Munch Menu V.3
A plant-based alternative to chicken nuggets + a gateway beet technique
If you’re new here, welcome! To get started, check out my first munch menu, which includes my dietary philosophy and an overview on how to use these weekly meal plans.
I could write a whole newsletter on the subject of “ultra-processed foods” (and dear reader, I WILL), but my intention with this Substack is never to shame you for your choices. Trust me, I have been personally known to eat frozen gluten-free chicken fingers for lunch during stressful work weeks. And my munch loves them too.
That said, I also know that processed meats (deli slices, sausages, hot dogs, nuggets, and fish sticks) have been unequivocally demonized. So what’s a munch mom to do?
Lately, I’ve been trying to rotate other plant-based alternatives into my freezer selection. Not meat substitutes, mind you. But in the case of this week’s Munch Menu, frozen falafel, which meets some of the kid-approved nugget criteria.
The beauty of trying new things in frozen form is that if it’s a hard pass, you can just wait a month or so before trying again. It doesn’t feel as wasteful or as soul crushing as trying a whole new recipe from scratch. For the record, this strategy can be applied to my frozen veggie pancakes! I’ve been loving seeing pictures of you feeding these to your littles.
If you have any favorite nugget-like frozen go-to’s, please share them in the comments or the subscriber chat!
Happy munching!
p.s. Looking for a last minute mother’s day gift? Might I suggest gifting a loved one a paid subscription to Munch Menus? For $80/a year you can improve the sanity of that special someone in your life by taking one thing off her plate. Which is always the goal over here. Better yet, maybe passive aggressively gift this to their partner? That’s your call…
WEEKDAY MUNCH MENU V.3
THE GAME PLAN
Store-Bought Spotlight
(elements you can buy)
Frozen Falafel: There’s nothing wrong with reaching for a box of frozen chicken nuggets, but the purpose of this newsletter is to encourage you to try new quick fixes! Falafel is a fantastic plant-based alternative that still fits the “nugget” assignment.
Hummus: If you don’t want to try your hand at the tahini dressing, any store-bought hummus can be a substitute. I’m brand loyal to Sabra, which makes the creamiest hummus. This carrot hummus from my archives is also a great one to try from scratch if you have time (and sneaks in another veg)!
Gotham Greens Pesto: This is by far my favorite store-bought pesto brand, usually found in the refrigerated section. I prefer the flavor of their vegan version, which doesn’t have cheese. Hopefully you have some leftover (or frozen) from last week’s Munch Menu, which featured pesto chicken! PRO TIP: freeze cubes of store bought sauces in silicone ice cube trays and start a freezer baggie labeled “pasta sauces.”
Omsom Yuzu Miso Glaze: These single packet sauces are a pantry staple for weeknight meals in our kitchen, but most of them are too spicy for a munch. This miso glaze is an exception and packs so much flavor. It’s definitely helped out by a good dose of sugar, but this week that will be in service of eating some fish and (potentially) getting to know a new cuisine.
HeyDay Corn Chowder: Are you sick of me recommending HeyDay products yet? They truly are fabulous. Feel free to substitute any canned soup your munchkin loves. Mine is partial to any dish with corn in it, so this chowder is a favorite.
Meal Prep
(elements you can make in advance)
Roasted Butternut Squash + Roasted Potatoes: You can do these together on one sheet pan cut into the same sized cubes or at the same time on two. Olive oil, salt, spices of your choice. Roast at 425 F until caramelized.
Honey Carrots or Beets: This recipe is best halved if just for your munch. Feel free to reduce the honey if your kid already likes carrots, or try a new veg: beets! Simply peel the beets and cut into small wedges or matchsticks. Golden beets are a great first foray into beets as they look like carrots. I mix them into the carrots in this recipe and it’s enough to fool her.
Brown Rice: follow the package.
Steamed or Lightly Boiled Green Beans: I like using French green beans (haricot vert) which tend to be more tender and easier to munch.
Tahini Dressing: You can use this sub recipe, and feel free to try the kale salad for the adults! The dressing ratio is easy: 1 part tahini : 1 part lemon juice : 2 parts water. Season with salt.
Quickies
(non-recipe recipes you can cook the night or day of)
Yuzu Fish: Coat your fish of choice in the sauce packet and bake at 400 degrees F until tender, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the fish. I like using this on cod, any thin white fish, or salmon. Whatever your munch prefers, or try something new!
Pickled Radishes: Full disclosure, radishes are still aspirational at our table. They tend to be a bit spicy for my munch’s palette raw. My solution is to do a quick pickle. Add 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Toss together and let marinate for 10 minutes, or longer.
FAMILY MEAL IDEAS FOR WEEKENDS
If you’re someone who goes the family dinner route, don’t worry, I still got you! Every week I’ll add two ideas from my archives or the internet that have been kid-approved in my house. You can make them on the weekends or rotate them into a munch menu.
Turkish Eggplant Casserole: This healthy play on lasagna or eggplant parm is one of my blog’s fan favorites, and it goes over equally well with piglet. More importantly, extra portions freeze wonderfully for future Munch Menus. I like to serve it alongside a big green salad for my husband and I and some white beans and cucs for the pig. We will talk about incorporating new spices into kid meals in a future letter, but note that what makes this recipe sing is the ground cinnamon!
Coconut Chicken Curry: If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen me toying with a kiddo chicken curry in a hurry. That recipe will hit paid subscribers’ inboxes in a few weeks, but in the meantime, you can try your hand at this recipe from NYT cooking that served as my inspiration. Simply omit the cayenne and the curry is mild, creamy and perfect for a munchkin. I served ours with white rice, roasted carrots and diced avocado.
TELL ME: what is your favorite frozen food to feed your munch? I’ll be doing a round-up soon!
Thanks for reading Munch Menus! This post is public so feel free to share it with fellow stressed out parents that could benefit from it!
Ooh great idea on the yuzu miso fish!
The sauce is not available on Amazon anymore, and sold out at the one place I could find it on instacart 😞 any suggestions? Can I use miso paste with a squeeze of orange??