Eating Healthy

 Do you ever peek in the carts of fellow shoppers as you make your way through the grocery store aisles? You know, just to see what others are buying? I admit it, I do. I'm always curious as to what others households take home. Sometimes I envy what's in their cart. So many gourmet items it makes me want to follow them home for dinner. Other times I cringe because there doesn't seem to be anything remotely healthy within that metal cage. 

 My Texas Caviar...yummy on crackers or chips (my fave are Food Should Taste Good)

We push healthy, organic, unprocessed eating, but the cost is so high that I can almost understand why more do not switch to this way of living. When a person is on a tight budget, or food stamps (though many on food stamps have more than I have on my tight budget), it is often difficult to buy 100% organic, all natural and unprocessed. It's not cheap. I'd actually like to know why it's so expensive. If it's natural, with less preservatives, maybe we have it all backwards, maybe the more healthy items should be less expensive. I've resolved that at this moment in time I cannot buy 100% organic, all natural. I do however take time to find products with the fewest ingredients, and avoiding certain ingredients as often as possible. I try to stick with whole grains. Sometimes you have to pick and choose, but that's better than not doing anything.

 In the summer, I am always grilling veggies.

The other thing I notice is that often we are not teaching our children healthy eating options. I admit I don't have this down perfectly and I KNOW there are those out there who are healthier in their eating than we are, but we are daily making changes and I feel like we are so much further than we were a few years ago. I had to laugh the other day at all the labels there are now for the way people eat; Vegans, Vegetarians, Omnivores, Carnivores, Flexitarians, raw foodists...I'm sure there are more. I don't desire to label myself any of these, labels don't impress me, but I do desire to try different ways of eating and incorporating them into our life. Sometimes I cook a strictly vegan meal, make desserts that are vegan, and sometimes I make Fettucini alfredo that is loaded with fat! I love bread and pasta (though eating it less than more). I prefer balance. If I go out to eat, I have no problem enjoying a good burger (because I rarely make them at home, and when I do, they're made with ground turkey).

 Yummy grilled veggies on Brown rice with grilled chicken tenders

But back to our kids. I want my girls to learn balance, learn to make good choices in their food. Teaching our kids to eat healthy is vital to their well being. My oldest daughter loves healthy eating, vegetables, fruit, smoothies, and of course ice cream!! My youngest does to, but not quite to the degree that her big sister does. If it's not with her meal, she doesn't think to eat it. Sometimes she'll surprise me though. She has a HUGE sweet tooth...but then, so do I. Our kids are consuming way too much sugar in the soda's they drink and many of the snacks that are readily available to them, and they're not as active as they should be.

Homemade Pita Chips

One way to sneak or just simply get some added servings of fruits and veggies is via smoothies. So much can be hidden in those yummy treats. We make ours with strictly fruits, vegetables and either soy or almond milk. We don't add sorbet, ice cream or even yogurt. Sometimes I'll add oatmeal or flax seed. If you make it just right, your kids won't even taste the vegetables. I've made two in the last week incorporating vegetables. 

The first one had spinach, oranges, pineapple, lemon and a skootch of white grape juice (100% juice). The second one was made with an orange, a few slices of pear, some grapes, strawberries, spinach, cabbage and soy milk. I added a bit of flax seed as well. It was so good, Nan even had a cup. Just experiment. Adjust flavors till you get it to taste how you want. I love bananas in my smoothies, hubby not so much so we leave them out of his. I add some ice as well, or frozen fruit instead of fresh. Oftentimes I will put fruit in the freezer that is about to be considered "too ripe".

yummy homemade pizza and fresh cut vegggies

I'd love to hear how you incorporate healthier eating into your lifestyle. How do you encourage your family to eat more fruits and veggies? How do you combat the expense that comes along with buying organic, more whole foods?

I know it's been said that giving up the processed stuff actually saves money, allowing people to buy healthier options, however, we already weren't buying much processed food items so that really didn't apply to our life. We just have a fairly low grocery budget and I have to shop VERY wisely. 

 super yummy veggie minestrone soup

I know people are vocal about their choices of diet. Some because of their love for animals, some because they are dead set that their way is the "right" way. Many have no problem informing you that what you are eating is "bad" for you, even if it really isn't. I believe we should eat healthy, stay as far away from over processed food as possible, and eat certain foods in moderation or very infrequently, making things from scratch also helps us avoid extra processed ingredients. I don't keep pop or sugar cereal in the house and rarely have juice around.

 another summer fave...grilled salmon and veggies

I am often confused by all the articles that float around out there...this one says one thing is bad for us another says it's fine, and we jump on the bandwagon. A video recently made it's way around Facebook I think showing the way meat is processed...I didn't watch it. Do I think that video showed how ALL meat is processed? Not really. I mean good grief! I've heard some nasty things about what is on vegetables sometimes..do I stop eating them? No. 


Well, I should end this post...I'm getting on a rabbit trail and a soap box. The rabbit is standing on the soap box. Time to get off! My point is, make conscious decisions about the food you eat, practice moderation, teach your kids to make good choices and get those fruits and veggies into their bodies.

With Joy UNquenchable,