What do your kids eat in a day?

[happylittlefish]

Posting here for traffic.

We don't as a rule have 'junk' through the week - saved for weekends. But ds11 & ds9 say they're getting a bit "bored" with the food they eat To give you an example, yesterday they had:

• Bran flakes, milk
• Nuts, raisins, tomatoes, pepper
• Egg mayo & salad wholemeal wrap, banana, cucumber
• Salmon fillet, baby potatoes, veg

I was thinking of incorporating a 'treat' or something, but I'm not sure. They are very thin but don't want to feed them up on junk.

So, what do your kids eat in a day?

[JustBeingJuliet]

Yesterday ds(10) ate:

Weetabix with banana, glass of orange juice

Ham sandwich, apple, yoghurt coated raisins, peperami and carton of apple juice

Glass of milk with a biscuit after school

Hunters chicken, potato wedges and carrot sticks, glass of water

Another glass of milk

That's a fairly typical day, although he doesn't eat huge quantities of anything.

[branofthemist]

Dd - 12

Wholemeal toast for breakfast

BBQ chicken salad for lunch

Catalonia for tea and profiteroles. It was her birthday so we went out and mum made the profiteroles which we had at home.

Ds had white toast for breakfast

Han sandwich, Apple and yoghurt for lunch

Pizza for tea. He is 5.

Usually breakfasts and lunches are generally the same during the week because of school.

Dinners are typically

Sausages, potatoes and veg
Home made chicken nuggets with veg
Homemade fish goujon and veg (pretty sure a goujon is the same as a nugget. No idea why it's not called a nugget )
Lasagne
Homemade tomato pasta
Soup
Salads
Home made pizzas

(Ps dh is a chef and loves cooking so does it all. He prefers home cooked food from frozen. I am not trying to make out I am some sort of domestic goddess doing loads of cooking from scratch )

[MrsKoala]

Ds1 (4)

Porridge and tsp honey/raspberry jam on toast

Chicken mayo sandwich and an oat bar/ red soup (red and orange veg in a homemade soup blended) and cheese on toast/ houmous and breadsticks

A chocolate cookie or cake and a couple of jammy dodgers at various bribe points during the day.

Sausage and sometimes a few chips/fish cakes/ham and cheese quiche.

And that's it pretty much it every single day. No fruit. Little veg.

[EarthboundMisfit]

Yesterday my six year olds had -porridge, seeds, apple juice and sliced pear for breakfast

Whatever school lunch and snack were, no idea

Picky tea of chicken, potatoes, peas, carrot sticks, cheese (shopping due today!)

Strawberries, grapes, two ice pops, a pear, more cheese, a few tangfastics

My two year old had the same breakfast minus the seeds and pear which are THE DEVIL'S OWN FOODS.
FOUR satsumas
A couple of cups of milk
Pitta, houmous, cucumber, tomatoes which he threw on the floor because they are one of THE DEVIL'S OWN FOODS.
Whatever snack he had at nursery.
Same tea as the older ones minus the grapes which are THE DEVIL'S... you get it.

[happylittlefish]

Thanks for ideas so far 😁 today boys have had:

• Weetabix (3 for ds11, 2 for ds9), milk
• Nuts, raisins, yellow pepper
• Tuna & tomato wholemeal wrap, apple
• Tea will be fish, rice & veg

Still in two minds whether or not to give them a treat sort of food

[Beanzmeanzcoffee]

That is spectacularly healthy OP! I applaud you for getting them on board with that style of eating but I would worry a little that restricting 'treat' foods so much and indeed declaring them treats may lead to problems once they have a little more autonomy over their choices. Obviously your kids might be much more balanced than I was (and I have inherited from my mum all manner of screwed up thinking when it comes to food).

[NoCapes]

Tbh their food does sound really boring
I'd be craving something with a bit of flavour or sauce or spices or something after a day on that diet

[happylittlefish]

They've always eaten this way. I don't call them 'treats' at home, we call them 'occasional foods'. They can have junk at weekends, and sometimes a takeaway through the week if its a special occasion etc. I'm not overly strict, was just wondering what other people did regarding what their kids eat thanks for replies though

[happylittlefish]

Just to add, they do like the food - I think its seeing kids at school with crisps, chocolate etc every day

[Goldenhandshake]

DD (7) yesterday had

breakfast - yogurt, strawberries, glass of milk.

snack at school - apple slices

lunch - wholemeal wrap with chicken lettuce & bbq sauce. Babybel, red pepper slices, 3 cherry tomatoes, carton of sugar free blackcurrant juice.

dinner - homemade chicken curry (containing yellow red and green peppers, mushrooms, courgettes -chopped v small to hide them ;) with basmati rice.

DD age 2 had the same except her lunch was a cheesespread sandwich on wholemeal bread, some raisins and pepper slices. Her snack was one of those goodies oat bars and some grapes.

[NapQueen]

Mine will have

Breakfast - cereal and slice of toast. Piece of fruit.
Mid morning - another piece of fruit or an ice pop
Lunch - ham or peanut butter sandwich, cherry tomatoes, yoghurt
Dinner - rice or pasta or mash, salmon sausages or meatballs, at least one veg. Biscuit after.
Supper - porridge or scrambled eggs

They are 4.6 and 20mo so the quantity varies.

Treats to them are exotic fruits, especially if they get to choose it from the fruit shop, ice cream, squash.

What about making their own pizzas? That's always fun!

[Artandco]

You don't need to give junk, but those mess do sound quite boring dad in day out.

Is breakfast always just flakes/ weetabix with milk? That seriously has to be the most bland food ever I'm afraid. Mine have different every day for breakfast. They are 5 and 6.
Today was poached egg, spinach and ham on 1/2 bagel each. With glass smoothie made with milk, banana, oats and blueberries.
Yesterday was porridge with mixed seeds, glazed almonds, chopped apple and pear. Glass milk.

Again is dinner always something plain like fish, potato and veg? Just plain on a plate? Can you make them paprika potatoes or add pesto and Parmesan and breadcrumbs ontop of salmon before baking? Similar food but just some flavour.

Mine eat very little 'junk' compared to many. They don't like most anyway luckily. However meals are very varied. Lunch is a mixture of leftovers,soups, quiche, salad, fish, toasties. A wrap every day even with a diffenent filling can be a bit boring.

[happylittlefish]

Nap, thanks for that idea! Will give pizzas a go!

Art, their breakfasts are varied, they choose what they'd like each morning. A couple days ago it was eggs, before that porridge etc 😊
I forgot to be specific, sorry - the fish is covered with pesto & cheese, the potatoes have added garlic & herbs and the veg is sprinkled with chilli flakes.

Re the wrap, they also choose those each day as well 😉

[NoCapes]

Does just a wrap and an apple fill them up at lunch?

[Artandco]

Ah that doesn't sound too bad then

I thought you meant it was just plain boiled potatoes and plain fish every day..

In that case i wouldn't add junk into their diet hair for the sake of it. Just add a few diffenent type meals compared to what they eat now, same type of food but with a new sauce/ ingredients.

Maybe add a baking evening once a week when they can bake something with you. A) they learn how to bake b) they can see what ingredients go into things c) you can guide them to slightly healthier versions

They get enough actual crap at parties and school imo

[NapQueen]

Quesedillas are good and filling too. Mine love them.

[NapQueen]

Pancakes with berries and honey after dinner ever now and again.

[Beanzmeanzcoffee]

Ah that doesn't sound quite as puritanical 😉 Actually tonight sounds delicious. I know I project my own issues on things like this so I hope it didn't sound like I was having a go. I remember too well a childhood of plain grilled chicken and boiled potatoes without butter (weight watchers has a lot to answer for) and the restriction of sweet food but it's use as reward and comfort. I went nuts once I could buy and hide chocolate! That's a whole other thread though.

[happylittlefish]

Nap, thanks for the other ideas! Any more welcome.

Art - yes, I think I'll introduce baking and let them take the products to school 😊 they'll enjoy that I think

Beanz, thank you 😊. That's why I do give things at weekends, so they aren't overly restricted

[hollinhurst84]

How about fajitas, tacos or things like that?

[happylittlefish]

Thanks hollin - I think they'd love those things!

Just had tea now, and about to bake some fruit & nut honey flapjacks 😉

[Artandco]

I'm a bit of a lentil weaver admittedly, but make mine homemade ice lollies

Use a nutribullet. Either make like mini mills with fruit, Greek yogurt and milk. Or just a fruity smoothie type thing and freeze. Coconut milk and mango is current easy mix.

[Claireshh]

Yesterday

B DD7 porridge with a glass of juice
DS5 toast and banana

L at school. No clue what they ate!

Snack at pick up sml pack haribo

D Teriyaki chicken with rice broccoli and soya beans (these were not eaten)
Strawberries on a meringue with a scoop of ice cream

Today
B both had toasted potato scones and then some strawberries and yogurt

Lunch No idea

Snack after school - Cherries

D Pizza followed by an individual trifle

They don't normally have treat puddings. It is more usual for them to have fruit and/or yogurt but I went to M&S when I was hungry and bought treaty things!

[BigTroubleInLittleChina]

I think we must be the only ones who have crisps with our sandwiches, bolognaise from a jar or oven chips with fish fingers and beans for tea. And we always have biscuits or chocolate in the evenings.

[happylittlefish]

BigTrouble, I can assure you that you aren't the only ones 😉 lots of people I know do that, its just my choice to raise my kids the way I do. Obviously if they requested that sort of stuff I may consider it but so far they haven't. No doubt your kids are all very happy and healthy 😊