One of the tasks I like least, besides pulling weeds and cleaning toilets, is making a menu. It used to be easy because I would just list the foods we liked best. But now, I have to keep nutrition in mind and many of my old favorite recipes just aren't healthy. Grrrr...
We have some new favorite recipes that I've found and use frequently, but it came to my attention recently that even though we were eating a more healthy diet, we probably weren't getting all the nutrients we needed to get from our food. Hmmm...
I read an article about the importance of eating colorful foods, which we do - just not enough colors every day. Then it occurred to me that I should use the colors of the rainbow as a guide when making a menu. Ta da! It made the task so much easier and I really feel like we will be getting more nutrients from a balanced menu.
(I had a really cute picture of colored pencils to insert here, but it wouldn't upload...)
I used these colors with a number for each one - red 1, orange 2, yellow 3, blue 4, green 5, purple 6
For example, here is a one day menu with all six colors:
Blueberry Muffins and peaches - 4,2
Red and Orange Stuffed Bell Peppers (rice, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, spices) - 1, 2, 3, 5
Salmon with stir-fried purple cabbage, yellow onion and spinach; green beans w/ pimientos - 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
I generally came up with an idea for dinner first, then added lunch and breakfast based on the colors I needed to round out the day's menu. Who knew it could be so easy?!
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