The Innovative Dad
A psychologist’s blog about raising and educating children through the lens innovation.
Themes for Dinner: Menu Plan – Week of 10/24
When I get stuck putting the menu together each week, I'll often start thinking about themes. Just like themes help writing (shout out to my English teacher friends out there), themes for your menu can help you find a central idea or cuisine to help you wrap your menu...
Book Review: I Have a Question about Cancer
Cancer is the hardest thing that I have ever needed to explain to my kids. Probably because we struggle to understand it ourselves. The truth is that I have a hard time understanding it myself. Despite a million amazing advances in cancer care and treatment (which I...
Kids in the Kitchen: Menu Plan – Week of 10/17
My best cooking weeks (from a parenting perspective) is when I can get the kids in the kitchen to help out. For me, this has always been tricky. I like cooking and it creates an escape for me from the other areas of life where I have less control and instant...
Lessons Learned: More on Hacking and Packing the School Lunch
With the school year underway, it's time to talk about the school lunch again. One unanticipated benefit of virtual learning was the reduction of stress around lunch. Generally, the kids had enough time to heat something up in the microwave, make a sandwich, or even...
Anyone Else Feel Rushed?: Menu Plan – Week of 10/10
Last week, I was worried that our routine was so new that I didn't know how to plan for it. This week, I'm feeling rushed, even though the week hasn't even started. The frenetic pace of the school year is here and I'm feeling it. In my head, I want to have more time...
Why Is a Psychologist Writing about His Menus?
This is a question that I have gotten a lot lately. And they are right. Menu planning seems an odd choice of topics. I’m not a chef or a nutritionist. What could I possibly have to say about this topic? I am, however, a dad and responsible for feeding my family every...
Getting Used to the New “Normal”: Meal Plan – Week of 10/3
We haven't had a normal week in almost a month. And, to be frank, there really wasn't anything normal about that week since school was starting. This week marks the kids' first full week of school and our first full week of work for this school year. This means that...
Cooking for Special Diets: Menu Plan – Week of 9/26
Cooking for individuals with specific dietary needs is no joke. I'm not talking about your dislikes of specific foods - those are more preferences (e.g. not liking raw vegetables or toddlers who only eat one color). Rather, I'm referring to medically necessary diets...
Time to Eat in the Hut: Menu Plan – Week of 9/19
The onslaught of fall Jewish holidays continues this week with the start of Sukkot. The exciting part of this holiday is the opportunity to gather with friends in our Sukkah (think non-permanent gazebo). Ironically, these meals were COVID-19 friendly before we knew...