Sometimes people get the notion that my family is weird.
Be what it may, I think when your child is sleeping, playing, panting, and barking in a dog bed, that only means she's purely a genius.
And even when her proportions are a little off, there is nothing wrong with wanting to cool down in a bowl full of water..
It's the same concept as a pool right?
Like I said..Genius.
But what I think is genius, might come off to others strange.
Like the way my family eats.
It might be strange that we drink green drinks...
It's probably strange that I have a fridge full of kale, swiss chard, coconut and soy milk, non dairy cheese, flax seeds, chai seeds, and 75 tubs of hummus.
It's different that my cupboard is stocked with whole grain pastas, nutritional yeast, beans, legumes, nuts, and abnormal amount of dark chocolate.
And it's definitely odd that you won't find tons of packages, boxes of cookies, bags of chips, cans of soda, or frozen steaks buried beneath bites of pizza bagels, chimichangas, and something that rhymes with feggo my beggos.
Some people ask me why I am so concerned with the way my family eats, and if it's really worth it to go through all the trouble of meal planning, prepping, cooking, and sometimes spending more money.
It's worth every second.
When I first decided I was going to really change the way I ate, it wasn't easy. Hubby could down a full 5 dollar pizza in a matter of minutes, and I didn't mind him ordering one, because that meant that I was going to be able to eat some. That was, if I could pry a slice from the wide open mouth of my starving beastly hubby. And of coarse, the pizza was smoothered in ranch, along with a side of my favorite beverage..Root Beer.
It was cheap. It was fast. And it was damn good.
So why would I change a 'good thing?'
Bottom line, I love my family.
I had to face the fact that if I wanted my husband, kids, and myself around for a long time, I had to do whatever it took to keep it that way.
If I wanted my husband alert and ready for numerous hours of studying, internships, all the while being the best dad, and hubby..His body needed the nourishment.
If I wanted my daughter walk, run, laugh, play, and learn new things every day...Her body needed the right nourishment.
If I wanted to cook, clean(still working on that), run errands, live off of 5 hours a sleep, play with my little monkey, and love my family unconditional...My body needed the proper nourishment.
And if I wanted to respect these beautiful temples, our bodies, which God created for us...Then we definitely needed to nourish them properly.
But I think the biggest problem is making the initial change.
Switching from Cheetos to veggies and hummus.
Saying goodbye to fast food, and hello to home cookin'.
It can be overwhelming. It can be really really really hard.
But it can be do-able.
So where do you begin?
Do you like smoothies?
Throw in a cucumber for sweetness, some spinach for veggies. Trust me..You cannot taste the spinach. Especially when you add a banana. Get crazy with flavors. Apple pie, carrot cake, chocolate strawberry..Give them to your kiddos, hubbies, or wives. You can add nut butters, protein powders, healthy fats, veggies, and fruits. Perfect way to start out your morning.
Need some inspiration? Click HERE. and HERE
What about snacks? How do you go from packaged foods to whole foods?
Start simple. Cutting it cold turkey ain't gonna make anyone happy. If you kid loves crackers, switch to whole grain. Make yummy wholesome dips to go along with them. Slowly introduce veggies, and let your children,even your hubby(lol), pick out the ones they want to try. Get the family involved as much as possible.
Where ever possible, add in veggies, whole grains, legums etc..
If you family loves hamburgers, switch half the meat for black beans, lentils, etc. You can do the same with taco meat and meat balls. Puree or finely chop veggies and throw them into salads, burgers, enchiladas, soups, sand whiches, spreads..etc..You get the idea.
Need some more inspiration? Click HERE., and HERE and HERE
And especially, don't forget to add flavor! Steamed broccoli isn't flavorful on it's own. Add seasoning, vinegars, spices, etc..You don't always want to be hiding the veggies in your kids/families meals..so make them taste good! :)
And most importantly...:)
Eat everyday, normal foods that your family knows and loves!
Like waffles :)
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Waffles
Vegan, Kid-Baby Friendly, Hubby Approved, Protein and Fiber Full, Delicious!
Ingredients:
2 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (could use GF flour, spelt, maybe oat?)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 TB. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
3 TB. Honey,Agave, Maple Syurp
1 TB. Ground Flax seeds mixed with 2 TB. Water=Flax egg
2 1/2 Cups. Non dairy milk, or organic milk
1/3 C. Canola oil or vegan butter, or organic butter
3/4 C. Organic Natural Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Cashew Butter, or Sunflower Butter
1-2 Bananas(depending on how ripe the banana is. If banana is SUPER ripe, add 2)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl mix together wet ingredients until combined. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. If the batter seems to thick, add more milk.
3. Spray a waffle iron with non stick spray, and cook waffle according to desired time. If you like crispy, cook longer. We like about 4-5 minutes, but our waffle iron is new, so it heats/cooks fast. :)
I loooove topping waffles, pancakes, and FRENCH TOAST with fruit! So does Baby Boo, since they get coated with Maple Syrup! Makes them extra sweet!
Don't ever let anyone tell you that living a healthy lifestyle means depriving yourself of yummy food!
If anything, they are the ones missing out!
Especially if you eat things like homemade graham crackers that turned into yummy S'mores!
But we will save that for another day :)
**P.S. If you entered to win Mama Pea's NEW cookbook Peas and Thank You, I have announced the Winner! Just click on HERE, and find out! Thanks to all that participated!!**