What’s new?
Two big things happened in our house this month.
First, Olivia started daycare. That means I now pack lunch and snacks in addition to making dinner. Our daycare provides snacks, but not until 10 months. (Can’t wait for that!)
Second, we’re trying family meals for everybody, meaning Olivia eats what we eat. To pull that off, dinner has to be ready when it’s time for her to eat around 6:15. The adults wait to eat our dinner until after she is down for bed, but the food has to be ready early.
The intersection of these two things mean I have to be super organized. Consequently, I’ve been less concerned about what she is eating and I care more about the execution of meals. It’s a lot!
Here was our plan for this past week
Hopefully it can provide you with some inspiration! Some days it’s nice not to think and just do.
| Breakfast | Lunch / Snacks | Dinner | |
| Monday | Scrambled egg with cheese Raspberries Blueberries | Turkey Pouch Avocado w/ Hemp Seeds Puffs | Peppers and Sausage in the Dutch Oven |
| Tuesday | Cottage cheese | Bison Pouch Steamed Baby Carrots Blueberries Chickpea and Red Lentil Pasta Puffs | Chicken, Broccoli, Udon Noodles, Miso dressing Kimchi Daikon Radish |
| Wednesday | Red lentil and chickpea Pasta Puffs | Pouch Sausage, Peppers | ‘Deconstructed’ Lentil Soup Green lentils, carrots, onion, celery, cilantro, ham |
| Thursday | Steamed apples, cinamon, greek yogurt | Chicken Turmeric Pouch Ham strips Blueberries Raspberries Banana with flax meal | Salmon Asparagus Tomato |
| Friday | Chia pudding (Chia seeds, almond milk, peanut butter, banana) | Pouch Chicken, Broccoli and Udon noodles Puffs | Chicken Fingers Tomato Steamed sweet potato Adults are getting take out! |
Two meal execution hacks to share
Prep food at night
Life is easier when I can get dinner done in 15 minutes and have less to clean up. So prepping food and cleaning up needs to happen at a different time. This week I tried prepping food after daycare drop off and after Liv was in bed. I preferred getting that done at night. This is just one addition to the long list of things I do each night while I watch Law & Order SVU- pumping, cleaning bottle parts, cleaning up, etc. Chopping veggies relaxes me so this fits my life and doesn’t feel overwhelming.
Have dinner ready (or close to it) before daycare pickup
It’s easier for me to cook dinner when Liv is not around. Shocking.
- For crockpot meals I get that going when I get home from daycare drop off.
- For stove top meals, I cook quickly around 5. That’s why I need the cooking step to be 15 minutes or less!
- For baked meals, I plan ahead to make sure the oven is preheated, food is baked and there is time for it to cool.
Grocery lists, recipes, + modifications for an 8 month old
Here’s some more details on our week.
Grocery List:
- Eggs
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Avocado
- 4 Bell Peppers
- 2 Onions
- Baby Carrots
- Celery
- 2 Apples
- 2 Bananas
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Fresh Cilantro
- Sweet Potato
- Tomato
- 2 Packages Precooked Sausage
- Salmon
- Package Chicken Breasts
- Ham
- Miso Marinade Sauce
- Chicken Fingers
- Almond Milk
- Greek Yogurt (Fage 5%)
- Cheddar Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
Pantry
- Green Lentils
- Flax Meal
- Hemp Hearts
- Red Lentil Pasta
- Chickpea Pasta
- Udon Noodles
- Peanut Butter
- Chia Seeds
- Cinamon
- 5 Baby Food Pouches
- Puffs
Peppers and Sausage Recipe
Need a quick and easy meal? This is it. It is so easy, and so yummy.
Time:
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 packages precooked sausage
- 4 bell peppers (every color, if you can find them!)
- 1 onion
- Olive oil
Prep work:
- Modify these foods so they are not choking hazards for your little one:
- Sausage: In ovals. Round sausages (and hot dogs) are choking hazards so be careful. (When I sent leftovers to daycare I chopped up the sausage into pea size pieces and removed the skin).
- Red Peppers + Onions: Sliced in thin strips
Cook:
- In a dutch oven, add olive oil and sausage. Saute sausage until it starts to brown.
- Remove sausage from the dutch oven
- Add veggies and cook until soft, 5-8 minutes
For 8 month Olivia:
This was Liv’s favorite meal of the week. She loved sucking on the sausage and also the bell peppers! Save this recipe, it was so easy and yummy for all of us.
Chicken, Broccoli, Udon Noodles and Miso Broth Recipe
Time:
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 mins
Steps:
- Chop 1 head of broccoli into florets and steam
- Cook Udon noodles per package instructions
- Cook the chicken (I cooked the chicken in my instant pot with a cup of water on the meat setting)
- Mix it all together
For 8 month Olivia:
When I served Liv I put everything on her tray. I served her big trees of soft broccoli and pieces of chicken that were about the size of my finger. The noodles got stuck to her hands and she didn’t like that. I’d say this was her least favorite meal of the week.
Lentil Soup Recipe
Time:
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 7 hours in a crock pot
Ingredients / Prep Work:
- 6 cups water
- 1 bag of green lentils (12 oz)
- 1 diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 tsp better than bouillon chicken stock
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 cups diced ham
Steps:
Put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours.
For 8 month Olivia:
I scooped out some soup in a bowl and then put the pieces (no broth) on her tray. I also spoon fed her some of the soup and she liked that more.
Baked Salmon and Asparagus Recipe
Time:
Prep: <10 mins
Bake: 12-15 mins
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 450
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Put salmon down on the parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil
- Break off the hard ends of the asparagus. In a bowl drizzle with olive oil and stir around to coat. Add a pinch of Mortens seasoning Salt
- Put asparagus on the tray
- Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until everything is cooked
For 8 month Olivia:
To serve Liv, I break up the salmon into small pieces and let her go for it. I give her the full stalk of asparagus.
Was this helpful?
Writing everything out made me feel proud about feeding my family this week. It’s a lot of work! If this is helpful, if you have any questions or if you want to recommend a recipe shoot me and Olivia a note at [email protected]
