a healthy budget

I realize that slowly making changes to your eating habits can seem overwhelming in several ways. For instance, if you decide one day to head into a "health food" store at start looking at "health food"it's going to seem ridiculously expensive.

So I've tried to break it down into a few steps so you can eat well on a budget.

These are all things that I do, so I can try to feed our family the best I can, without spending too much.

Shop. Everywhere. 

This is a huge reason I am so thankful to live in the city.......so many stores to choose from, not too far from my house. Yes, it takes a little more time and planning ahead to hit up a few places, but it's worth it. I have a small handful of stores that I visit, and each provide me with different needs at the best prices. I follow my favorite stores like Whole Foods and Sunflower Market on facebook--they are constantly updating with sales so I can know what's there before I go in. When shopping at pricier stores (hello, Whole Foods) you HAVE to go in with a plan...or at least a semi-plan, or you will end up spending waaaaaaaay too much. MY personal plan is to only shop the sales--there are awesome deals to be found if you are looking. If I have items on my list that aren't on sale, most times I will swap them out for something that IS on sale.

Go easy on the weekly meal plans

So if you are shopping like I do--looking for the best sales, it's hard to make a weekly meal plan. You'll have your grocery list made up for your week, and then show up to the store and half of your items aren't on sale......now what? I usually plan my meals on the day I shop for my produce. That way I can get the best deals, bring it home and turn it into meals for the next few days. In the summer when we have our garden and I'm frequenting the farmer's market, I find it easier to plan out my meals because I know exactly what I can get.

Dumb it down. 

Sometimes I stumble upon someone's weekly meal plan and (while drooling) I can't believe how much food people eat. A mouthwatering meat dish with several sides to go with it......every night of the week. I can't help but wonder what is happening with all the leftovers? And how much does it all cost?! I love making full-on delicious "fancy" dinners for my family, just not every night of the week. Most nights we eat very very simply. Simple soups, pastas, sandwiches, salads. Lots of whole grains, beans, vegetables, and less meat. Keep it simple.

Stock up on staples

Items I ALWAYS have on hand and can be turned into dinner quickly.

Beans--for soups, salads, tacos, burritos, hummus.

Whole grains--like pastas, brown rice, bulgur, barley, quinoa. Mixed with veggies, meat or fish for main dishes, perfect for sides or salads or thrown in soups. Oats and steel cut oats for breakfast.

Bread and tortillas. I got an email a few weeks back asking what bread I like, and I really don't have any favorites. I love to make bread, but I have to do so sparingly....I've found when there is homemade bread in the house we eat it, oh, in about a day. There is a local brand that I like to buy when it's on sale, and other than that I look for sales on loaves that have the least ingredients. I like Whole Foods whole wheat tortillas.

Canned tomatoes and tomato sauce for soups.

Chicken stock--both from the store, and stock I've made after we eat a whole chicken--I keep this in the freezer with chicken, beef, and fish.
Potatoes. They store well and can be served with just about anything.

Frozen berries for smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal.

Eggs for breakfast burritos or sandwiches.

Having all these items on hand, I know that there is always SOMETHING for dinner, and depending on what produce or meat I may bring home, I always have something to go with it.

Buy in bulk

Bulk bins are my favorite. You can get as much (or as little) as you need, and get a good price because you don't have to pay for packaging. 

I love buying nuts, seeds, rice, flours, lentils and grains in the bulk bins. 

Shop Costco.....cautiously. It's easy to buy something because "it's such a good deal!" and then it ends up going bad and is wasted. But there are lots of (giant) options to stock your pantry and freezer. I also feel like Costco is getting more and more healthy options each time I shop. 

Know how to eat leftovers.

Chances are, you won't have enough leftovers for another full meal the next evening. So I usually eat leftovers for lunch the next day (or two). Look for ways to incorporate your leftovers into a totally different meal. With this taco recipe below, I had extra filling so I added it to some spinach for a twist on a taco salad. 

Black Bean, Bulgur, and Lentil Tacos

this recipe is friendly on your wallet because it doesn't have meat in it, and the filling is made straight from the bulk bins.

the best thing about recipes like this is how interchangeable they are. 

You can use any combination of beens/grains/lentils that you have. 

Swap the black beans out for pinto or kidney. 

Swap the bulgur out for brown rice. 

Swap the yellow split peas out for red lentils.

Filling 

2 cups of prepared black beans

2 cups prepared yellow split peas

1 cup prepared bulgur

large handful of diced onion

large handful of diced red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

pinch of cumin

salt and pepper

saute onion and peppers until tender. 

add remaining ingredients and cook through until heated.

Avocado and Cabbage Slaw

1 avocado, diced

a few handfuls of shredded cabbage

3 green onions, sliced thin

juice of one lime

handful of chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

Serve in toasted corn tortillas with pepperjack cheese, sour cream and lime.

enjoy!

When it comes down to it, we need to remember that it's our health we our talking about.
Providing healthy fuel for our bodies, instead of junk that may harm them or slow them down. Isn't that worth taking a little more time to check the sales, or putting a little more effort into making a simple meal, rather than buying a pre-made meal? I think so. 

How do YOU save money when it comes to eating healthy?

all in good health

straight from the earth. spring 2011

health·y [hel-thee] 

adjective

1. possessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality: a healthy body; a healthy mind.

2. pertaining to or characteristic of good health, or a sound and vigorous mind: a healthy appearance; healthy attitudes.

3. conducive to good health; healthful: healthy recreations.

[source]

Last week I asked a question:

what do you want me to talk about? 

You answered. 

I loved it. 

Before I get started on some of those posts, 

I thought of something I should have done, oh, forever ago......

.....define what healthy means to me. 
(today we're just talking about healthy eating.....of course this goes hand in hand 
with a physically active lifestyle)

This may be completely different than your definition, but this is my 

"healthy", and what all the food posts on The Blog will center around. 

It's an always changing, always learning, always growing-process. 

It's not perfect every day, but it's what we aim for. 

The most important rule for me, and the one rule I try to focus on is:

Everything in Moderation. 

for example: 

a cupcake is good. seven cupcakes is not. 

we eat meat in our house. we don't eat it every day. 

Also, we really do try to eat a little bit of everything. 

Varieties of grains, beans, colorful fruits and vegetables--not just the same thing all of the time.

How many different foods can we try? It's fun.

Grains. 

We eat them. We love them. We eat as many whole grain (not refined) products as we can. 

Whole wheat bread. 

Whole wheat pasta. 

Brown Rice. 

We eat barley, bulgur, quinoa, oats. 

And you know what, sometimes with soup, sourdough bread tastes AWESOME, so we eat it. 

And we don't sweat it because we eat all those other whole grains every day,

 so we have some wiggle room.

Proteins. 

We eat meat. but we eat it sparingly. 

A few times a week. (I posted a bit about that here)

various beans and legumes. 

eggs. 

Cheese.

I really like cheese, therefore it gets it's own category.

Cheese gets a bad rap in "health" magazines or blogs because of it's fat content. 

So just don't eat so much. And eat real cheese. 

"cheese" spreads are not cheese.

Produce. 

My favorite. 

We eat any variety we can get our hands on. 

We like to buy local when we can (for Utah that is mostly in the summer), and we grow what we can. 

We like to try to eat what is in season--

it's fresh

it tastes 1000x better

it has more nutrients when you eat it pulled straight from the dirt, 

and it doesn't have to travel in a truck across the country.

Cake. 

and other sweets. 

We eat them. 

Again, referring to that very first rule--we only eat them every so often.

Last week there was a birthday in our house. 

Cupcakes were made (post coming!) and enjoyed. 

sugar, flour, no "healthy substitutions". 

I want my cake to be cake, and my cookies to be cookies. 

Fats.

We like GOOD fats. 

nuts. seeds. salmon. avocado. olive oil. 

These are another food group that have a bad reputation, but our bodies and brains need these good types of fats to thrive. 

And they taste good! How could we stay away?

Snacks.

There are always fruits and veggies in our house to be snacked on.

"but my kids don't like them" you say. 

You have to keep at it. Start NOW. Keep offering. (a post about this here)

Handful of nuts. 

smoothies.

I try to by as few pre-packaged snacks as possible, and when I do, I look for snacks that are REAL food with REAL ingredients that I can read (and pronounce!) on the label. 

(more snacks here.)

Organic.ish.

I do not get hung up on the word "organic". 

I like my produce free of pesticides and my meat free of growth hormones and antibiotics. 

I like to read labels, and if everything in my crackers/cereal/tortillas is an actual ingredient that I recognize as food, I will buy it--regardless if it's labeled "organic" or not.

(an organic post here. ha! same photo!)

Fake Food.

we eat real butter. real cheese. real beef without fillers. food that was grown in the ground and not produced in a science lab. High-fructose corn syrup won't be found in our house.

That is a very basic overview-kind of a guideline that I like to go by. 

What it all comes down to for me, is If It's Real, Eat It. 

If it's Not Real Don't.

Next week I'll post about eating healthy on a budget.--I'd love to hear any questions you might have. 

How do YOU define healthy eating?

meat and meatless

Mmmeeeeaaaaattt.
I have to say it like that, and then I always picture meat-loving Ron Swanson for some reason.

Just one tiny word can become such a hot topic!
Lovers, haters, and all the inbetweeners.
I have posted my thoughts on meat before, but like to revisit the topic every now and then.

Before I headed off to college, I had no problem with meat, and ate it any time it was placed in front of me. (and remember how I loved fast food.....yeah.)
Besides my love for a wendy's burger, I didn't eat a lot of meat my first year at school, simply because I couldn't afford it, and even if I could, I had no idea how to cook it.
Being married just a year later, not much had changed.....oh wait, we were even more poor, which meant even less meat.
A few years passed and we both had real jobs that allowed for us to purchase something meaty every now and then, and I was slowly learning to cook, I'd try my hand at beef. chicken. pork.
and I didn't like it.
Any if it.
Going a few years without it, it just didn't taste good to me anymore.
And if you have been reading a while, you'll remember my fat phobia....I figured my diet was just better without meat.
I stuck with mostly chicken dishes, and swore off burgers for years, always opting for a turkey or veggie option (what a shame!).

Over the last few years, I've started to educate myself more and more about meat, and re-introduce it into our diets. I truly believe that there were animals placed on this earth for us to enjoy.
but enjoy sparingly. 

I also believe that these animals should be raised as animals. 
in grassy green fields with butterflies and disney birds and a catchy tune playing in the background.
happy.

Well my friends, buying happy animals to cook for my family isn't the cheapest option, so we limit our meat consumption so we can eat
well raised
well fed
no hormone
no antibiotic
happy
animals.

We have an small extra freezer so when I see good deals (even the farmers market will put certain cuts off beef on sale!) I can get extra to keep on hand.
We only eat meat 1-2 times a week.
I love finding new meatless dishes that are tasty and filling.
Here is one of them:

Lentil and Bean Fritter Pitas

recipe adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients

2 cups soaked lentils

2 cups soaked garbanzo beans

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch of cayenne (optional)

1/2 cup bread crumbs (or 2 slices of wheat bread, toasted and pulsed in the food processor)

1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

juice of 1 lemon

 olive oil

s&p

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving

avocado slices (I took this photo, and then right before we ate I realized I had an ripe avocado. I fit perfectly with these.)

4 pocketless pitas, warmed (or homemade whole wheat naan)

Directions

In a food processor, puree 1 cup of the lentils with the garbanzo beans,cilantro, 1/2 cup of parsley, garlic, cumin and cayenne until nearly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the bread crumbs, the remaining  lentils, salt and pepper.  Form into sixteen ½-inch-thick patties.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, lightly mash the cabbage with a squeeze of  lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper; set aside.

 In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, a few squeezes of lemon juice 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, and crushed red pepper. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the patties until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding more oil to the skillet for the second batch.

Dividing evenly, top each pita with the patties, cabbage mixture, avocado (if using) yogurt sauce, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. 

I can't wait for summer when tomatoes and pepper are plentiful--I think they would be a great addition to this dish.

I think it's important to educate ourselves about all of the food we eat, whether we love meat or don't eat any animal products at all--it's always good to know where our food is coming from, so we can make the best choices for ourselves and our families.

If you would like to learn more about why it's important to eat "happy" meat, I always recommend the movie Food Inc. I think it's a good place to start.

What are your favorite meatless dinners?

the post where you might decide I'm weird....

.....you know, because I'm growing bacteria in my closet. 

I have to laugh at myself, because BOY does this blog have major ADD. 

A post with ice cream yesterday (cream! sugar! egg yolks!), and a post on kefir (probably one of the most beneficial things you could put into your body) today.

So I'm a little all over the place......oh well.

What is kefir anyway? 

Well it's fermented milk.....and simply put, it's like yogurt on steroids. 

As you probably know, yogurt contains millions of tiny little probiotics--bacteria that is GOOD for you, and that your body needs to live in peace and harmony. 

Take it from someone who knows the benefits of probiotics- I have been on ANTIbiotics on and off for the last 3 years (and we are talking some super human doses of antibiotics), and let me tell you--that stuff messes you up. 

So I have always taken large amounts of probiotics in the pill form, we are yogurt lovers around here (sometimes I even make my own), but it was just these last few months that I've discovered the endless list of benefits that kefir provides. 

Kefir contains different strains of bacteria than yogurt does--and much more of it. 

It also contains yeast cultures, which your body also needs to thrive. 

Just a few of the many benefits:

-it provides healthy bacteria and yeast, vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, and complete proteins that your body just loves.

-it helps build up your immune system (super important for me since I've been dealing with Lyme!), but this can benefit everyone!

And I found THIS amazing list of benefits (so I think it basically helps with just about everything. I wonder if it can fix the hole in the o-zone?)

Making it is very (very!) simple. 

The frist thing you have to do it find your kefir grains.

It's easiest if you can find someone who is making their kefir(this is what I did)--the grains grow with each batch (are you totally weirded out yet?) so if you're making it you will always have grains to spare. 

If not, I know there are places online that you can order them from....just let google be your guide.

This is what the grains look like:

weird, right? 

*IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE GRAINS DON'T COME IN CONTACT WITH METAL. 

NO METAL UTENSILS/STRAINER*

All you do is simply add your grains (a few TBS) to a clean jar and fill it with milk (see below).

Cover with a paper towel so it can "breathe" (still weird) and secure with a rubber band.

Find a room temperature place where it can sit undisturbed so it can work it's bacterial magic. 

I put mine on a top shelf in the cupboard.

My first batch took about 3 days--the grains had been dormant in water (they don't do anything unless they are in milk) for a while, so it took them a bit to get going. 

My next batch took a little over 24 hours (this is the norm)

You can add a little more time if you want it a bit more sour.

So how do you know when it's done? 

It's thicker than milk, but not as thick as yogurt. 

Your grains will have grown (they'll be on top), and well, you can smell it. 

Let's not lie, it smells pretty sour.

Now you're going to pour it through a strainer (remember no metal) to catch the grains, and then pour your kefir into a pitcher and refrigerate. 

You can use your grains to start your next batch, or put them into a jar of water to keep them dormant until you need them again.

So what do you do with this stuff?

I've heard that some people drink it plain.....but I am not going to ask you to do that. 

For the last 3 months we've become smoothie addicts! 

This stuff blends perfectly in with fruit and veggies so it tastes delicious, and you get all the awesome health benefits of the kefir.

We have a smoothie for breakfast, or after school, every single day. 

Here is one of the many combinations we like:

Mixed Berry and Kefir Smoothie

(amounts are estimates.....really I'm just dumping stuff in)

makes 3-4 smoothies

add to blender:

2 cups frozen mixed berries

2 bananas

1-2 cup kefir, depending on how thick you like your smoothies

2-3 mandarin oranges (or 1 orange, or o.j.)

small handful raw rolled oats

small handful almonds

small handful ground flax seed

cup of chopped spinach/kale

BLEND!

more on kefir 

here

here

here

and a good step by step photo tutorial here

I found several websites getting very technical about exact amounts of milk, temperatures, etc, but mine turned out just fine following these very basic instructions from my sis-in-law, who gave me the grains.

If this is something you are even a little bit interested--please give it a try! 

Without getting into all the gory details, let me just promise you that my tummy has never been happier after we've added this to our daily diet. 

If you are interested in kefir, but don't feel like being the weirdo who makes it in her closet, you can buy kefir in health food stores.....but that's not as fun, is it?

I dare you to try it.

ps. I'm curious to know what you put in your smoothies?!

beyond pb&j

classic.

School lunch. 

The second hardest part of sending the boy to school each day (the first being that we MISS him!!), is the fact that I am not there when he eats lunch--I feel like I am sloooooowly loosing control.

At home I know exactly what my kids are eating, and call me a control freak, but I like it that way.

I have had a hard time trying to come up with new ideas for lunches each day.....we use lunch time at home to eat up a lot of dinner leftovers, most of which are hard to send in a lunch box.

My goal is to keep the boy's school lunch healthy, filling, with some "cool" stuff in there too, 

so he's only 85% weird:)

Here are a few of the things that we have tried out so far:

MAIN

-pb&j of course! Unless your school is one of the few that can't have peanut butter.....I would die. 

We love pb over here, but there's also the option of almond butter.

-turkey/ham/tuna sandwich 

-turkey+cheese+spinach+ranch/hummus rolled up in a tortilla

-yesterday's tabouleh recipe

-cold pizza

-tortellini (or any kind of pasta)+tomatoes+mozzarella cheese+spinach+zucchini+a little bit of your favorite vinaigrette

SIDES

-peas/carrots/cherry tomatoes + hummus

-cheese + crackers

-fruit.....whatever we have around

-applesauce

-hard boiled egg

-veggie chips

-popcorn

DESSERT

-fruit leather

-dried fruit

-a cookie! (when I make cookies I keep the extras in the freezer so I can send them away with my family instead of eating them all)

-yogurt. or "Gogurt" if I'm feeling like a cool mom. I have found organic options that are just regular yogurt in a tube, rather than crazy dyed and syrup laden slop.

-clif Z bars 

I mostly send milk money-- he gets to have chocolate milk on Fridays, and some days he gets a 100% juice, juice box.

I would LOVE to hear what you are packing in your lunches.....we would like to increase our options!

What are YOU eating?

organic 101

from our garden this week.

This is a hefty post to try and write. 

One I've been wanting to write for a while....but have been at a loss of how to do it.

It's just....

so.....

....much. 

So I'm going to lay it out easy. Very very basic, and completely incomplete.

 I encourage you to fill in the blanks and 

do a little research on your own,

 and then decide what's best for YOU and your family.

Don't "go organic" because you heard it was a good choice, do it because you did some homework and feel like it's a good change for you to make, because you want to. 

Here are some basics.

Why I started

I used to laugh at the people who would pay extra for something labeled organic! ha! jokes on them! "I've been eating produce laced with fertilizers and pesticides for years and I'm as fit as a fiddle (what does that mean?)" I'd say. "People have been eating this way for years--it MUST be fine!" right?

And then.....a few years ago, while bouncing between Lyme and MS diagnoses, my doctor put me on a suuuuuuper strict diet, which limited a lot of food options, but also included as many organic choices as possible. why? Because my body was fighting a war against itself, and adding extra, non natural things (teeny tiny traces of pesticides, growth hormones, GMOs, etc) would only confuse my body more, and make it harder for my system to determine what exactly it was fighting.

So for us the choice was easy. 

As many organic options as possible. 

As few non natural, or "fake" things  going into my body as we could.

What does organic mean? I don't really like the word. I think it's overused, and can be terribly misleading. 

Just because it's "organic" doesn't mean it's healthy.

An organic cookie, is still a cookie. Full of sugar and fat and what not. 

Organic sugar, is still sugar my friends.

This is how I try to think of the word organic--imagine this.

cue daydream music.

You're driving along a beautiful country road. No other cars, houses, people. Just you. 

A field of wildflowers stretches out to snowcapped mountains in the background.

The sun is shining down, and you are flying your hand up and down, out the window. 

You have a snack. A granola bar. A double cheeseburger. Hey--this is your daydream--you choose. 

You have a wrapper left over, and don't want to clutter up your shiny red VW bus (is that what you are driving? that is what I'm driving). 

You toss it out the window. 

One small item, out in the vast wilderness won't make a difference, right? 

You are right, it won't. (note: this blog does not encourage littering, this is a metaphor people, don't litter!)

A few weeks later, you're driving back a long the same road. Your old trash has probably blown away by now. You throw another water bottle out the window and move along.

Now you could do this over and over, thinking it won't make that big of a difference. 

And hey, maybe it won't. 

But the point is, your trash doesn't belong in that big beautiful field of wildflowers.

When I think of eating organic I try to avoid the "litter". 

Can it be avoided all together? no. 

Unless you are some super crazy hippie freak (said in the most loving, admiring way), it can't.

But can I make small choices to make sure I'm not constantly dumping trash out my car window?

yes. And I try hard.

Example: No matter how small the amount, I don't want to eat the pesticides they sprayed onto my apple.

I eat a lot of apples in my life, and over time it's sure to build up.

My body wants food, real food. Only food. Not chemicals.

Example: I want my food to contain REAL ingredients, and as few as possible. 

Peanut Butter should contain 1, maybe 2 ingredients: Peanuts, and (sometimes) salt. 

That's it. 

Not sugar, molasses, fully hydrogenated rapeseed oil, fully hydrogenated soybean oil, monoglycerides (what?!) and diglycerides (huh!?) (these are from an actual "peanut butter" label). 

Why does peanut butter need those things? What are those things?

The beautiful field of wildflowers (your body) may continue to be beautiful and thrive with all the extra litter....it could happen, I'm sure.

 Or, all your trash (weird ingredients that aren't actually real food items), might pile up in one place and begin to harm the field. 

First a few flowers die in spots. 

Then more littler starts to gather. 

People driving by see the trash pile and maybe add their trash to it also. 

In your body--as the "trash" builds up, it's easier for sickness and disease to move in.
It starts to weigh you down.

Our bodies are aaaaamazing, and can do so much. 

Why not try to fuel them with things that are best for them?

What to eat:

Produce

Why buy organic produce? 

Well, so we can ingest as little of those unwanted chemicals as possible. 

But unless you are rich (if you are, can we be friends), it's hard to afford 100% organic everything. 

I like this list--listing produce from best to eat, to worst (the lower or "worse" you get on the list, you should try to buy those items organic).

This is another HUGE reason to plant your own garden--you are in control of what you're putting into your soil!

Dairy/Meat/Eggs

The whole growth hormone thing FREAKS me out. And antibiotics??! I don't want those either. 

But organic meat/cheese is so expensive!

 That's why I have been working hard to incorporate more meatless meals into our week, so we can spend the money on good, junk-free meat. And please trust me--coming from someone who hardly ate any red meat for years-- good, grass-fed beef really tastes one-bazillion times better than the cheap store bought stuff. I promise. 

Check your farmers market. I think you'd be surprised to find that good quality local meat may not be as much as you think it is--especially if you're not eating meat every day.

Our family eats a lot of cheese (mmmm....I love cheese) and I have no problem telling you that crap-free cheese is expensive! So for right now, I pass on organic cheese. Hormone free cheese, yes....but not totally organic. I do my best in other areas, and feel confident that non-organic cheese won't kill me. 

When you have a growing (hungry) family, it's really hard to keep it 100% organic. 

So I don't stress about it, and just do what I can.

All your "middle shelf" items. (cereals/crackers/snacks/etc.)

this is where we go back to our peanut butter example above. Keep it simple: if there are ingredients you don't recognize, or can't pronounce, chances are, you don't want too many of them in your body. 

it's just litter. There are plenty of items that aren't labeled "organic" that are perfectly healthy choices--just check the labels for unknown ingredients.

I'm stopping here. 

Sorry!

I feel like I'm juuuuuuust getting in to it, but if organic is not yet your thing, 

then this is already a lot to take in. 

My challenge to you this week is to just do your research on "organic".

Whatever that may mean to you.

Find a balance that works for you and your family. 

Just become more aware of what you are putting in to your body. 

If you still haven't watched Food Inc, I really encourage you to do so.

It explains so much of this in greater detail.

Also read Food Rules by Michael Pollan. It's a quick read--it will take you an hour or so and is very informative.

I would love to hear any feedback you have!

Why you eat the way you do, or how to make it more affordable. 

I'll share my favorite comments on my facebook page.

happy eating!

up next week: more on why "organic" can be misleading, and eating seasonally and locally

the weekend. in food.

pretty big weekend in food around here. 

why, you ask? wellll.... I had my first big [trail] race of the year! (more on that to come) 

I had to make sure my body was fueled properly before hand, and gorged appropriately afterward.

 I've gotten a lot of questions in the past about what I eat pre-run, so I thought I'd share everything.....hold on tight, pretty exciting stuff here.

*I load up on protein (eggs, beans, lean meats Monday-Wednesday of a race week, and then cut back Thurs and Fri....I've just found that is what works best for me*

Friday, day before race:

Breakfast: Raw Oatmeal w/ strawberries, bananas, and almonds.

Lunch: Giant salad with 2 parts greens, 1 part awesome rosemary garlic bread, (toasted and cubed), radishes, 1/2 avocado, red onion and a simple honey mustard dressing (olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon, honey, s&p)

Snacks: banana + almond butter, odwalla bar, gatorade

Dinner: pasta w/ marinara, LOTS more bread:), simple salad

lots and lots and lots of water all day

Morning of race (about 2 hours before): whole wheat toast w/ peanut butter and honey. Banana. OJ.

Hour before: Gatorade. Water. A few Sport Beans.

During run: water. gatorade. 2 GUs. Water.

Post run. Water. water. water. water. gatorade.

Let my stomach settle and then have whole wheat toast w/ extra avocado and salt. 

 Super chocolatey milk (in my opinion, the BEST recovery drink you can have:) 

Apple + peanut butter.

Dinner at Lone Star Taqueria for the beeeeeeest fish tacos + rice and beans + coke w/lime.

Sunday was a pretty typical day--whatever we can hurry and eat as we rush out to church (pb toast), our traditional after church snack of cheese and crackers, and and early dinner of soup, salad, and bread.

This soup is called "whatever I got, goes in to the pot." oh! she can rhyme!

I basically dig through the fridge and dump any veggies I have into some chicken stock, let it simmer for a few hours, and VWALLA! soup! perfect for all this crazy rain that is never, ever, ending.

garlic +onion +carrots+celery+sweet potato+green beans+diced tomatoes+collard greens+cannellini beans+chicken stock+oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves=soup.

And then of course.....dessert. I needed something super rich, and extra indulgent.

I saw this recipe for brownies with peanut butter frosting on Ashley's blog and knew I had to have them.

Because I am in love with browned butter, I opted to brown the butter in this recipe.

If you like to brown butter too, I encourage you to play around with it a bit. I've learned I like to lightly brown it for use in pasta or veggie dishes, or in vanilla-y breads or cupcakes (like these). But I like to brown it a bit more when adding it to chocolate dishes--I think it makes the chocolate flavor more intense.

Browned Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

recipe adapted from Not without Salt

10 TBS butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 325°

To brown butter:

Heat pan on medium heat.

Cut butter in to pieces and melt in pan.

Stir continuously. Butter will foam up.

After foam subsides, small brown flecks will start to appear in bottom of pan.

Continue stirring, until butter has reached a nice brown color, and nutty aroma.

When you want to lick the spoon, you know it's ready.

Turn the heat all the way down.

Add sugar to browned butter and stir until well combined.

taste this. it is insane.

Add the cocoa and stir until well combined.

Remove from heat and let it cool down a bit (not cold, not hot, just warm:)

Add the vanilla.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Continue to stir--the mixture will be thick and shiny.

Add flour and salt and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into a 10" tart pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (You can also bake them in an 8x8 and bake for a few minutes more)

Peanut Butter Frosting

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) softened butter

¾ cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

Cream the butter and the peanut butter until combined. Slowly stir in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Spread over cooled brownies.

happy eating!

early morning

We've been talking healthy eating, but there's still a lot to cover.....why not start at the beginning....

What you eat for breakfast is not only important because it's your first fuel of the day, but it can also set the tone for how healthy (or unhealthy....) the rest of your day will go.

Chances are, if you eat a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast (been there), you won't make the best choices the rest of the day.

If you eat a bowl of sugary cereal first thing in the morning, it's guaranteed you'll be hungry again within an hour or so, and you'll be exhausted! The same goes for your kids, (who are at school and starving while they're taking their spelling test. )

We are pretty boring around here--during the week the kids eat oatmeal almost every morning. It's easy, healthy, filling, cheap, and we can add any kind of fruits and nuts to make it different. 

My very favorite way to eat oatmeal though, is actually a little bit different......it's raw!

 I like a little bit of texture instead of a hot bowl of mush. If you haven't tried this--please do! I love it and it's so easy to throw together. If you're in a hurry in the morning, you can get ready to go while you let the milk soak in. 

Raw Oatmeal

rolled oats (not instant) + milk (enough to cover)--let this sit for a few minutes

drizzle of maple syrup or honey

sprinkle of ground flax

chopped almonds

whatever fruit you have around (this time banana + strawberries)

sometimes I add a teensy bit of unsweetened cocoa powder

Some other breakfasts we like are 

-peanut butter toast

-avocado on toast

-scrambled eggs

-we don't eat a ton of cereal in the morning--we save it mostly for snacks or the weekend, but I do like a few of the Kashi brands and Cascadian Farms brands as well. 

-we love yogurt

-I still make granola every now and then

-when we have waffles or pancakes for dinner, I double the batch so we can have extras for breakfast.

-sometimes I am so busy rushing around (I'm sure you know the feeling), and while the kids get their breakfast, I'm out the door with nothing. For times like these I love a good hearty granola bar--Odwalla bars are a long time favorite--they're tasty, filling, and aren't full of a bunch of fake stuff (bonus!) 

My challenge for you this week, 

is to try something new for breakfast!

 Find something a little more substantial than your morning poptart. The closer we get to summer, the more fresh fruits there are available, and they pair perfectly with a healthy breakfast. 

I would love to hear what YOU have for breakfast! 

i'll be posting some of my favs on my facebook page

happy eating!

your kids eat what?!

It's been a few weeks since I've done one of our "Big Change" posts, so if you're just joining us, you can go back and see what has been talked about previously. 

We started out with becoming aware of our eating habits.

Discussed my past romance with fast food.

Talked about finding time for exercise and healthy eating.

You'll often find me indulging, guilt free.

Finding inspiration to cook.

Fat phobias.

Running 101.

Running 201.

tee-hee.

We've been slowly making our way through my own personal journey to a healthier lifestyle. 

So the last place we left off, was me having babies. 

Babies. 

Teeny tiny people left in your care, for you to raise.

And grow.

And feed. 

But what should they eat?? 

With your first, you'll read every book, scan every baby website, and subscribe to every baby newsletter out there to help guide you on the way....right?

At least that's what I did. 

Start with this, try some of that. 

Wait a while to introduce that, but not before you let them try this.

It's all a bit annoyingly confusing.

But I loved feeding time with both my babies--nothing beats mashed carrots smeared in blonde hair 

(theirs and mine).

But then what??

They do have to start eating non-baby foods eventually, and I was anxious to stop buying those expensive little jars. 

So, they ate what we ate.

All of it. 

No separate dinners for baby. 

Whatever we ate, went right into my little chopper and out came instant baby food.

Our pasta.

Our chili.

Our enchiladas.

Everything. 

And they ate it--because it was dinner. 

So I have a hard time answering people when they ask me how I get my kids to eat this food or that food, or most commonly asked, how to eat vegetables. 

My kids have never known they had an option.

You can't expect your kids to like something if you don't let them experience it.

At three years old, I caught they boy's tiny hand up on the cutting board sneaking chopped onions. 

ONIONS! 

I was disgusted, but let him do it, because hey--he liked it! 

If you ask him his favorite food today he just might tell you cilantro. 

My kids like strong flavors, but only because I've always exposed them to different things. 

If you have little teeny tiny ones at home, give them all the veggies you can. If they turn it down once, try try again--chances are they will change their mind. 

If they are older, here are some ideas on getting them to try new things 

-Let them help. If you involve your kids in the kitchen--let them add this and stir that, have them help plan the menu, they will be more excited about eating it.

-Plant a garden. For many of you it's planting season already! We are getting ourselves ready for some cold weather veggies soon. Let your kids get dirty with you--

they will love to dig and look for worms. 

Ask them what they want to plant, and let them do it. 

If they watch their very own plant grow, chances are they will be excited to try it out.

If you don't have the space for a garden--plant one or two pots. One tomato plant can be so fun for kids to watch grow.

-Take them to the grocery store with you. Let them pick out any fruit or veggie they like. 

Anything goes. 

You may end up having to try something new too:)

-Take them to your local farmer's market. They will LOVE it, as will you. This is one of our favorite places to be in the summer. Most of the farmers are giving out samples, which will allow them to try all kinds of yummy produce. And again, let them pick out something they want to try.

-Don't take no for an answer.....haha does that sound mean?? But really, remember that YOU are the mom/(do dads read this thing?), and you know what's best for your kids. In this case, vegetables are best for your kids. If they don't like it, make them eat three bites. Three bites won't kill them, I promise.

Have it again the next week, make them try three bites again. If you avoid certain foods, they'll never learn to like them.

-Be a good example. Your kids watch EVERYTHING you do ("but mommy, YOUR room isn't clean"), so if you're not eating your veggies, chances are they won't either.

My challenge for you this week, is to try a new fruit or vegetable-whether it's one you choose, or something your kids want to try. 

It's never too late to get a good variety of produce into your kids' (and your:) diet. 

I would love to hear what you are trying, and also any tips you have on getting kids to try new things! 

I'll be posting my favs on my facebook page, if you'd like to come join the discussion.

happy eating!

no fat. low fat. stop fat. go fat.

If only Dr. Seuss had written a book on fats, maybe it would have saved us all some confusion.

Fat phobia. This is probably the longest food phase I had in my life. Haha I say that like I am 80.

It started out when we were first married--I had learned that I couldn't zip my pants if I didn't eat right, (uh, no kidding), and I didn't want it to happen again. I needed to make some changes, and really, it was pretty easy--every commercial, magazine ad, and label on any store product shouted "low fat this" and "no fat that", I assumed that was my answer.

Low Fat=Good/Healthy

Fat=Bad. This was my new motto.

So in my mind, it was ok that I ate an entire family sized pack of Twizzlers with my lunch, because hey....fat free! Never mind that they are 100% sugar. And Slim Fast snack bars--I'd eat three at a time.....but they are low fat, so of course it was ok--who cares what unidentified ingredients were lurking in them.

I substituted applesauce in all of my baking--which don't get me wrong....I'll still add a little applesauce in some of my banana breads, or muffins--but I was putting applesauce in EVERYTHING--chocolate chip cookies! That's just not right. And it's definitely not a cookie.

After I had my first baby and was determined to quickly loose the extra 35 pounds I had acquired, so my low fat obsession only grew. And lucky for me, every other box of whatever I needed at the grocery store, boasted it's no fat/low fat nutrition label.

I would stock my freezer with low fat ice cream sandwiches--which did absolutely no good, because in my head low fat = healthy = I would eat two or three.

I didn't even buy butter, and forget cooking in any kind of oil......oil=fat=bad. That's how I was programmed. I ate scrambled egg whites only. I bought reduced fat peanut butter--which if you actually read the label of reduced fat peanut butter, it's called peanut "spread"....ha! Even science can't suck the fat out of peanuts, so they just throw a few peanuts in, and add a bunch of other.......stuff. 

Low fat crackers.

Low fat cereal.

Low fat cheese....or just no cheese.

Low fat turkey bacon. Seriously the thought of that right now makes me gag. It's like chewing on a dry piece of canvas.

Low fat. No fat. Fat free......

But then come to find out (shock!), that while these products are all low fat......they aren't necessarily healthy for you. If a food has been processed to a point that they have taken out the fat, chances are they're adding, refining, and tinkering with other parts of the food as well. The "food" becomes more of a science experiment, rather than a food that was placed on the earth to be eaten.

I'm guessing there are a few of you who have taken a trip to this same low-fat-land I am talking about....right?

(Courtney I am totally calling you out on this one.....I think you added applesauce to mac-n-cheese:)

I don't really know how I got off that kick....it was a slow process to retrain my brain.

Maybe it was when I realized  that vegetables taste 1000x better sauteed in heart healthy olive oil.

Or that real peanut butter, with nothing in it but peanuts and salt, is just about the best thing ever invented.

Sure, a piece of salmon may contain more fat than a skinless chicken breast, but that piece of salmon also contains Omega-3 fatty acids (these aren't found in chicken) that are essential for heart health, brain and nerve function, and improving our immune systems as well.

So it turns out that some fats aren't that bad (shock!).....and it took me a year or two to start believing in good fats, and ignoring every low fat/no fat claim that jumped in my face every time I went down a grocery store aisle. 

Now don't get me wrong....it's not a fat-eating-free-for-all over here. I still buy low fat milk, I only use cream for special occasions, and butter is used sparingly (except in baking.....THERE ISN'T A SUBSTITUTE IN THE WORLD FOR BUTTER IN BAKING. DON'T TRY IT. EW.) We're not eating bacon and eggs for breakfast every morning (I like to think of bacon as more of a garnish, rather than a main part of a meal), so I do try and keep the saturated fats at a minimum.

But there is nothing that will get between me and an avocado.

I refuse to eat pizza without cheese.

Or anything without cheese for that matter.

We eat endless amounts of peanut butter and almonds. 

I use olive oil every time I cook.

For some reason, fat has become a bad word in most people's vocabulary, and I think once a person takes just a little bit of time to research fats--the good and bad fats in foods, that's where the fat phobias will begin to fade away. 

If you are truly interested in your health, and not just your image (two totally different things), you'll realize that fats play an important roll in nutrition.

The challenge for you this week:

 Figure out what your relationship is with fat.

Are you afraid of it? Do you know what the good fats are? Are you eating bacon wrapped everything fried in butter?

This is something that can't be changed all at once. It has seriously taken me a few years to establish a healthy relationship with fat. But YOU need to figure out that healthy relationship for yourself. Research. Read. Google. Talk to your friends. 

Just educate yourself.

Just like everything else I've found, 

it all comes down to eating a balance of real, whole foods, 

as close to their original state as possible (example real peanut butter vs. reduced fat peanut "spread".

 Peanut butter = peanuts, while peanut spread = ?)

Try not to gorge yourself on saturated fats like those found in animal products (but you don't have to totally eliminate them), or trans fats found in packaged foods (you should eliminate those), and try to get enough of the good fats, like those that are found in salmon, avocados, walnuts, almonds, and olive oil.

And before you reach for something labeled "low fat" read the label and see what's been added/taken away to magically replace the fat, you may be surprised to find it's not as healthy as you think.

So that was really long....probably too much for Dr. Seuss to put into rhyme, I would guess. 

I'm curious to know if you've been through a "fat phobia" phase.....it really is funny looking back at some of the things I thought were healthy because they were low fat.

as always I'll be posting favorite comments/tips on my FB page.

disclaimer: I have never said "fat" so many times in my life. It has lost all meaning.

disclaimer: I LOATHE that dress. You know what I mean if you've been pregnant. It was the only dress that fit at the end, and I wore it over and over for the last two months. Just looking at it reminds me how uncomfortable and swollen I was.

disclaimer: look at my baby!!! why is he so big now? boo.