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On this page: Menu Planning Services, Tips from the Kitchen Chick
Menu Planning Services
What is a Menu Plan
A
TACS-Total Allergy Control Plan
Fresh Start Menu Plan
What is the Fresh Start Menu Plan?
Power Plus Menu Plan
What is the Power Plus Menu Plan? Coming in two months
Detoxification Menu Plan (one month program to be followed by Power Plus)
What is the Detox Menu Plan? Coming at beginning of March (perfect timing)
What's New
Getting your kitchen ship shape
Tips from Kitchen Chick
Getting Organized
Help with Kids
and Lunch-Being Vegetarian, Being Prepared
Healthy Living on the
Go!
Here is a sampling of testimonials from Fresh Start Subscribers:
"My favourite vegan recipe is definitely the pine nut and cherry tomato curry and the halibut recipe is the best I've ever tasted. I love the crockpot meals and even my husband, who thinks a meal isn't a meal without meat, will eat them." B
"So there we sat at the
dinner table. Both Michael and I saying, mmmmm! The food was delicious.
We both appreciated it and I wondered could I actually take credit
for it - I know I prepared it however it was your recipes.
They are great. Just had to let you know."
Monica
"I have been meaning and meaning to let you know how much I enjoy your menu program. I feel I am eating in a much healthier fashion and it is fun to try new things....I especially enjoy the ethnic recipes - Thai is a big favourite of mine. At the end of the service I will have a wonderful cook book if I can figure out a way to index it. I really appreciate the incredible amount of time and energy you are putting into the menus for such a small remuneration. The tips are great as well." D.P.
"Michael told me today that he has felt more energetic after the meals and I've noticed that as well. The flavours have been wonderful. Looking forward to eating next week's menu." M & M
"I have received four weeks of your menus and am thoroughly enjoying them. My husband and I particularly enjoyed the Lentil Soup and the steamed halibut with the Dijon mustard sauce – YUM!" J.F.
What is a Menu Plan?
A Menu Plan is one of the most important tools you have at your disposal for creating a healthier lifestyle.
A Menu Plan can:
 | Reduce stress |
| Reduce clutter in cupboards and fridge |
| Help you organize your kitchen |
| Create quality family time |
| Increase time spent doing things you enjoy |
| Decrease preparation time for meals |
| Improve your health |
| Save unnecessary stress when unexpected company comes over |
| Get your whole family involved with meal time |
A Menu Plan is a list of meals you will be preparing in a given time period. It can include all meals and snacks in a day or only one or two. I like menu planning dinner as it is around this time that my kids have activities and I start feeling stressed about what I'm going to make for dinner.
Here is an excerpt from my book Fresh Start: A Recipe for Healthy Living
"The older I get the more I cherish routine and order. Without it my busy life would be chaos. I am sure many of you feel the same way and crave the peace an quest of a well organized life.
Having to cook four different meals (due to everyone having different allergies and sensitivities) was an eye opener for me. If I didn't have my home and meals organized someone would end up eating what they shouldn't or worse, not eating at all. Creating an easy and reproducible routine has been the key to successful Healthy Living on the Go!
My focus in this section is to share with you some tips and techniques for ensuring healthy eating no matter how rushed your life is.
Here are the steps I take to making my life simpler through menu planning.
| First, take a look at your home. Are you spending too much time cleaning and organizing clutter? Do you have duplicates of kitchen utensils? To many glasses, mismatched plates, etc? Are your cupboards so full you can't see what's in the back? Last summer my girlfriend and I read a book called, "The Sidetracked Home Executive," written by two sisters living in clutter and disarray who decided they had had enough. By creating a system, they organized their home, their lives, their families, and their meal times. Everyone participated in household management and everything got done. Janet and I decided to adopt some of the ideas and create homes that were easy to maintain and didn't demand all of our time. We went through each room in our home and threw out redundant or unnecessary items. We organized our kitchen with labels so everyone including little ones would know where things went. We created work schedules that were doable so everyone could feel a part of the solution and we planned regular meetings to encourage and motivate each other. It worked! We have homes and lives that move much smoother, we don't forget appointments, field trips or birthday parties, we usually have a healthy, hearty supper on the table, and we have found extra time for ourselves. I encourage you to take the time to create your own system or use the Fresh Start Menu Plan, I guarantee when you know what's for dinner or lunch or breakfast, it makes your 'life in the fast lane' far less stressful. |
| Second, with a calendar in one hand and a pen in the other, take a look at your lives. Fill in all the routine events: children's soccer games, work, school, gym class, etc. If you have a day planner that breaks the day into times, use it, making sure to schedule traveling time as well. When you are filling in the day planner with all your weekly and monthly events, make sure you block yourself some time on a day off, Sunday for example. Take about one hour to menu plan, organize shopping lists and setting time aside for purchasing the next weeks ingredients. |
| Third, with your family, make a list of all your favorite meals. You can focus on the major meal of the day or on all meals. From this list, take out the ones that are unhealthy or not allowed on special diets. Add any extra meals you make on a regular basis and any dishes you will be using from the recipe section of this book. Beside each dish, mark down whether it is a quick meal (QM) or a special meal that takes more time to prepare (SM). If your family doesn't have the time for any preparation at mealtime, label this day a crockpot meal (CM) or times oven meal (OV). |
| Now, on your calendar mark down the days where you need a quick meal (QM) or a crockpot meal (CM) and the days you have more time to prepare that special meal (SM). |
| On a separate calendar that stays in the kitchen, as well as your day planner, plan your meals. On the days that require a QM, pick a meal from your family's favorite's list, that doesn't require much time to prepare. On days you require a CM, choose one from the recipe section, prepare it in the morning, and set it to be cooked by the time you get home from work. |
| Create two weeks of menu plans at a time and plan your shopping trips to include picking up necessary ingredients. |
| Key to Organized Living! QM-Quick meal, a meal you can fix in 30 minutes or less. CM-Crockpot meal, a meal prepared in the morning and set to be cooked at the end of the day. Nothing beats coming home to a house filled with the delicious aroma of an already cooked meal. SM-Special meal, a meal that takes time to prepare and cook. OM-Oven meal, a meal you set the oven to cook so it is ready by a certain time. |
TACS-Total Allergy Control System- Menu Planning Program
The Total Allergy Control System was created out of necessity. Our family had so many allergies and sensitivities to deal with in the kids and John and I that I had to do something. Between the four of us we couldn't eat much. TACS was developed as a complete method of finding foods that we were sensitive to. Click here to view a sample of the program.
To order your complete E-TACS program for only $10.00 please call 250-755-1930
What is the Fresh Start Menu Plan?
This was my first! Menu Plan that is! For three months everything I cooked, baked, stir fried, combined, whipped, mixed and folded got recorded and became the following weeks menu plan. My kitchen was in organized disarray as I turned my healing kitchen into a creating kitchen.
This menu plan was created at the request of my husband's patients. Individuals who were motivated to make dietary changes to their lifestyle. The only thing stopping them was knowledge on what to eat, how to prepare it and how to plan. With the Fresh Start Menu Plan you don't have to plan and you don't have to do research to find all the answers.
The Fresh Start Menu Plan is for anyone interested in reducing the amount of animal products, refined carbohydrates and sugars in their diet and increasing the number of health promoting foods.
These recipes are served up in the following format:
| Three vegetarian meals |
| 2 ethnic meals |
| 2 crockpot dishes |
| 1 beef or red meat dish |
| 1 or 2 chicken dishes |
| 2 seafood dishes |
| 2-3 stir fries |
| Breakfast Ideas and recipes |
| Lunch Ideas and recipes |
| Snack Foods |
| Leftover suggestions |
You receive a shopping list outlining everything you
need each week, as well as utensils for preparation. In addition, you
will be able to read reports and articles Beth has researched to explain the
importance of eating the foods used in the recipes. To purchase three
months of the Fresh Start Menu Plan click on the buy now button below.
What is the Power Plus Menu Plan?
To be announced in February. It can tie in with the Detoxification Program if you choose.
Tips from Kitchen Chick
Getting Organized
When I first started my journey with Megan and Zack I never thought I would eventually be told I was so organized. I remember when I first told my mom we were going to homeschool. Her first reaction was, "You can't homeschool you aren't good at organizing!"
Well you know the saying, "necessity is the mother of all inventions", I had no choice. My kitchen had to be organized so Megan would know where the foods she could eat were kept and Zack had to know where his were. When it came to preparing meals I had to be organized, if we were out and about with kids activities or visiting friends we had to take all our food as we couldn't stop off somewhere and just pick something up, Megan's diet wouldn't allow that kind of spontaneity.
Going from the least organized person to a stickler for being organized I can share with you insights from both sides of the fence. Working at learning the skill of being organized around mealtimes and in my home and life has been the single most effective tool I have discovered since having children. It has allowed me time I didn't have when I was disorganized. Before, if friends stopped by to visit, I was thrown into a tizzy telling them to wait at the door while I quickly picked things up and tidied up the kitchen. Now, I may have a few things lying around, but I am not thrown into panic mode when the door bell rings. I encourage friends to stop by and it feels good knowing if I get sidetracked chatting with a friend I can still have supper on the table when it is needed.
Being Vegetarian, Being Prepared
After explaining to my family that I would be eating vegetarian for at least a month, my daughter piped up and said she was going to do the same. It is one thing for me to go vegetarian, but a whole different matter for a teenager. There growing bodies require specific nutrients and a lot of energy.
This generation of teens is embracing the vegetarian diet and not necessarily for health reasons. Many of them are committed to the no-animal product diet for ethical reasons. Reasons I highly respect.
Unfortunately, as the vegetarian diet comes into vogue, individuals, especially teens, are not understanding the principles and basics involved in this way of eating.
In my husbands' practice he sees many young people on a vegetarian diet suffering from nutritional deficiencies. These can range from deficiencies in protein to specific vitamins and minerals. These teens come in to see John fatigued, pale, unmotivated and sometimes with dramatic changes in mood and academics. Needless to say, when Megan announced that she would be joining me on this new diet, I wanted to make sure she did it right, especially as she has so many food allergies to contend with.
On Sunday, January 2, I surrounded myself with cookbooks and went to work creating lunches for Megan that were a) nutritious, b) quick, c) non-allergenic, d) vegetarian, e) and freezable. I was very pleased with the results.
First up was a Breaded Tofu Stick perfect for snacks or for dipping in Miso Gravy. Then I created flaky Bean Pockets, using spelt flour, with beans, cherry tomatoes, carrots, sweet pepper, and cilantro as a filling. After creating these little gems I made the mistake of letting John try one. He kept hounding me to try more! Finally, I made "pizzas" with lots of good stuff on a rice flour round.
All of the items were taste tested and given an A for taste and texture. Now, all Megan has to do is grab one or two of these from the freezer and she has a perfect, healthy lunch. They should last a couple of weeks.
It took me about 1 1/2 hours to create with 1 hour allowed for the pastry to re-chill. Perfect planning and total de-stressing.
Kids and lunches can be a real challenge, especially if your adolescent or teen chooses to go vegetarian. Some of the pitfalls, for teens on a vegetarian diet are as follows:
| Focus is on starches, pastas, breads, etc. not on protein. As protein is a major source of building material for muscles, blood skin, hair, nails and internal organs, including the heart and brain, it is imperative that young people get enough. Make sure they have plenty of nuts, seeds, Roasted Garbanzo Beans, or Ultimate Warrior Blend for snacks. To keep the blood sugar balanced have them snack on these mid-morning, and mid-afternoon. Regular meals should have a good source of protein as well. |
| Heavy reliance on dairy products for protein. Dairy products are one of the most common allergens and in our practice many kids and teens have noticed incredible improvement when these products are removed. If your child is not sensitive or allergic to dairy I suggest they consume yoghurt as it has beneficial bacteria that are health promoting. |
| Deficiency in B12. A deficiency in B12 can cause fatigue, depression, balance problems, nerve damage and memory challenges. Most vegetarians will not get enough of this important nutrient and I encourage you to have your child take a supplement. The daily recommended dose is 2 to 3 mcg. |
Consuming a vegetarian diet is a wonderful choice for teens to make, especially if it is for ethical reasons. Encourage them in this autonomous decision and help them be healthy and happy vegetarians.
Questions? Ask the Kitchen Chick at kitchenchick@thehealingkitchen.ca
Quick Kitchen Chick Tips for Healthy Living on the Go!
Planning is the most important ingredient for Healthy Living on the Go! Without it you won't find the time to prepare nutrient packed meals, or take time for yourself, or have fun with your family. Life is too short to stay stressed out about What's For Dinner! Plan ahead and know, or check out a sample of the Fresh Start Menu Plan here.
Keep a regular time for dinner. Take a look at your calendar and find a consistent time for everyone to share a meal together. Take that time and set it aside for everyone. Make it consistent. Kids and adults need the security of a routine, kids, because it keeps balance in their topsy-turvy lives, adults, because we need as many things as possible in our lives that require little or no thinking.
In addition to a regular time for dinner, how about adding a routine of meals? Saturdays we always had million dollar pancakes for breakfast and poached eggs on toast for Sunday brunch. Dinner on Sunday was hamburger and chips while watching Disney World. It was very calming and comforting knowing we would have familiar foods on those days. We all looked forward to it and spent the time together. Create your own family traditions. Maybe on Saturday morning mom and dad can sleep in and the kids can make breakfast. On Sunday afternoon make a crowd pleasing Chow Mein. What about messy Mondays where everyone builds their own tacos? Or on a busy day have a pasta salad, they make excellent lunches the next day! Creating routine is like de-fragmenting your brain and gaining extra disc space to learn new and exciting things.
Make a personal shopping list. Do it on the computer or do it by hand but make sure you do it. Having a personal shopping list isn't just for taking to the store. Post it, larger than life, on the fridge. When someone empties a box, bag, bin, tin, etc., they are responsible for circling that item. If they don't circle it, you don't buy it, and I bet they won't forget to write it down next time.
Ask your grocer for a store map. Some of the larger stores are built to encourage browsing. With a map and a shopping list the store belongs to you!! You will know exactly where you are going, with no detours.
Getting Your Kitchen Ship Shape
Home FYI Contact the Kitchen Chick
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Meza Health Systems, Inc, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Beth Yim and her community. Beth Yim encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
Copyright 2004-2006 Meza Health Systems, Inc. All rights reserved
Questions and comments on this website can be emailed to info@thehealingkitchen.ca