Sunday Funday
/Jessica Lee
I know what you are thinking…mimosas, brunch, maybe a day at the beach? Well let me rein you back a bit, I’m talking about FOOD PREP day!
One of the first things I had to learn once we started the ketogenic diet was how to efficiently use my time and not feel completely stressed out for each meal. Given that I (and maybe most of you) also work full time that left two days with any amount of time to plan meals.
I know this pandemic has changed the way a lot of you grocery shop but I will admit we were once-a-weekers before this all started. And Sunday was our day. Therefore, Sunday was also my food prep day for the week for ketogenic meals and snacks. I got in the habit of unloading groceries and getting right to it.
When we started my daughter was still mostly on purees so there was a lot of steaming going on in the kitchen. I found it so helpful to chop, steam, mash or blend, and freeze portions of all of her vegetable and fruit options. Then I could pull out a few, thaw, and mix in her “fat” (often butter or coconut oil). We did a lot of scrambled eggs and I have a great hack for that too.
As she got older, I was doing more chopping and “jarring” to have quick access for snacks and meals. To be honest, this is something I still do for my family! When they are whining because they are hungry, do I have time to get a cutting board, knife, and pepper out and cut it all up, then clean up? No way! But, if I can grab a jar with precut peppers to give them then I am much less likely to reach for that bag of chips instead. An added bonus is that I NEVER throw produce away anymore. Seriously, before I did this jar method I would get so frustrated at the produce gone bad by day 4 or 5 after the grocery run but NO MORE! Recently I also bought some kid friendly knives so they can “help” ;)
Ok so let me hit a few key points here:
Eggs-pretty much the breakfast staple for us. I know some kids have egg allergies, so I apologize for not addressing that here (but we have an amazing previous post on egg/dairy free keto you can check out). You know by now that a large egg is about 50 grams in weight but get yourself a salad dressing bottle and whisk up half a dozen, then you can just pour them into your weighing bowl each morning! (Funny side note, when I looked up a picture of the one we used, it labeled them as vintage…am I really that old??)
Veggies-Chop and steam! Then freeze in little containers like these below. I know some people say don’t do batches until you know your kids like that certain something but I disagree. I found with both of my kids that repetition was key. If they didn’t like it this week, I’d try again in another week or two, and the great thing is you’ve frozen them so it doesn’t go bad!
Fruits-Chop and mash, then freeze. Label baggies of course. Again, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try…and try, and try again! In young ones their taste buds are developing so expose them to a lot of flavors.
If you’re past the puree stage, grab some mason jars (or save old jelly and pickle jars)-wash, dry and chop. Close that lid tightly and they will stay fresh for well over a week.
We did have a rotation of staple meals so I knew each week I could count on those. I did continue to try new things with her, but if a sitter and family member was watching her I would have a tried and true meal ready. Also, it was easy to pack portions for eating out or trips where I couldn’t be certain we would have access to foods appropriate for her needs.
It takes time to settle into a new routine but I suspect we have all learned this year how to be more adaptable. While it seems like a lot of work it truly saves times for the rest of the week!
So, gather your goods and settle in as Lee Brice croons…
“Songs in the kitchen
And playing on the radio
Coffee on the counter
Bacon frying on the stove”