I am trying a lot harder to work on meal planning. Not only to be more organized, but also to cut down on expenses. I am trying harder to create meals out of food we already have at our house. Here is a sample of some meal planning: Tuesday-Spaghetti Wednesday-Chicken Veggie Pasta Homemade bean burritos...
Category Archives: Health/fitness/nutritionFebruary 9, 2013 - 9:19 am
We’ve actually been pretty vigilant about meal plans over the last year and it has made a big difference in my life. I don’t have next week’s plan made yet, but last week was: Denver will be gone for work for the next 2 weeks, so I’ve got to get a meal plan together and have him go shopping for me before he leaves. When he’s gone, it’s harder in some ways, because I don’t want to make things the kids won’t eat. But I also use it as a time to try things I know he’s not interested in. February 9, 2013 - 12:42 pm
Wow! I am impressed. I have to admit I really only cook on the weekend. Week nights are left overs, sandwiches, or anything I can throw together is 10 minutes or less. I do really want to commit to more sit down together families now that our schedules allow. February 9, 2013 - 1:11 pm
Will you share your Thai Dragon noodles and Kale soup recipes? Those are great ideas to add to the rotation. Our kids’ favorite weekly staples are rice and beans, pasta with red sauce, and quesadillas. February 9, 2013 - 1:42 pm
Adrienne, For the Kale soup, I don’t follow a recipe, but here is the gist: February 11, 2013 - 9:37 am
When my husband was growing up, his mother referred to evenings when leftovers were served as “nights to remember.” We still use this terminology and so when I plan to serve leftovers and my husband asks what’s for dinner, I reply, “we’re having a night to remember!” February 11, 2013 - 8:17 pm
A night to remember… I love that and will henceforth be using that phrase. Trying to find a good balance of healthy eating has always been a struggle for me. Although I think that I cook pretty healthy, I have a sweet tooth. It is hard for me to go a day without treating myself to some sort of treat… usually a high carb baked good. I am addicted... 10 comments September 19, 2012 - 7:55 am
I recommend eating a large breakfast of just fruit! You won’t crave sugar if you give your body the natural sweetness its looking for. We are primates and we’re made to eat large quantities of fruit. September 19, 2012 - 4:33 pm
Sounds kind of fun. I mainly like the goal of not eating processed foods with more than 5 ingredients. I’m not willing to take the challenge because when I commit to something I try really hard to do it, and right now, I don’t want one more thing I have to keep on top of (I have a very addictive personality when it comes to health related things, which can sometimes be bad). I’ll do it as its convenient, maybe later on I’ll take the challenge. I’m interested to see Some of the new recipes and ideas you get from it. Please share them!! September 19, 2012 - 5:12 pm
I love the 100 Days of Real Food blog and like to try her recipes. The one recipe I have made MANY times is her crockpot refried beans (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/) – I mostly use it to make black beans (just dice the whole onion instead of halving it for more flavor, use only about 5 cups of water, and don’t mash the beans afterwards). Good luck to you! As challenged as I am in the kitchen, I’m afraid if I limited myself to 100% whole foods 100% of the time my family might starve. Baby steps for me. I think we’re closer to 50/50 right now (whole to processed), okay probably more like 60/40?? I would count 75/25 a huge success for us, something to strive for September 19, 2012 - 10:47 pm
Scott and I have been following a very strict Diabetic and low cholesterol diet since last month, due to my diabetes labs coming back pretty bad and Scott’s cholesterol being elevated. It is very similar to the whole foods diet. At first it was hard, but now is becoming a lifestyle and is pretty easy. You just have to make it through the first 2 weeks and then it becomes much easier. I know you and your family can do it. Let me know if you want any recipes. I make a lot of desserts without using sugar, or artificial sweeteners. September 21, 2012 - 11:50 am
So, I did the sugar fast for a few months to lose weight as that is my weakness too. But when I get back on I lose control again. My new health plan is that I am eating only whole grains (break, rice, pasta….), Sweets only on weekend (I eat sweetened yogurt whenever though) and not eating after 7:00. And I get three exceptions to these each week. So far it is easy, I have lost 1 pound a week and am trying to form better habits so when I get to ideal weight I don’t slip into bad habits but try to maintain these habits for the most part. September 21, 2012 - 12:41 pm
Annalise, do you guys do a raw foods diet? September 22, 2012 - 11:35 am
That’s super interesting. My family eats waaaay too much sugar. September 25, 2012 - 9:16 pm
Juliette, September 26, 2012 - 6:11 pm
Yahoo for grass fed beef! October 2, 2012 - 12:08 pm
What do you put in your homemade trail mix? We can’t send any nuts to school so I figured that ruled out any trail mix.  Am I the last person to catch on to the awesomeness of grilling your pizza on the bbq? I don’t know if we will ever go back to baking pizza in an oven again. I will admit that I don’t usually make my crust from scratch. I usually buy Winco or Trader Joe’s fresh pizza... 2 comments October 7, 2011 - 10:32 pm
Our favorite pizza dough is from Big River…they sell it at Fred Meyer in the natural foods section (and maybe at the co-op too). We’ve never tried grilling our pizza but it sounds tasty! October 8, 2011 - 8:16 pm
I’ve heard the Big River dough is good. If I were on top of things, I would just plan and make my own every time, but I’m not on top of things… so I probably will just keep buying dough I started doing weight watchers online a few weeks ago because: I really want to drop the last 8 pounds of baby weight. Weight watchers takes into consideration nursing mamas, so I am still able to eat a good amount of food each day, which is obviously important with milk production. I honestly am not... 10 comments October 2, 2011 - 10:44 pm
so weird that you’re bringing up WW- because i’ve totally been thinking about doing WW. i did it once about a thousand years ago but i wasn’t super commited to weight loss at the time- i remember loosing 5lbs right away and that’s about it. October 3, 2011 - 6:51 am
Kara- as you know, I started WW in August and so far have been successful (I’ve lost 16lbs…yea!) I think it’s a great program and is not extreme in any way. I am wondering how maintenance will be long-term…that was my stumbling block the last time I did it (in 1991…you were, what? Maybe 2 years old at the time? hee hee) Anyway, I’m happy to hear it is working for you, too! October 3, 2011 - 9:06 am
When I lost all of my weight I did it by flat out counting calories – more or less the same thing as the points system. It totally worked. And much like you I bascially had to “stop cooking” and for sure I stopped baking (for real stopped, not in quotes stopped). Hard hard transitions, but WORTH IT. YOU GO GIRL! I still need to lose the last eight too – but unlike you I’m not buckling down and getting it done October 3, 2011 - 9:05 pm
So proud of you! It basically teaches you what your body needs and once you do it long enough, you just get used to it. If you are feeling just desperate to bake… Try http://www.skinnytaste.com. Awesome website with lower calorie recipes. All the calories and WW points are laid out for you per serving. So good!! I’ve used a bunch of her recipes. October 3, 2011 - 9:15 pm
Christa, October 4, 2011 - 8:25 am
I’ve been thinking about joining WW for a while. My sister and mom both did it and had success. I think it would work well for me because I really don’t believe in depravation when it comes to food. But I’m not very good at thinking about what I eat, so just being more conscious of it would help. I just don’t like the idea of paying for it! Ha! October 5, 2011 - 4:18 pm
WW is great. I did it a few years ago when I was thinking about getting pregnant. I wanted to be as healthy as possible before trying to grow a baby (and gaining even more weight). I lost over 25 pounds and kept it off for a year. I was a “lifetime member” which meant I didn’t have to pay and only had to go in once a month to weigh to make sure I was within 2 pounds of my goal weight. And then I got pregnant and stopped being allowed to be a member. I gained a whopping 50 pounds during my pregnancy! After I had Judah I slowly but surely I lost all of it. However, as Judah has begun to nurse less and less, the pounds have started to creep back on. No me gusta. I have about 10-15 pounds to lose now and I KNOW I need to hop back on the WW train, but I’m so not in the mood. I REALLY need to, though, or the holidays are going to be disastrous! Good for you for doing this! (Although, I think you look fabulous and can’t imagine that you have any weight to lose!) October 5, 2011 - 4:32 pm
Wow Elisabeth, October 7, 2011 - 11:45 am
I joined WW to lose babyweight after both babies. The first time I didn’t join until Henry was 2, and I lost the last 15 pounds quickly. The second time, I joined when Ruthie was 1, and lost 60 pounds. (Um, yeah, I gain a LOT of weight when pregnant.) I LOVE WW. I’m glad to hear they’ve changed the points system. (It used to be you had to count fruits as points, and they really pushed their “low-point” junkfood snacks.) They really have moved in the direction of encouraging overall HEALTH instead of just emphasizing weight loss. Now I think the company needs a change in name… Health Watchers? October 7, 2011 - 9:54 pm
You lost 60 pounds!!! I met you before Ruthie was 1, and you did not look like you needed to lose 60 pounds. That is amazing! I agree that weight watchers can push their low cal processed foods a little… no me gusta… but the 0 point fruits and veggies is awesome! Oh, and bye the way, I cheated a lot today. It was Gabe’s b-day, and I just need to get that off of my conscience  Our awesome biking gang. I love how it almost looks like Miriam is sporting a mohawk, but no, her hair just fell out in a bad-A sort of way. I wouldn’t mess with that gang. Having too much fun with the camera timer. I love so much about our little neighborhood and house, but the... 6 comments September 11, 2011 - 9:48 pm
Such fun pictures! You guys rock! We live in a very bike friendly neighborhood with lots of bike paths throughout the river valley… but that’s only useful for about 5 months of the year, if we’re lucky. We are so not a biking family, though I’d like to be. Logistically, it’s just never worked out. With 4 kids in less than 6 years, I just haven’t found a way to make it work. M and T aren’t very good on their bikes, even with training wheels still. I don’t even HAVE a bike, let alone a trailer for the 2 little girls. That’s a big commitment for us for such a short bike riding season. I think we’ll have to wait a few years until everyone can be a little more independent on their bikes. I love that you guys can enjoy it! September 11, 2011 - 10:05 pm
We live on the world’s steepest, graveliest road, and I would die from accident or exhaustion if I tried to bike around here. It’s a sad sad thing. Sometimes I think about driving into town to ride my bike around, but that seems like it would defeat the whole purpose of biking. boo. September 11, 2011 - 11:10 pm
Adrienne, September 12, 2011 - 11:20 am
Having lived in Corvallis for a year now, I feel like I need to try and get back on a bicycle just not to feel like a lazy bum. But after knowing how Hubby had to jump off his bike to avoid getting hit by a truck last year, and how a work colleague actually got hit from behind while riding to work last month, I seriously have second thought about biking around town :p Nonetheless, I think occasional biking as family recreational activity is a great idea. I’ve been trying to convince hubby to bike with the baby in tow. But he doesn’t feel too safe with pulling the baby in the trailer. Has anybody have good experience with child seat attached to the front or the back of the bike? What about getting helmet for the little one (where do you get them small enough)? “Biking with Children” might be a good topic for you next baby class, Kara September 12, 2011 - 8:50 pm
@Rose: We bought an insert for the Burley trailer that was good for infants from 5-12 months. Seamus LOVED it. He actually was more secure and supported in it than a car seat, I think. We now have a bike seat attached to my husband’s bike and he loves that too (he’s almost 2). I think I actually felt safer with him in a trailer because it felt like a roll cage unlike the seat where he is more exposed. I wonder what the safety data says…. September 12, 2011 - 8:59 pm
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p.s i know i don’t actually know you and seeing you last tuesday in class is the first time i’ve seen you in person but from pictures i’ve seen on your blog, i totally thought you looked like you had lost weight. wow, does that last sentence even make sense? you look great is the point.
6 comments