food

2 posts in one day, I MUST have things on my mind (soon I will share... we will see what happens IRL first)...

I've been doing some reading, some contemplating, some wearing of clothes that are too tight and I really want to work on mine & my family's eating habits... and don't get me wrong... I'm not talking major crazy huge changes like going vegan or something... just healthier... getting away from processed CRAP and filling my body with the fuel it needs to give me the energy I want to do what I have to do (be a wife & mom)... easy enough, right?

I think this will probably be the beginning of another series of posts (haven't forgotten that financial journey series... just need to think through some of it some more)...

so, first I will think about the ways we've done better as a family and where we could stand to improve...

once upon a time husband and I went out to eat 3 or 4 times a week... and that was just dinner... it didn't include stopping at McDonald's or Taco Bell for lunch... horrible (what budget problems?)

once upon a time making cheeseburger macaroni was 'cooking'

once upon a time (like this morning... ) our favorite breakfast item was toaster streudel (i blame husband for this one... talk about filling your body with pure sugar and crap to start your morning... and oldest daughter is hooked... I think the store will have to be out of toaster streudel in the near future)

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one of my favorite 'changes' has been to stop using jarred spaghetti sauce. since pasta is a go-to meal at least once a week, it feels good that we are taking the time to make our own sauce & we know what is in it... depending how this summer's garden goes, i think it would be great to be able to jar our own italian stewed tomatoes to take the 'homemade' to a new level (we do start w/canned tomatoes...)

i LOVE wholewheat pasta... husband.... doesn't. i wouldn't buy white pasta again if it were completely up to me (same goes for rice)... there are a few dishes (mac n cheese, penne, etc) where I can usually get him to go with it...

beverages... when I was on weight watchers, they made me very aware that when you have soda or alcohol you are drinking your points away... you aren't getting much or any health benefit in return and you are probably hardly staying hydrated. 95% of my liquid intake comes in the form (in this order) of ice water, ice (DECAF!) tea, coffee, milk or juice. every once in a blue moon I'll have a dr pepper or alcohol, but really, the cheapskate in me doesn't like spending the money on that stuff... plus I feel yucky after I've had it (exception would be a nice glass of wine at the end of a hectic day)

speaking of garden (what? i mentioned it like 4 paragraphs ago!)... i am trying out another garden this year... i had mixed results last year, and I hope things go better this year... so far we've planted okra, tomatoes, basil, jalepenos & zucchini. i'll be adding yellow squash, onions, cilantro, & maybe some pumpkin to that mix... yay!!!! looking forward to a jar of grown-by-us salsa!

what do you do to help your family eat healthier?