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Ep 9: The Dreaded School Lunches — How to Plan Lunch for Your Kids (and Yourself) with Less Stress
48 Plays3 months ago
Back-to-school or still in summer camp mode—either way, packing lunches can be a lot. In this episode we break down practical, stress-reducing tips to make lunch prep easier for your kids and for yourself.
✨ What We Cover:
- Why prep is the game-changer you didn’t know you needed
- Easy veggie and fruit hacks
- Simple protein ideas
- Smart fat sources to keep everyone full and fueled
- How to give kids (and yourself) choice without overcomplicating it
- Real talk about picky eaters, food phases, and giving yourself grace
Whether you're packing for picky kids, feeding your partner, or trying to avoid the office cafeteria, this episode is packed with ideas to make your lunch-packing life a little easier.
Where to find us:
IG @whatsmyageagain.podcast or email us at: wmaapod@gmail.com
Where to find Tanya:
IG @tlcholistic / FB @tlcholistic
Book with Tanya: https://tlcholistic.janeapp.com/locations/tlc-holistic
Join the TLC Community: https://www.patreon.com/tlcholistic
Where to find Kim:
IG @kimdesmarais.nutrition / FB @KimDesmarais
Book with Kim: Complimentary Connect Call
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to What's My Age Again, the realest podcast for women who are done chasing trends and ready to feel empowered. Hi, I'm Kim. And I'm Tanya, holistic nutritionists and childhood best friends who've been there, done that, and bought the collagen.
00:00:16
Speaker
more than once. Each week we provide actionable steps that you can start today to help you thrive through every decade to come. We're
Podcast Focus on Aging and Wellness
00:00:24
Speaker
cutting through the wellness noise to bring you honest conversations about aging, hormones, health, beauty, mindset, and everything in between.
00:00:33
Speaker
You see, we're also on a mission to age gracefully one WTF moment at a time. Backed by research and real life, we're here to share what actually works, what's a waste of time, and how to truly thrive through the messy, magical midlife transition.
00:00:49
Speaker
We're so happy you're here. Let's dive in. Hi,
Mixed Feelings About Back-to-School Season
00:00:54
Speaker
everyone. Welcome back to What's My Age again. Hey, everybody. Hey, Kim. Hi. We are well into August.
00:01:02
Speaker
And what that means, don't hate me, is that it's only a couple weeks away before it's back to school, September grind. How are you feeling, Tanya?
00:01:13
Speaker
I'm feeling annoyed. And then I'll tell you this. I have no right to feel annoyed because I have no children. and So back to school means actually nothing to me personally, although it means a lot to my clients and all my friends, my friend mom's out there like you but i'm annoyed Because since the end of July, anywhere I've gone to do shopping,
00:01:35
Speaker
the back to school stuff is in the forefront. And I'm like,
Back-to-School Shopping and Meal Prep
00:01:38
Speaker
can you give the kids their summer? So that's where I'm at with this. It's true. active But you know what? i I feel September has a different energy.
00:01:49
Speaker
Like in some ways, I feel like it's more of a new year than New Year's Eve. Do you know what I mean? Oh, I love that. I hate New Year's Eve. So yes, I agree. Yeah.
00:02:02
Speaker
Feel like, you know, you know, and I do have children, so it's ah a different vibe. Everyone's kind of getting back into the swing of things. People are starting to kind of have goals and things that they want to work on going forward through the fall.
00:02:14
Speaker
Anyway, so, so I think it can be like. a really positive vibe. Kim. A productive vibe. Well, you're going to lead that movement because I feel that you're, you're right.
00:02:28
Speaker
I absolutely agree with that, the potential of that vibe. But I also feel like a lot of us are like, this is, bull because the summer is over. It's like the end of dirty dancing and you have to pack up and go back to your life. So we are going to ride on Kim's vibes for this because yeah i get what you're saying though. And I do have that in me too. There is that that shift in energy. We're ready for a little bit of a change. Yes, but I will tell you one thing that I dread.
00:02:56
Speaker
Actually, i lied because my kids actually go to camp. Anyways, but I know one big dread for a lot of moms out there is back to school lunches and we're back to packing school lunches every day. My kids have gone to camp this summer.
00:03:12
Speaker
i work. And so I've been continually doing the school lunches, camp lunches throughout the summer um with a little bit of a break here and there for vacation. But that's what we want to kind of get into today in this episode, the dreaded school lunches, how to plan, how to organize, and also, you know, how to feed your kids, but also,
00:03:36
Speaker
including within that, how to pack for yourself and feed yourself as well.
Importance of Food Prep
00:03:41
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Yep. I love that. And, um, where I can kind of contribute to this, like is just with that food prep part.
00:03:51
Speaker
And I know that we've said it a hundred times, me and you in our conversations, um, and to our clients, food prep helps food prep helps.
00:04:02
Speaker
looks different. It changes your life. And remember, I just actually talked about this this morning on my stories. It is going to look different for all of us. come But the one thing, and I'm sorry again, like I'm the tough fluffer girl.
00:04:16
Speaker
we can all food prep. I don't care who you are, what you do and what your time looks like. We can all food prep for some that might be a whole day for others that might be half an hour in the morning. And you know what I mean? Another 20 minutes before your workout, when you get home and like, so we can all food prep. So I think that's step one, Kim food prep. And I'm sure.
00:04:39
Speaker
And I'm going just going to say, just, just, just to, kind of go back for one second. I think when people think of food prep, people can get really intimidated because they think I'm going to be in my kitchen for eight hours on a Sunday. It's a trigger.
00:04:54
Speaker
It's a trigger sentence. Food prep is a trigger sentence. Totally. But I think what, you know, what Tanya is saying here too is, it could look different for everyone for sure if you're on shift work all week and you need to do freezer meals and your sunday is the day yeah there you go you might need to spend hours and on your sunday so that the rest of your week is easier or like for some and this includes me in this i like to do more of an ingredient prep not necessarily making entire meals
00:05:25
Speaker
And Tanya, I think I saw this on your stories this morning when you were talking about sweet potato, doing things that are going to make your life easier and let make meals come together. In this case, we're talking about lunches to um making things come together easily during the week.
Efficient Lunch Preparation
00:05:41
Speaker
Yep. A million percent. And I think Kim that we are going to do a food prep episode soon because I'm with you. I'm that ingredient prepper. I'm also like, what can I do ahead of time to make the recipe? I know I'm going to make the next day faster, but in terms of kids' lunches, um I just want to tell you my observation.
00:06:01
Speaker
When I came to visit you um in the spring, it was weekdays and the kids were in school. It was before summer. So the kids were still in school and like, Let me tell you, for everybody listening, if you take a seat at the breakfast bar at Kim's counter in the morning, it is fast.
00:06:23
Speaker
furious, chaotic in the best way possible. But I watched him in action and she packs those lunches. She, for the two boys, you know, the lunch, the lunch bins are open and like there is out of the larger containers. Oh, there goes the chopped strawberries. There goes this, there goes that, there goes that. And watching Kim was like a well-oiled machine and life was busy. You know, she's going to work. We're doing our thing.
00:06:52
Speaker
And I don't think that it would have looked that seamless if you didn't have your prep done. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not making lunches short order for kids while making waffles for them fresh in the morning. Let me tell you. And smoothies for me, it was like a dream. But anyways, I think it came down to prep or it comes down to prep. Yes.
00:07:13
Speaker
It does. and ah And I think too, to your point, Tanya, I think you just said it. um And we didn't touch on it. The plan part. For me, if I don't know what I'm making, I'm like a chicken with my head cut off. I like, that's a terrible analogy, by the way. Oh my gosh.
00:07:29
Speaker
It's horrendous. And i think going on yeah there I keep going back to funny enough bird related. I'm always like going to kill two birds with one stone. So guys, if you have notes for us, if there's new analogies here, please send them.
00:07:46
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Okay. Anyways, I run around like, yeah. Just say it, Kim, you know, you want to like a chicken with your head cut off, for lack of a better word. Yeah. And that, but if I have a plan, if I know what I'm making ahead of time, it is a, I'm able to prep for it and have things ready to go in the morning. And it's just as much as there's chaos in terms of kids packing up stuff and getting their homework and meat and feeding them and all that stuff.
Including Vegetables and Proteins in Lunches
00:08:15
Speaker
The part about knowing what's going in those lunchboxes and having things slightly ready makes a massive, massive, massive, massive difference. And the other thing too is I think what I'm hearing from so many moms out there is ideas. Oh my gosh, my kids won't eat this. yeah I need new ideas. i need new things. And so we're going to talk about, let's, maybe we can kind of go let's start with the prep part.
00:08:41
Speaker
Sounds good too I think one thing that you mentioned, Tanya, that that I do do on the regular is when i come home from grocery shopping, and this doesn't happen every single time, but it makes my life easier and I like to do it, is I cut up my veggies, wash my fruit, wash my lettuces, all of my produce I essentially wash and chop according to how I need it for the week. Now, I also do it with...
00:09:08
Speaker
in regards to dinners. But when I'm talking about school lunches, yeah for example, my kids have veggie sticks. So that could be cucumbers, different colors, peppers, um carrot sticks. I like to cut them into sticks, put them in a little inch of water and have that ready to go in my fridge. And I will also tell you for those parents out there that are like, my kids don't like vegetables.
00:09:31
Speaker
I was just about to ask you that, Kim. Like I was just about to say, I'm sitting here listening to you because I know how your kids eat. I saw, but I'm like, okay, Kim, most people are like, my kids don't want bloody carrot sticks and celery for lunch. So, well, the thing is to, well, okay.
00:09:48
Speaker
So one of the things that I like to do is have those ready because also for after school, when you play, when every kid comes home hungry after school and everybody immediately wants a snack right now.
00:10:01
Speaker
Your kids wanted a snack. It's so funny. Your kids asked for snacks. You're like, Hey, when we went to pick them up, we couldn't even be like, how was your day? they're like, can we have a snack? And then they came in. know what the car?
00:10:12
Speaker
Is it in the glove compartment? Yeah. No, it's not. No. Thanks. How was your day? Yes. A hundred percent. And I'm sure a lot of you can relate. It's like they are there. Yeah. It will take two it to cut up a carrot. No, no time for that.
00:10:26
Speaker
No time. You need to just, they're going to go for the bar. They're going to go for the crackers. So having everything cut up, placing it out there on the table, most kids are going to just start eating it, right? You don't even have to say anything.
00:10:41
Speaker
And I know even my kids' friends, some of them, you know, having a variety, some of them don't like carrots, some of them prefer cucumbers. Usually if you get a variety, somebody's going to like something. And having that, it just, it'll help sort of start getting your kids to have more more veggies. So anyways, for kids' lunches, having those veggies prepped and ready so you can just put them in the lunchbox in the morning is a game changer for me because,
00:11:07
Speaker
It takes a lot of time to chop and prep your veggies. It's same thing with fruit doesn't take as much time, but i wash the strawberries and berries and all the things ahead of time, have them ready to go that I can just pop them into the school lunch.
Exploring Alternative Proteins
00:11:21
Speaker
So they got their veggies, they got their fruit. A big, big, big one that I hear from a lot of parents is the protein part of the lunch. People get stuck, people run out of ideas.
00:11:35
Speaker
And again, this is one where let's prep our proteins ahead and let's not overcomplicate it. So for example, that's a good point right there. Do not overcomplicate it. Okay.
00:11:46
Speaker
Yeah. Like we can think about leftovers in a different way. For example, one sort of hack or trick that I do is say we make a roasted chicken for dinner on a Sunday.
00:11:59
Speaker
Instead of making one chicken, I'll roast two. And then with the leftover meat, I'll shred it chop it up. And you can have that for chicken wraps,
00:12:12
Speaker
You can ah make chicken salad. You can even have some leftover for your own meal. I'm so sorry as you're talking. every like I'm dying here because this is a very chicken theme. And all I can picture is you running around like the chicken with your head cut off. And now you're like chicken salads, chicken wraps, roasted chicken. But it's so true. It's true.
00:12:35
Speaker
And that let if you're going to be taking the time to make your protein, make sure you have leftovers so you can put in your kids' lunches, but then also your lunch. And maybe we can do this with a vegetarian option. You can do tofu cubes.
00:12:48
Speaker
You can do tempeh. Tanya, I saw you making tempeh this morning. Yeah, ah that's a good one too. Tempe, tempe bacon, like those strips, I call it bacon. You guys know you know how to make those strips. Those are great exactly like you're saying though, Kim, for wraps with a side dish, like even just tempe strips with those chopped veggies, easy for kids to grab.
00:13:08
Speaker
Should that be something that you have in your home, you know? Because Kim, correct me if I'm wrong too, Not that this is a bad thing. um This is not, we're not getting into the whys of this, but even, you know, natural peanut butter, I love peanut butter, but it's not great on the daily, but most schools now, is this right? Like, is it a completely nut free for the most part? Like you can't fall back on the, yeah. there's a law it So many moms are like, I just wish I could give them a peanut butter sandwich. And it's true.
00:13:35
Speaker
That's what I hear. Yeah. Okay. So thinking outside the box for other plant-based proteins for, you know, kids that might be picky with meat or what, you know, for whatever reason is important.
00:13:46
Speaker
Absolutely. And people can, you know, sun butter is an option. They can do sunflower butter with like sun butter and jam ah sandwiches. My kids, so oh Owen doesn't love tofu, but Brenny does, loves tofu cubes. And there's so many different recipes.
00:14:04
Speaker
like tofu is kind of like chicken. Let's go back to chicken for a second, where it takes on the flavor of what you put with it. um So you're sitting there thinking, oh, my kids don't like tofu, there's different ways you can make it crispier. It doesn't have to be smushy. You can make it crispier. You can make it with, you know,
Thermos Meals for Versatile Lunches
00:14:22
Speaker
tamari and different seasonings, or you can make it with like you know maple syrup and different things to make it a little sweeter.
00:14:28
Speaker
right I am the tofu queen. but Can I tell you quickly, you should try this if you haven't already. This is my new favorite way. Listen up, parents and anybody who wants to try tofu in a different way, I guarantee your kids will love it.
00:14:41
Speaker
So take your tofu cube extra firm and use like your veggie peeler. Mine's just a skinny mini, but the fatty, you know, those fat ones that those might be better, but up mine's just skinny and literally shred your tofu like that.
00:14:56
Speaker
Okay. And it'll shred nicely and thinned in pieces. And then I marinated in a mixture of coconut aminos, maple syrup, um onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, whatever you want. Cause they're so thin. You spread it on your baking sheet and you bake it.
00:15:11
Speaker
Kim, it comes out like deli meat. So you have this organic tofu, beautiful, healthy, and it is literally, you can use it in crumbles as a sandwich.
00:15:22
Speaker
I literally opened my fridge and eat handfuls, like handfuls cold and put the container back on. So there's so many ways that you can prepare for your kids. Delicious. Amazing.
00:15:32
Speaker
Amazing. And it is true. Tanya has so many great vegan recipes and vegetarian recipes. Um, The other one my kids like too is roasted chickpeas.
00:15:43
Speaker
Ooh, good one. Yeah. And I you show ah usually make a big batch of those in the oven. Sometimes it's as easy as throwing them on a pan, adding like avocado oil and sea salt, maybe a little smoked paprika and letting them go until they crisp up.
00:15:59
Speaker
um Super easy. Other ones, you know, to prep ahead, you can do hard boiled eggs, right? We can do...
00:16:10
Speaker
Another one, so um my kids don't like to use anything with a fork. and so Okay, they're like... Just hands, hands and go. Got it.
00:16:22
Speaker
So, but for those of you whose kids will take a thermos, it opens up so much more options in terms of hot lunches for them, where you can prep pastas, having pesto pasta, red sauce pasta.
00:16:36
Speaker
Also, I will say, um for those of you wanting to get extra protein in your kids, having a lentil pasta will add that protein. I think my lentil pasta has nine grams of protein, um,
00:16:50
Speaker
In a cup, I'd like to say. I'd have to um i have to look. I feel like it might have more than that, actually. The Felicia one from Costco has a lot more than that even in a cup as well. Okay.
00:17:00
Speaker
Yeah, so either way. Take a look. Mental pasta, great way to get extra protein in our kids, especially if they love, like, if they can have pasta and thermos meals. Super easy.
00:17:11
Speaker
And then you can just add some healthy fats, some veggies, and you've got a full meal there. And you know what it reminds me of? So I definitely used to take a thermos to school when my mom would pack my lunch, literally flashbacks to like grade two, Holly hobby thermos.
00:17:28
Speaker
But I'm going to let
Meal Prep for Adults Working From Home
00:17:29
Speaker
you know something right now. Mine was probably like literally a can of cream of chicken soup because we only knew what we knew that jiggly juggly. I don't even want to talk about it. Condensed cream of chicken soup, but like, yeah, thermoses are such good ideas. And I honestly hear a lot of my friends as well that their kids love to take a thermos lunch, especially when the weather gets cooler, you know? Absolutely. And you can do chilies, you can do soups, you can do stews. Like there's, it's basically your leftovers from last night's dinner, adding it to a thermos and you're done.
00:18:00
Speaker
And I do the same thing too. I'm not packing lunch for children, um but I do pack For my husband and for breakfast and lunch. And I have so many people that are like, you do your husband's lunches? You do your husband's meals?
00:18:13
Speaker
Yeah, let's talk about it for two reasons. A, I'm a nutritionist and it's what I do. And B, i definitely think his choices and selections would be subpar.
00:18:24
Speaker
compared to mine. So I'll do that as well. Leftovers, throw them in the thermos and it works. And I don't know, Kim, if you, you have the opportunity to feed your boys breakfast before they go to school, which is amazing. And I know maybe a lot of people don't have that opportunity for work schedules, but ah do you think a thermos could also be a good spot for a breakfast? Cause I do that for my husband, like an oatmeal. do you know what I mean? Like I'll do like a cacao oats for him. So like, Maybe an idea for any parent who has to do both breakfast dread, oh my God, and lunches to go. Maybe a thermos breakfast can be a thing. And then the things you're talking about that you've already mentioned, a lunch or vice versa.
00:19:09
Speaker
100%. Absolutely, Tanya. And I think the whole thing is, you know, as much as you can do ahead of time, um the better.
00:19:20
Speaker
And so when you're making your proteins for the week, whatever that may be, but maybe it's chicken, maybe it's beef, maybe it's tofu, maybe it's tempeh, but make enough for kids' lunches and also your own lunch. Because that's one of the biggest things too with a lot of my clients, myself included,
00:19:43
Speaker
I work, you know, like when I'm working throughout the day, it's hard to take time to stop, prep your lunch and then eat it and then go back to work. Usually it's so much easier to work right through. And one of the biggest things that we always are going to talk about on this podcast is nourishing yourself.
00:20:00
Speaker
And so, you know, making it easy, absolutely feeding your kids, but also making it easy for yourself to grab your lunch during the day as well. And i think i I think you made such a valid point.
00:20:15
Speaker
So we have people that work at home. We have people that work outside of the home and a combination of the two. I'm someone who works from home and you're so right. It is so easy for me to work through my lunch.
00:20:26
Speaker
And it is so easy to think that because I'm at home, I'm going to stop what I'm doing and make a lunch. And oftentimes I have very limited time. I still take the time to eat always.
00:20:37
Speaker
But what I've done too is when I pack my husband's lunch, Kim, I set stuff aside like I'm packing my lunch and I am. It's in the fridge ready to go. So I just have to, i have the luxury of being able to heat it up if I need to. But so I'm essentially packing a lunch, even though I'm at home, because it's easier for me to be able to grab something.
00:20:57
Speaker
And I think that works for everybody when, you know, if it's prepped, we're going to eat it. We're going to stop and we're going to eat it. Absolutely. And it's it's especially hard. You're absolutely right, Tanya. It's especially hard for people who work from home because they think, oh yeah, I'll take a break.
00:21:12
Speaker
I'll just go and describe something. Absolutely. that's the That's exactly the mentality. So yeah. So treating it like, you know, you're not going to have time for that because let's be real. You're not.
00:21:24
Speaker
as web Have you ever actually done that? No, I'm not leisurely sauntered to my kitchen lately on a work day and made myself an hour long lunch. I
Empowering Kids with Meal Choices
00:21:32
Speaker
can't tell you I've done that in that In the recent future. So yeah. So like you said, I think it's so important for, you know what I mean? Not only the kids, but for us to benefit as well.
00:21:43
Speaker
Totally. And then like for all of you out there who are sitting there going, oh my gosh, my kids won't eat that. Or... i you know I want the ideas, reach out to Tanya and I. It's what we love to talk about. Tanya has amazing ideas on her community, um on her website as well. You can reach out to me. I also have great ideas.
00:22:04
Speaker
Yes, you do. And you have amazing. And i will Kim also has great ideas and ah great newsletter, which is something I have to tell you, like i aspire, just as a side note. So Kim has ideas.
00:22:16
Speaker
newsletters And I bet you I'm willing to wager this month is probably going to be about the dreaded school lunches. So yes, absolutely. And sometimes we just need to collaborate and get ideas together.
00:22:27
Speaker
um And then you've got a plan in place. And let's be real. I'm going to talk from personal experience because, you know, so many times whenever I post something about my kids, I get a lot of um comments on Instagram. It's a big one. And a lot of them are, oh my gosh, you're so lucky. My kids won't eat that.
00:22:46
Speaker
And I'm going to be honest with you. Like, I remember talking to one of my mom friends at Pickup and she was asking me about something that her kid ate at my house. And I was like, oh yeah, Brenny. I think it was...
00:22:59
Speaker
I don't remember. Was it tofu? don't know. it I was like, oh yeah, Brenny loves XYZ. And literally he'd been eating it for weeks. Okay. He's asked for it every day. And he chimes in next to me. No, I hate that.
00:23:12
Speaker
And literally... That day came home and he did not eat his lunch. So it's like, I also have kids who change their mind all the time.
00:23:23
Speaker
And so I too always need to kind of bring new ideas or bring things back or make things in different ways. And so i'm I'm here with you. I understand where is you're going from.
00:23:34
Speaker
And I am here with you, but laughing along, not at you, but with you because yeah. And i you' no one is better equipped, guys. If you you know what I mean for kids' lunches and kids' nutrition and whatever, no one is better equipped than Kim. Because I, again, Kim, like I see what you do for your kids and I see how you do it and the way in which they feel like they have choices and all of that stuff. So you are so equipped for that, for those reasons and more.
00:24:04
Speaker
Thank you. And I think that's one other great tip too, that you just made me think of is giving your kids the choice. It's what I found my kids buy into what we're eating, whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, by the way.
00:24:18
Speaker
um But, you know, having them choose what veggie they want in their lunchbox this week what fruit they want in their lunchbox this week and what protein and fat they want.
00:24:29
Speaker
Yes. You know, and and I mean, some of you are way more organized than I am out there and maybe could make a little list and be like, okay, what do you want this week? Me, we just talk about it.
00:24:42
Speaker
We verbalize it because there's no time. We'll just kind of go by the wayside after a few days. But yeah. It is great to be able to, you know, whatever your kids need, maybe they do need a list and they can be like, okay, and that goes on the grocery list for next week. And that's what you have for your school lunches. So whatever kind of planning upfront you can do with yourself and your kids will help make school lunches easier.
00:25:09
Speaker
Kim, genius and brilliant. And I think with that to piggyback, In giving your kids choice, it sounds like to me that you're also giving them accountability, accountability for their actions and what they're choosing. So let's say if they come home for lunch and say, this, I did not eat my lunch. I don't like this anymore.
00:25:27
Speaker
Okay, no problem. you you You made those choices, you know, and we have to be, you know, next time, here you go, choose something different then. And you already have those different lists of items to be chosen.
00:25:38
Speaker
And then I want to talk about choice for a second. I know it's kids' lunches, but we did talk about We need to nourish ourselves as well. Now is your time, ladies. It's not later. It's now. So being accountable for our own choices means not just prepping for your kids.
00:25:55
Speaker
Like we said, enough for you as well. How easy is it for you if you work out of the house or even if you work in the house? Not where I live because ain't nobody coming here to deliver. But in theory, if you don't have something prepped, how easy is it for you to head to the drive-thru with, you know, the girls going out for the lunch hour?
00:26:13
Speaker
Or call a skip the dishes or an Uber Eats. If we
Addressing Decision Fatigue Through Meal Planning
00:26:18
Speaker
give ourselves the choices and we have those choices, just like you have them for your kids and I have them in my house, I'm going to pick that because it's there and I'm accountable for that, the choice that I make. And it makes it easier to eat better because I've chosen what I've wanted to have. Similarly, like your kids have chosen what they want to have, whether they come meeting it or not and changing their mind.
00:26:42
Speaker
Absolutely. And to your point, Tanya, too, with yourself, I mean, one thing that I have definitely throughout the day is decision-making fatigue.
00:26:52
Speaker
It's a real thing for me because, ah you know, i plan my kids' lunches. I plan that I'm, I'm planning others' meals, doing meal plans all day for clients, working with And so at the end of, or midday for me, i don't want to be making a decision with what I'm going to eat. I'll sit there staring blankly at my fridge.
00:27:12
Speaker
So yes, absolutely. It would be easier at that point to call and skip the dishes or to, you know, go to the drive-through and make make a decision that I didn't really want to make in the first place. I'm doing it for convenience.
00:27:26
Speaker
um So yeah, anything that you can do to sort of get ahead of the game and to make your decision-making easier, day of is so important.
00:27:38
Speaker
A thousand percent. So Kim, pressure is on. Nutshell this for everybody. The dreaded lunches. So the key takeaways that we can take from our conversation.
00:27:50
Speaker
To start, I'll start you off, is to do that prep. Do the chopping, to do the washing, to have that stuff ready to grab and go, whether it's fruits, veggies, proteins, you know, snacks, whatnot. So do the prep, number one.
00:28:10
Speaker
And then what would you say the next, you know, big takeaway with this is going to be to make things less stressful? Yeah, have the choices with veggies. Think about veggies, fruits,
00:28:22
Speaker
proteins, fats, and make sure that your chai, and we this isn't for this podcast, but that's going to really help keep their blood sugar balanced throughout the day, having a balanced, balanced lunch. So allowing them to make choices within those categories is really important.
00:28:37
Speaker
Oh, okay. One other thing, one other tip is also If your kids love baked goods, which mine do, is making muffins or any baked goods ahead of time as well that you can add to the school lunches as a treat.
00:28:52
Speaker
No affiliation, but there is a wonderful cookbook um called The Food Doula. She's a Toronto-based cookbook. I believe she's a holistic nutritionist specializing in prenatal, but her cookbook isn't just for people prenatal. They have, she has amazing recipes in there with muffins and treats and stuff like that.
00:29:14
Speaker
um But having that prepped ahead of time is also really great. And you can sneak in great proteins like quinoa. um You can sneak in, you know, um sweet potato, that sort of stuff. Um, that kind of lentils. I len you only say that because Kim, you've had this book forever because I'm not even talking when I, like it was two years ago when I came to visit you and it was on your counter and I have screenshots from there and I make the three recipes, the banana bread, the lentil ovens, like I make those recipes. So we'll put that in the show notes for sure.
00:29:47
Speaker
So yeah, it's like it's a good one. It's a well-loved cookbook in our house and that might, those, those recipes also might help with some ideas. So yeah, really, i think, like you said, Tanya, having a plan in place is number one, so that you're not scrambling all week.
00:30:05
Speaker
Number
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:30:06
Speaker
two is having those ingredients prepped to make your life easier so that in the mornings or the night before even, you can pull those things together quickly, um as opposed to prepping from scratch every single day.
00:30:20
Speaker
And then thinking about those categories, veggies, fruits, vegetables, proteins, fats, a treat, a whole grain, that sort of thing. Absolutely. That sounds amazing. So variety choices and prep and some really yummy recipes in between.
00:30:40
Speaker
So hopefully that gives you guys some light about how to reduce the stress. I think no matter what, sounds a little stressful. The whole rig of the mort of this lunch. We can't take it away. We can just support each other. we got this ladies. We got this.
00:30:56
Speaker
Yeah. We got this. All right. So guys, so get ready to prep. School is coming back soon. And let's continue to enjoy summer, though. Let's not rush this right now.
00:31:08
Speaker
we No, we're still in August. Enjoy, everyone. Thanks, Tanya. I'll see you guys next week. Bye, Kim. Bye.
00:31:16
Speaker
hey guys. Thanks so much for hanging out with us today. If this episode resonated with you, we would love it if you would hit like, subscribe to the podcast, and share it with a friend. We love to hear from you because let's be honest, this show is for you.
00:31:31
Speaker
If you have a topic you'd love us to tackle or want to learn more about something we talked about today, send us a message. We got you. Stay connected with us on social media at what's my age again dot podcast for even more knowledge and inspiration between episodes.
00:31:48
Speaker
Kim and I aren't doctors or your healthcare practitioners. Everyone's body is unique, so always consult your own healthcare care provider before starting something new.