DanTheYogi I have been lurking, but I am curious what your typical day looks like, menu-wise.
Pre-kids, we ate 75% vegan, just because we preferred those options. Now, we have some picky kids. My son will eat beans with a LOT of "woe is me I have to eat beans" drama, and my daughter loves beans, but only with cheese sprinkled in excess. Lunch boxes are a huge issue. My son will eat almost any sandwich, so I have some good options for him. Daughter hates bread of any kind. Pasta salad is the only vegan dish they will both eat. They will both eat hardboiled eggs, but beyond that they normally get a small portion of meat. I'm open to ideas from other parents on how to slowly open them up to different cold food options for lunch. They VERY begrudgingly will eat a small portion of nuts, but now that I'm thinking about it they both like guac (with chips)
They are old enough that they will just not eat rather than eat something they don't like, so "just pack it anyway" is not an option. They are home alone for about 30 minutes each afternoon, so that would only result in them eating weird stuff when they get home to combat hunger.
I am a single 24 year old, so I can't help you with kids. Though there are some good resources out there!
My menu is incredibly simple. It keeps my stomach happy, I love the food, and I feel good eating it.
It is also very mustachian. I buy giant bulk bags of beans and all types of whole grains, as well as bulk potatoes and frozen fruit/veg. The bulk grains/beans/potatoes come out to cents per serving.
I eat the same "outline" of foods pretty much every day, just rotating different veg/grains, etc. I rarely eat out.
Breakfast:
2.5 cups cooked oats (either rolled, steel cut, or whole groats)
1 cup fruit (blueberries lately, but also cherries, mango)
1 sliced banana
2 TBSP raisins (sometimes)
2 TBSP nuts/seeds (sometimes)
Lunch:
1.5 cup cooked whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat)
1 cup cubed potatoes (sweet or regular)
1 cup frozen veg mix (my primary veg mix is a 5.5 pound bag of frozen veg from Costco that contains peas/carrots/corn/green beans)
.5 cup beans (black, pinto, etc)
Dinner: (usually the same as lunch but more food... I eat a lot :))
2 cups cooked whole grain
1 - 1.5 cup cubed potatoes
1 cup frozen veg mix
1 cup beans
a HUGE heaping pile of greens, quickly steamed in my instant pot (kale or spinach usually)
I cook my foods in bulk to have enough for 4-5 days at a time. I got an Instant Pot for Christmas, and now I couldn't imagine living without it. I quite literally cook all my food in it. From batches of grains, to batches of beans, to potatoes, to veg. It is used anywhere from 1-3 times per day.
I usually eat about 6 hours apart. So say 6am, 12pm, 6pm. My meals are extremely satiating, very low in calorie density, high in nutrient density, very fast, very cheap, and I really do love the food. It is quite amazing how quickly your taste buds adapt once you stop overloading it with SOS (sugar, oil, salt). I could easily sit down to a pound of steamed kale plain and go to town like it's a dessert.