Two Little Steps to Eating Healthier

 

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There are so many different diets and set of "rules" out there for what is healthy. I think it is overwhelming and can be stressful when trying to choose what is the most healthy for you and your family. Healthy foods can be different for different families, just like healthy is different for various cultures.

When I first started transforming what my family had been eating, I thought I had to pick one group or camp and be perfect. And you know what? It was awful! My family hated me for trying to change EVERYTHING they were eating all at once and it was a ton of work for me to try and redo everything all at once. Most of my family does not have food allergies. I think I might be the only one, so far for sure. So we didn't have to drop anything right away for those reasons. So once I got over trying to be the perfect paleo person, I took a step back to figure out what would work for my family and what was important to me. I want them to be healthy, but I knew had to take some baby steps towards changing what they were expecting for dinner.

Here are two steps that anyone can do:

#1: Add more veggies!
If you have been eating most of your food from a can, box, or some other package, you most likely are not getting enough veggies. And my family wasn't either. So I have been working hard to include (and sometimes sneak) more veggies at all meals. I was caught the other day putting spinach and kale in a smoothie, but when the kids tried it, they could not taste it. And I convinced them that the little bits of green in the smoothie were cool. So now I don't have to sneak it anymore.

We had a big veggie garden before we started moving a lot. Hopefully we will get back to that soon. The kids loved to pick the veggies and eat them fresh. And there is just nothing like home grown veggies. The flavor, the smells... oh I love it.

#2: Make your own food. 
It is a lot easier to eat healthy if you are making it yourself. Do your kids like cookies or mac 'n' cheese? Mine do too. And when I tried to take that away, they revolted! But what I can do instead is limit how often they have these things and also make them myself so I know exactly what is in it. It does take a little bit longer, but with creative planning and help, you can keep this to a minimum. And it tastes so much better. I will write more on how I save time in the kitchen when possible, but one idea I do want to share is that you don't have to plan something extensive every night. Some nights we have really simple dinners. If I have meetings or tutoring or big projects we eat something simple or eat leftovers. On the other nights, I make something that takes more time. Again, it is all in the planning. And if you are not used to cooking your own items, you will want to find some great recipes that are tasty and will help you get comfortable in the kitchen. One of my favorite family friendly and delicious websites would be Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

 

Every single thing I have tried off her site has been amazingly delicious. I will switch out some ingredients to make it even healthier, but her recipes are just fantastic. The comments on each recipe really help as well. Just tonight we made homemade pizza using her simple dough recipe. I just switched the flour for Einkorn and then chose our own toppings. It was fantastic. We added some veggies on the side to munch on as well. It is a much better choice than ordering out or a frozen pizza. And it was super easy and quick. Now, I am not trying to say that pizza is the healthiest food ever, but it is a simple switch that makes pizza night a better choice and keeps the kids from feeling deprived.

How do you keep your family eating healthy? Are you trying to make healthier choices for your family?

Getting Rid of Paper Towels

  

I have a confession. My husband is an extreme paper towel user. He will grab 4 at a time for something that might need half. And then I go around having to pick them all up from everywhere. So I secretly have not bought paper towels in about a month. I did buy 10 kitchen towels. And he has not said a word.

The only problem was BACON. What was I going to do with the bacon? The hubby hates the idea of baking it in the oven and I really don't have a pan to spare just for bacon. Sorry. So what is a girl to do. Well, for now, I have been improvising between using a separate pan to let it sit on for a few minutes and coffee filters. But at some point I would like the coffee filters to go away as well. Poor hubby.... he is the one that drinks the coffee. And he has to endure all my crazy changes.

I think that one of those new hand towels will become a dedicated bacon towel. If you don't like those ideas, here are a couple more.

Paperless Kitchen

Whistle Pig Hollow

The Art of Simple

Being Present and Mindful

I just wanted to share a link to this awesome article that Chris Kresser shared recently. I just love everything in it. I hope that you do too. I especially love what he writes about being present with our loved ones and not distracted by phones and other nonsense! Let me know what you think in the comments.

Keeping Mosquitoes Away!

It is officially mosquito thirty here in southern Georgia. I tried to get some fresh air last night and do some work outside, but instead I became dinner! Since I am not from Georgia and am not used to having to fight off mosquitoes for much longer parts of the year, I started doing some hunting to see what I could try.

Here are the actionable steps you can take to have a few less mosquitoes nibbling on you:

           * The first thing I did was walked around the property to find any standing water and see if I could get rid of it so that mosquitoes won't have a breeding ground.
          * Had the hubby clear out the gutters.... we used to do this every year in New York as well and it always helped with the bugs!
          * I have heard that spraying listerine on or near you can help. (I used Listerine to get rid of lice once when my daughter brought it home. There aren't the greatest ingredients in there, but it is better than other choices). However, I am wondering if it is the minty smell. I am going to try a minty essential oil and see if I can get the same results.
          * Keep your vitamin C levels up. There are some people reporting that by keeping high level of vitamin C in their system they were able to keep mosquitoes away. There are so many other reasons to take Vitamin C, that it wouldn't hurt. Just make sure to take the real stuff... there are a lot of fake vitamin Cs out there. But that is a topic for another day.
          * Eating more garlic is also said to keep them away. I eat a ton of garlic though... and they still chomp on me. So I am not sure if that works or maybe I am just not getting enough!
          * You could make your own repellent using witch hazel, oils and other essential oils. Here is another great recipe from Katie at Wellness Mama.
          * You could even make your own citronella candles.


If you do happen to get bit, or your little ones, I highly recommend placing vinegar on the bite. We pour just a little bit on a cloth or napkin and hold in on the skin where the mosquito dinner feast occurred. It helps take itch out!

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