH]

I serve a hot breakfast probably 3 times a week. Usually scrambled eggs with various vegetables in it, toast or buttermilk biscuits, and sausage or bacon. Other days I make sure that there is homemade muffins or cereal available as well as fruit and yogurt. I also try to make smoothies at least 3 times a week.

 

I don't serve hot lunches. I just don't have the time for it. I do make sure there is plenty of healthy food in the house covering all the food groups. I let the kids know when the window of opportunity to have lunch is. (I can't let someone have "lunch" at 3 PM when dinner is at 5:30, which my kids have tried to do even though they know how to tell time). I have cheese, fruit, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, homemade bread or crackers, peanut butter, and nuts all on hand all the time. The two older kids fix their own plates. I make sure to remind anyone without a protein on their plate what foods are in that group and to take some, and the same for any other food group it looks as though someone is neglecting.

[Truscifi]

I totally agree that it wouldn't work with kids who eat when they aren't hungry, whether it is because they are bored, stress eaters, or whatever. Also, we started easing into this as he approached age 5, and I have gradually shown him how to make more things himself. Littles of course need more help/have to be fed.

 

I was just wondering what everyone else did. Sometimes I need reassurance that I'm not a terrible mom for not being a total domestic goddess and having a spotless house and three hot meals a day and...you get the idea. :D

[JustGin]

Works for us and we've been doing this since my three were quite young. They are now 12, 13 and 14 (almost 15). I stock the house with all "yes" foods, and let them make their own breakfast, lunch and snack. From the beginning I have raised them that treat foods like cookies, chips, ice cream, etc, are just that, treats, and if we have them on hand, they have to be part of a meal, with a few exceptions. Hunger is taken care of by snack food and snacks in this house are always healthy. Veggies, fruits, cheese, yogurt, pretzels,smoothies and so forth. Snacking stops 1 hour before dinner which is, usually 5 out of 7 nights a week a no-short order - we all sit down together - this is what we're having affair. I can't remember when I started the open kitchen for all meals except dinner thing, but I think it was when they were about 3,4 and 5. Old enough to wield a peanut butter knife, pour a cup of milk and eat an apple without needing the peel.

All three of my kids can and do cook, bake and bbq. (Btw, we live in the NW where bbq is a verb not a noun LOL ) They can even rustle up food over a campfire. :001_smile:

 

ETA: Even with an open kitchen for snacks, rarely do they eat more than once outside of meal time. Very rarely they will grab some fruit between breakfast and lunch, a snack in the afternoon is more common, and seldom if ever does anyone have more than one of these. My 12yo ds is the one who eats the most, but then he is growing, is at the 99th percentile for height and is predicted to be well over 6.6 by the time he's done. :)

Edited June 19, 2010 by JustGin

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Right now, I have to make most of DD's meals. She generally picks out what she wants (bowl of cereal, yogurt, some variety of fruit, eggs, peanut butter sandwich, etc.etc.) and I make it/open it/cut it up.

 

Even dinner, to some extent, she gets to choose. I usually pick the meat and offer choices for the vegetable and side dish. Then again, it is just us, so this is pretty easy.