Carrots dipped in ranch dressing

Some of the most important things you can do to eat healthier come in the form of little mini-habits. In our house we are trying to get used to eating healthier snacks like this again. If its the norm in your house to eat carrots instead of chips or candy, just think of the relative health benefits! Just a thought... ;). (And if you want to go the extra mile, you could dip them in hummus or just eat them plain!)

The Healthy Haul

I went to the store on Monday and I decided to try an experiment when I got home with my food.  I divided up my haul into food groups and took a picture of each group.  The idea was to see 1) if I was buying mostly in the grains, fruits, veggies, and beans groups, and 2) if there were very many/any items that didn't exactly fit in any group.  If you find that you have a lot of those types of items, those are the things to stop buying.  Also, as mentioned in the previous post, I spent a lot of time in the grocery store reading labels and attempting to buy mostly items with a very short if not one item ingredient list.  Here is how it turned out:

Dairy

We try to eat as little meat as possible.  When we do have meat, I prefer chicken.

Meat

As far as dairy is concerned, I'm not sure how I feel yet.  I don't know if it's good or bad for you, but I know that it helps us to eat less meat, so for now it is a staple in our house.

Grains

When I buy grains, I look for whole grains whenever possible, and I strive for a variety of different kinds.  This week we tried quinoa and couscous for the first time!  They were a hit.  :)

Vegetables

Veggies are a huge part of a healthy diet.  This group actually is quite small because I already had a lot of vegetables left at home.  Fresh is best, but we aren't adverse to canned or frozen either.  We especially try to make sure to have dark green vegetables, because those tend to be the most difficult to fit into your diet.

Fruit

 Fruit is similar to veggies in terms of us being fine with dried, canned, or frozen.  The dried fruit is great because it lasts a long time and its great on the go.  Fruit, though, is easy for us to eat, so we try to reserve it for breakfast, snacks, and as a treat after dinner.

Nuts and Beans

Beans and Nuts are my new favorite semi-made-up food group.  Really they belong in the meat or protein group, but I have chosen to see them as a group of their own which makes me be more conscientious about selecting them.  What you see in this picture is several new items that I'm trying out this week.  What you don't see is that our main bean staple is a whole pantry full of canned beans.  I had so many that I didn't have to restock yet.  (Seeds are also in this group, but the only seed we've tried are sunflower seeds.)



So, there you have it!  Please note that there isn't anything too foreign or weird.  We aren't perfect, but we eat healthy enough without having to branch out into unfamiliar territory.  This is our version of eating healthy and this is my current version of a healthy haul.  :D

Mediterranean Sandwich and Kid's Snacks

A few days ago we tried a special attempt to eat a healthy lunch. This was the result. It's a huge struggle to get my girls to eat vegetables so we tried some carrot "buttons" this time around. It seemed to be a hit. My three-year-old ate a lot more than she normally would, and without ranch too! She also ate crackers, olives, and grapes, and it filled her up quite nicely. I think sometimes I forget that I don't always have to feed my kids what I would deem as a meal. Sometimes a good collection of healthy snacks can do the trick. :)

For my lunch, I attempted to make up a different kind of sandwich using leftovers I had in my fridge. I toasted some whole wheat bread, spread on a generous amount of hummus, broke up some olives, cut up some sun-dried tomatoes, and julienned some fresh basil to put on top.

It was really just an experiment...

But, to my surprise and delight, it was delicious! All those earthy Mediterranean flavors melded very well. I'm definitely making it again!

Ingredient Lists and tidbit or two

I watched an excellent documentary last night called "Hungry for Change." It made me excited about healthy eating again. Sometimes watching documentaries like that can be overwhelming, feeling like you have to reach the ideal diet all at once. But for me, they're almost always motivational as well.

Also, sometimes it's frustrating to get the end of a documentary and find out they're just trying to sell you a juicer. Nonetheless, I believe that this documentary contained a lot of truth. One of the things that this movie inspired me to do was to begin looking at the ingredients lists on my food items.

There are a few simple rules. First, the fewer ingredients on the list, the better the food is for you. Second, you want to be able to recognize all of the ingredients. If there is a big long list of scientific sounding ingredients, stay away!

I wanted to share a couple of our favorite healthy breakfast foods. The first, is a great alternative to regular yogurt. We always have on hand a great big tub of plain nonfat Greek yogurt. We also try to have a variety of berries in the freezer and some honey in the pantry. Defrost the berries, break them up a little, and mix in some Greek yogurt and honey. It's delicious, and you know exactly what's in it. Greek yogurt is said to be better than normal yogurt. (I won't pretend to know why... But I do know that it tastes a lot better!) And honey is supposed to be a very healthy sugar. Plus, you get to control how sweet you want it to be.

One last idea, is for when you need a quick snack. We toast up a little whole-wheat bread, spread on some peanut butter, and sprinkle on the raisins. Healthy, filling, and delicious!

Soup and Salad

So here's a tidbit of an idea that I'm trying right now for the first time: put down a layer of salad in your bowl before you serve up your soup, stir it in, and enjoy! This adds low- calorie, high nutrition bulk to your meal, helping you to eat less of the higher calorie soup. I think this is a brilliant idea, (I can say that because its not my own,) because if you have a salad on the side you feel the need to add dressing. If you have salad alone it can be dissatisfying. And let's be honest: more often than not we skip the salad and go straight for the more appetizing soup. Anyway... Just a thought!

The Science and Statistics Back It Up

I really liked this article, because it supports ideas that I was already entertaining, but it originates from an LDS source.  Tell me what you think!

Cancer, Nutrition, and the Word of Wisdom

What is the truth?

My goals in meal planning and preparation are to provide healthy, delicious meals.  (It would be great if they weren't too expensive or labor intensive either, but those desires are secondary.)  The problem is defining "healthy."  It seems that what constitutes a "healthy" meal depends largely on who you talk to, the latest studies, as well as recent popular trends.

Who are you supposed to believe?  What is the truth?

I have decided that the best solution for my family is to follow as best we can the guidance we have received from Heavenly Father through modern revelation.  This is contained in the Word of Wisdom, (see tab above.)  Some parts are very clear and not difficult for my family to follow.  Other sections are more confusing, and I struggle to apply them as well as I think I should.

To summarize its contents (in terms of my own personal interpretation and understanding):

1)  No Tea, Coffee, Tobacco, or Liquor
2)  Plenty of Vegetables
3)  Plenty of Grains
4)  Plenty of Fruit
5)  Eat Meat sparingly

That is what it says explicitly.  In addition, I believe some other wise principles are:

6)  Eat a VARIETY of fruits, veggies, and grains
7)  Use MODERATION in your food consumption
8)  Avoid anything ADDICTING
9)  Get enough SLEEP (early to bed, early to rise)
10)  Drink enough WATER
11)  EXERCISE daily

I am doing my best to follow these guidelines and I hope to get better over the coming months and years.  I am hoping that this blog will help keep me accountable and on track.  I intend to share my little tips on how to gradually adjust into a healthier diet and lifestyle, especially if you are a busy stay-at-home mom like me.  I also hope to include my favorite healthy recipes as I come across them.  :)