One step at a time...again...

Life would be a lot less complicated if we all just liked the food that is healthy for us...isn't that true?  Regardless of how I want my children or my family to eat, I personally still gravitate towards the foods that I loved as a child--chicken nuggets, pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, french fries, pizza...you name it.  I am actually proud of myself when I "shop the perimeter" of the grocery store, and see all the fruits and veggies and "whole foods" I put in my cart.  It is evidence that even I can change my ways. 

My kids are not always as adventurous as I want them to be (I really can't blame them--I never tried anything new growing up!)  But, I am trying hard to change that,  to help them love healthy food, and encourage them to consider "treats", well...a treat!  Also,  I am making more of an effort to make those treats myself, so I know the ingredients going into them. 

The biggest change I am trying to make is to just include them in the prep work and decision making in the kitchen.  I have a hard time "letting go" and just letting the mess happen.  I've always been that way--I can't deal with all the cleanup associated with them "helping" me, but lately I have been able to let them make a mess while they are preparing a dish--and I have NOT had a nervous breakdown!

I recently read an article about the many benefits of including your child in your (and their) food prep.  http://www.portlandfamily.com/posts/kids-in-the-kitchen-10-benefits-of-cooking-with-children/  After reading this, I know I am making the right decision including them in the dinner-making process.

Also, for a great kids cooking/food magazine, check out ChopChop.  They are fantastic!!  Check it out here: http://www.chopchopmag.org/

Have a great week!

Continuing on my path

I admit, I am a HORRIBLE procrastinator!  Actually, I am really good at it...that is my problem.  That is why it has taken me almost 6 months to blog again.  I hope I am forgiven, and I hope to blog regularly from now on.

I missed blogging about the summer Farmers' Market season!  It was fantastic.  I, personally, did not get there nearly as much as I thought I would, but when I did I kept kicking myself for not going more often.  The whole culture of the market is different.  The farmers and vendors really love their product.  Yes, they want to sell it to you, but they have more often than not, put their hard work and blood, sweat and tears into what they are selling and it is reflected in their attitudes.  They are interested and engaged in potential buyers, and I have learned they are always willing to teach and there is NEVER a stupid question!

Onto the healthy eating front.  I am still trying to move away from fast food as a whole for my family.  I don't think my husband has had it in months, and neither have I.  The kids have occasionally, as a treat.  But even in this crazy, busy fall season I am making a huge effort to even just put out cucumber slices and grapes as a snack, and make dinner at home.  Even if it is sandwiches, I know where all the ingredients came from and I feel this is a healthier alternative than the drive-thru.  I am hoping all these itsy-bitsy changes will eventually turn into healthier eating as a whole for myself and my family.  Do I still buy cookies?  Absolutely!! Do I still eat ice cream?  Most definitely!!  But, overall I am trying to make healthier changes to our diets so treats will remain just that...treats. 

In the next few weeks, I will be posting some kid friendly meals, and also posting about different ways to get kids involved with the cooking.  If they are involved in the process, they may be more apt to try something new!

Thanks for reading--have a great week!!

New beginnings

Hi all,

Long time no see!  Hope you are all doing well.  I have been busy trying to work more healthy eating into my family's routine.  I have to tell you, I was pretty impressed when I figured out that our family went from January 19th until June 12th without visiting McDonald's.  As a busy mom of two children, I'm quite proud of that accomplishment!  Instead we had sandwiches, fruit and veggies, sometimes chicken nuggets and other "fast" food.  It was more of an effort and I can't say a lot of it was gourmet but at least I knew where it was coming from and what kind of ingredients I was feeding my kids.

One of the other changes in our family is that my husband recently changed his eating habits.  He has stopped eating wheat, sugar, dairy and legumes.   I am not up for that yet, but I have concentrated more on "eating clean" (five ingredients or less in a packaged item).  One of the benefits I did not foresee was that we suddenly had more fresh frutis and veggies in the house---because that is a pretty big staple in his diet.  That trickled down to myself and the two kids and I have FINALLY realized if I have the healthy food (strawberries, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, melon, etc...) prepared and ready to go, the kids will eat it!!  I know it isn't always as simple as this, but it can't hurt to have those foods in your house.  Always keep them within easy reach, ready to eat.  Again, I know this sounds simple, and I have read this advice oodles of times before, but for some reason this time it stuck!!

I am so excited that farmers' market season is (finally) upon us!  Our local market starts next week, and there have been other ones in Westford and Acton that have already started.  The food just looks so good!  Sometimes I will see a fruit or veggies that I know I don't love, but it just looks so good I feel like I should try it!  This past week we made roasted brussel sprouts.  They were great!  Definitely going to add that to our dinner repertoire.  The kids weren't as keen on it, but maybe someday...
If you want to try them the recipe is here:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html.

Have a great week!!

Don't Throw it Away!!

So, my goal for this past week was to increase my families' water intake.  It is a s...l...o...w process, as we have all gotten into bad habits.  But, both my son and my daughter love my new Brita pitcher (they think it is super special because it comes in that neat container!) so we are going to keep pushing it.  It is just a matter of changing some of the "not so good" habits that I have let form over time.  We will keep up the good fight!

This week, I have a confession to make...remember that "honey nut squash" I got at the Farmers' Market last week that I was going to try?  I ended up throwing it out this morning.  THIS is my big challenge.  I have all the best intentions when I buy new foods for myself and my family, and then I procrastinate until it goes bad in my fridge and I feel incredibly guilty.  I have a bad habit of not knowing what to DO with a food, so I just leave it on a shelf and ignore it.  So that is my huge challenge to myself this week--don't let ANY fresh fruits or veggies go bad this week.  Not sure what I will get yet, but I promise to get another unknown food to add to our table.  I actually think I might try this recipe this week--sounds very yummy!  http://kidscooking.about.com/od/dinnerrecipes/r/kale_pesto.htm

On another note, I had my first book signing today!!  It was so adorable-the children loved the book and I had so much fun reading to them and watching their reactions.  Hopefully this is the first of many, many more!  If you haven't gotten your copy yet, check it out here:  www.tinyurl.com/wilburdragon. Hope you all have a good week!!