Posted by tntmck on Sep 2, 2010 in
Overall Diet DAY EIGHT (start of week 2)
Ok, so I’m back to share my experience from the first week of Phase I. Well, we survived. I cheated by having lima beans (forgetting they were a bean and not a vegetable…duh). My husband called me out on it because he HATES lima beans…oh well. I’m finally getting into a better groove of planning, prepping, and time management. Things were a little haywire the first couple of days, but I’m getting better. I’m still behind on shopping. I just can’t seem to buy enough for all of us to eat 3 full meals and snacks from home. I’m WAY, WAY, WAY over budget this month, so I’m hoping that more experience with the foods I need to bay and the best places to buy them will help me next month. I’m gearing up for the challenge of packing foods for my husband to take on the road as he is out of town for a couple days this week. This will be interesting to see how he does, but so far he’s been completely on-board, which is completely amazing!
I wasn’t sick or necessarily unhealthy before, but I’ve lost 7 lbs and my husband 9. I feel like I can breathe better and I have more energy throughout the day. Additionally, both of us have been in such great moods and so into this new lifestyle change that seems to have really positively affected so many areas of our daily lives that it’s truly amazing and inspiring!
Here’s some inspiration for some meals we’ve been having and are going to have these first 2 weeks of phase 1…
- Crock Pot Roast, Carrots
- Halibut, brocolli
- Oriental Red Meat Salad
- French Style London Broil, green beans
- Salmon, Brocolli
- Chicken Salad on lettuce
- Taco salad (no shell), quacamole
- Hot Dogs, green beans
- Chicken Tortilla Soup with Avocado
- Chicken with salsa and guacamole
- Tuna Steaks Oriental Style with spinach salad
- Tuna Salad on lettuce
- oh, and omelets, fritatta, or scrambled eggs every morning!!
I’ve been learning a lot just from feeding the boys. It’s crazy how we would sit down for dinner and they could “technically” eat what we were having, but I didn’t want them to because of what was in it (and it wasn’t really that bad). So, I decided it was getting crazy. I’m not cooking 2 meals the rest of my life and what are they going to think as they get older? We need to eat better AS A FAMILY, so i basically followed the little guys’ lead. Funny how kids can change so many things in your life, including your perspective on food.
Series Links
THE BIG CHANGE: Introduction
THE BIG CHANGE: Getting Started, Week 1
THE BIG CHANGE: Finishing Phase I, Week 2 (you are here)
Tags: big change, family, healthy
Posted by tntmck on Aug 19, 2010 in
Overall Diet In case you missed the introduction, start here. I’ve gone back to my notes from these 40 days and am sharing my thoughts from THE BIG CHANGE in our eating habits and lifestyle. The 40 days is broken down into 3 phases. This first phase is 2 weeks and here are my thoughts as we begin to detox this first week. I consider it a detox as we really narrowed down our food choices to the Approved Maker’s Diet Food List. The goal of these posts is not to share the details of the book or the plan, but please feel free to ask any questions or share any comments.
Day One
Well, Jonathan and I started the 40-day, 3-phase plan from
The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin. I’ve been researching, planning, shopping, and preparing for a while now and we’ve finally made it to a good point in our schedules to start.
We had the frittata and half a grapefruit each this morning. It was good and no complaints so far. I packed us both a mixed green salad with roasted chicken as well as quite a few veggies with the raw dressing from the book, strawberries, and goat’s milk yogurt with blueberries, honey, and vanilla to take for lunch and snack today.
I’m excited and nervous…I’m a carb lover!! I know once we reach the third phase, I can do it. This is a lifestyle change that we both need, but these first 2 phases will probably be rough. But, I can do anything for 4 weeks, right?!?
Day Two
Well, the first day went fairly well. I basically have two issues that I’m trying to resolve.
- Allowing enough time in the morning to prepare and cook breakfast and lunch (and sometimes) dinner for the day and be able to clean up and get out of the house in time for work.
- Preparing enough food for Jonathan to have during the day. I think part of the problem is just him not realizing that this is a tough detox/cleansing and he will probably be hungry and struggle for a few days. But, the other part is me not realizing how much more food he needs than me.
Day Three
Bear with me as I ramble on about this experience.
The second day was much better. Jonathan actually said, “I think I’m eating too much food.” I think he just needed those 2 days to adjust to not eating so many carbs, sugars, and cokes that create a false-sense of being full. As for me, I’m still struggling with the idea of some of the new tastes, like goat cheese, yogurt, and fermented things. I really just almost gag eating those things. But, we’re doing good.
My goal right now is to figure out my schedule with the family, work, and making all of this new, wonderful food. Some other things have fallen to the back burner right now, but I know it’s just a hiccup as I teach myself some new habits and learn some new ways of caring for myself and my family.
I’m having to learn what doubling dinner means for our family as cooking for two boys is still fairly new and Jonathan is chowing down at dinner. I haven’t had the leftovers I was expecting so far and am struggling to keep up with the amounts of food needed for all of us each day. I did buy turkey bacon yesterday and plan to precook and try a mini casserole, too.
Day Four
Ok, the partial fast day is hard!!
I made a smoothie this morning and Jonathan drank it all. He did say he wanted more berries, but that should be doable.
Series Links
THE BIG CHANGE: Introduction
THE BIG CHANGE: Getting Started, Week 1 (you are here)
THE BIG CHANGE: Finishing Phase I, Week 2
Tags: big change, family, healthy
Posted by tntmck on Aug 4, 2010 in
Overall Diet We’ve recently undergone a big change in eating habits around our house. Since May, we’ve basically cut out all processed and packaged foods as well as switched our dairy and meat to grass-fed and free-range, organics. We follow the Dirty Dozen list for buying some organic produce, and have eliminated unclean animal meats such as fish without scales like catfish, shellfish, and pork.
You may wonder, how would one start this or get this crazy idea? Well, feeding my boys and this blog were the key factors. Documenting and looking at the healthy choices I was making for them made me question what Jonathan and I were eating. Why was it ok for us to eat something that I wasn’t willing to serve to Owen and Wyatt? Well, I could think of no good reason. We needed a change. I had read some things online and heard a few things from people here and there, but ultimately ended up reading The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin and have been using that as our general guide. We did the 40-day plan outlined in the book and I wrote some notes about our change and the results. Over the next few weeks, I will publish these thoughts as we look back on our 40 days and time since then.
I can tell you that it has been a much-needed and wonderful change. We have both lost weight, feel better, and are happily eating together as a family. We still occasionally eat out, but most of our foods are bought fresh and prepared at home. This may be a general blog transition for me as I work toward the end of the 52 weeks, but I’m not totally sure at this point. I would love to hear from any of you who may be interested in embarking on or already live a lifestyle focused on fresh, healthy, whole foods. I feel like I learn something new every day and each little piece of information is enlightening to me.
I’ve alluded to some of these ideas previously and I plan to share some of the basic ideas and principles of healthy full fats, soaking grains, sprouted beans and grains, raw milk and cheeses, meats, and recipes as I go along, but the primary reason will be to document the big change.
Series Links
THE BIG CHANGE: Introduction (you are here)
THE BIG CHANGE: Getting Started, Week 1
THE BIG CHANGE: Finishing Phase I, Week 2
Tags: big change, family, healthy
This week was all about breakfast and trying out some new things. Some were successful. Some were not. One was so good that we also enjoyed it for dessert. Owen is now feeding himself well from a spoon and a fork. He needs some help with scooping and stabbing, but the rest is mastered. Wyatt is just starting to be willing to even hold the utensil for a few minutes of a meal. Both boys enjoy drinking water straight from a cup and getting about 5% in their mouths and the rest down the front of their shirts. This is a great outside summer activity!
Food Description
Eggs and healthy grains are a great way to start out your day. Add in some fresh fruit and vegetables and you’ll really be off to a great start. We find breakfast an important meal in the day and really enjoy this time together before we all go about our days.
Process
Easy Breakfast Frittata
INGREDIENTS
1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 tomato, seeds removed and diced
4 large eggs
splash of milk
3 T fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cook onion over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes or until translucent and soft.
Add garlic, mushrooms and saute for 2 min. Add tomato, salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Stir well.
Beat eggs well with a splash of milk and season with salt and pepper. Mix in basil. Pour eggs over veggies evenly and turn heat to low. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until firm. Cut into wedges and serve.
Cinnamon Sugar Muffins
adapted from Muffins that Taste Like Donuts
INGREDIENTS FOR MUFFINS
1 3/4 cup Spelt Flour (or whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/3 cup Coconut Oil
3/4 cup Rapadura (or sugar)
1 whole Egg
3/4 cup Milk
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING
1/4 cup Butter
1/3 cup White Sugar (I used Rapadura)
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Grease one standard size muffin pan with butter or coconut oil.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Mix together oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Fill standard sized muffin tins with the 1/4 cup batter per muffin.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the Rapadura (sugar) with the cinnamon in another bowl. Shake muffins out of pan while still hot. Dip muffin tops in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.
Makes 1 dozen.
German Pancakes
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat, but bread flour may rise more)
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Melt 4 TBS butter in 8″ or 10″ cast iron skillet in oven to while preheating to 400°. (9×9 pan will work as well, or double recipe for 9×12 pan)
Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into hot pan, allowing butter to rise to the top.
Bake for 20-25 mintues.
Serve with pure maple syrup or your choice of toppings. Consider fruit or cinnamon in the mix or on top.
What I Learned
Breakfast has always been a favorite meal of mine, but I realized recently that we were having scrambled eggs and fruit way too often. It was time to change it up a little. Variety is good and breakfast is yummy.
Reaction
Both boys enjoy most everything at breakfast, so these have also been a big hit. The German Pancakes and Muffins were a true highlight to our week. We even enjoyed the rest of the muffins for a few after-dinner desserts the rest of the week.
Summary
These foods have been added to the weekly rotation as Jonathan would say. When I get that comment, then I know it’s good.
Tags: breakfast, egg, family, omega-3, recipe, whole grain
Posted by tntmck on Jul 1, 2010 in
Dairy,
Meat,
Weekly Can you believe that 2010 is halfway over? I really cannot. But, in the spirit of the middle of the year, I decided to take a look back at where I started at
WEEK 1 and see how far we’ve come. I’ve been making and feeding my boys healthy food since they were 6 months old, but I just started this blog documenting our experiences this year. So, back in January I did my first weekly post where I mainly shared what foods I’ve made and how it had gone so far. Today, I’m sharing recipes and talking about how we enjoy meals together as a family. It’s amazing how quickly things change in these little lives.
FOOD DESCRIPTION
I’ve never been much of a mayonnaise fan which means that I don’t care for many of the traditional “salads” like potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. I do realize how nice it is to have these around though, for quick lunches and cool, refreshing summer sides. So, over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with a chicken salad recipe that I could more than tolerate, but rather enjoy. And, I think I’ve done it. The boys like it, I like it, and I think that maybe Jonathan even likes it. He will eat it, but does pick out the celery.
PROCESS
This chicken salad was created on researching, trying, testing, and tasting various versions over the period of a few weeks. I love cheese, so thought that would be a good substitute for yucky mayonnaise.
- Cheesy Chicken Salad A yummy alternative to your traditional mayonnaise-based concoction.
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 TBS plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 TBS minced garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb cooked chicken breast, chopped, torn, or shredded (I used leftover from a roasted chicken, but you could boil or bake as well.)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- Put ricotta cheese, lemon juice, mustard, honey, yogurt, milk, garlic, salt and pepper into the blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
- Put chicken, celery, and onions into a large bowl. Mix in the cheese mixture and stir to coat.
- Serve immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator. This will last a few days.
WHAT I LEARNED
It’s not too hard to adjust a recipe to your liking. It just takes a little thought, trial and error to get it right. Experiment and change up the ingredients and flavorings to get it just how you like it. This is a great thing to have on hand especially in these hot summer months for quick lunches and easy bites for toddlers.
REACTION
We all liked it, even me and if you ask anyone that knows me, seeing me eat chicken salad would be a weird thing indeed.
SUMMARY
We’ve had a nice break in the humidity around here the past few days, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking about things to keep it cool in the kitchen. This one is great, but I’m off to think of some more great ideas. I’m off for a few days to enjoy the holiday weekend. Happy Fourth of July!
Please share your thoughts or ideas!
::
Tags: cheese, chicken, family, summer
Posted by tntmck on May 31, 2010 in
Weekly
This was a fun week with lots of good family time. Of course, any good holiday includes lots of yummy food and this Memorial Day Weekend was not lacking.
FOOD DESCRIPTION
I found myself a little behind this week on food, so I tried to make up for it a little this weekend. We also enjoyed an extra long, nice weekend to ourselves and with family. I’m going to outline by days this weekend since I don’t really have any new specific foods or recipes to share from this week.
PROCESS
- Friday A nice visit from Granny and Grandaddy and we enjoyed hamburgers on the grill with salad and sweet potatoes. We weren’t quite ready with the burgers in time for the boys to eat, but they enjoyed their own chicken, peas, and avocado. Owen was distracted or not willing to eat for some reason, so he ate half of my burger and sweet potato after he and Wyatt were done at the table.
- Saturday This was a great day for mom. I got away to run some errands at the mall and a haircut on my own. Dad took care of the boys and they had a great time together!
- Sunday This was a full day for sure. We ate breakfast at home, then headed out for the day. From church, we went to Mimi and Pappy’s house for lunch. The boys scarfed up some grilled salmon, baked sweet potato fries, pasta, and bread. They also got to enjoy some yummy graham crackers for a snack after naps. From there we went to Uncle Bryan and Aunt Rebecca’s pool, but ended up getting rained out. Oh well, they prepared a yummy meal with chicken and mushrooms in a goat cheese sauce with broccoli, ezekial bread, tomatoes, and strawberries. Wyatt chowed down, but Owen was a little too distracted by his super fun cousins.
- Monday We enjoyed a fun family day at home and dad smoked a chicken for us. With ginger on the inside, he stood it up on the Big Green Egg and we had super moist, yummy chicken for dinner along with some garlicky green beans. I also made some more spinach bites for the fridge and freezer as well as bagging up some leftover chicken for the boys’ lunches.
WHAT I LEARNED
Eating has always been something we’ve enjoyed with family and our boys are seeming to be agreeable to eating with others. Owen just tends to get distracted much easier.
REACTION
Everything was super yummy this weekend, but I have to say the boys really did seem to like the grilled salmon a lot. They’ve had salmon and other fish before and always seem to eat more than when they’re having chicken or beef.
SUMMARY
Owen is starting to get a little picky and finicky these days. Sometimes he wants to eat from a fork. Sometimes he wants to be fed. Sometimes he wants to feed himself. Sometimes he just doesn’t want to eat for whatever reason. I’ve noticed he can be easily distracted or not eat well for lunch if we’ve skipped a morning nap. Either way, this usually only happens for one meal a day, but I know this is typical toddler eating behavior. Wyatt hasn’t really acted this way yet and for the most part Owen is still a big eater.
Please share your thoughts or ideas.
::
Tags: chicken, family, fish, spinach
Posted by tntmck on May 19, 2010 in
Tips
The tip today might sound natural, but it’s easy to get caught up in your day and forget or to get stuck in your infant routine and not move on with your baby. To reach the ultimate goal of eating with the family, you want to be sure and include your baby at the table with meals. Do this as much as you can early on while they may be playing on a blanket, sitting in an infant seat or bouncy seat, or playing in a highchair.
Once you begin solids and start to lineup mealtimes with the family, be sure to include them with you. This is another reason to teach finger foods. Being exposed the family mealtime will get him interested and give you opportunities to introduce those healthy foods your eating at the table. Of course, there are other social benefits as well, and be sure to keep mealtimes a happy, fun family time.
Please share your thoughts and ideas.
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Tags: family, goals, highchair, pre-toddler, table
Posted by tntmck on May 8, 2010 in
Meat,
Weekly
This week we stepped up our chicken cooking a notch. Chicken and beef are such staples around here that I’m determined to find many ways to prepare. You may think, what does this have to do with feeding my baby or toddler. Well, just read GOAL: Eating With the Tamily and you’ll get the idea. Over the past few months, we’ve really been making big steps as a whole family in eating well together. I’ll also note that more things are changing around here in reference to Babies Changing Parents’ Habits and I hope to share more on that in the coming weeks as well.
FOOD DESCRIPTION
Instead of baking, sauteing, or grilling chicken breasts, thighs, or tenderloins, we went for the whole bird. It really is super easy and you get a lot of meat for your endeavors. There’s so many ways to season, but I’ve shown one option below that I tried this week.
PROCESS
- Roast Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon A tasty way to roast a nice, beautiful chicken right in your oven at home.
- 1 whole chicken, rinsed
- Butter, salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary (I only had dried on hand, but I think fresh would be best.)
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Remove any giblets from the chicken. Rinse and pat dry.
- Rub the chicken with the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle lemon juice on top. Stuff with the onion, rosemary, and lemon halves after juicing.
- Tuck the wings under the body and tie the legs together.
- Place chicken a shallow roasting dish, breast-side up, preferably on a rack.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes per pound, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of the bird and your oven.
- Allow to rest, then carve and serve or store.
[I forgot to get a picture of the golden roasted chicken, but believe me...it was beautiful!]
I roasted in the morning, let it sit and served for lunch. I also carved the rest to store in the refrigerator for later lunches and dinner.
WHAT I LEARNED
Chicken is good, but much better when bought fresh, whole and roasted. It’s juicy and flavorful and great for leftovers or use in other dishes.
REACTION
The chicken was a hit!
SUMMARY
Chicken will continue to be a primary source of protein around here and I’ve recently found that I can buy 2 whole organic chickens at Costco…yippee!
Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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Tags: chicken, family, recipe
