What's for Dinner?

I spend lots of time (probably too much) looking at recipes in my cookbooks, and online.  I'm always searching for the perfect meal - tasty and healthy.  I don't always succeed at that. Sometimes the food is more healthy/less tasty...sometimes the opposite.  But, I've definitely found plenty of foods that I can feed my family and feel good about it.  We don't eat 100% 'clean', but we come close.  I rarely have processed/boxed/frozen/etc foods on the dinner table (or in my house for that matter).  My meat is almost always organic, but only some of the vegetables are.  For me, it's a matter of picking and choosing what I can buy organic based on budget.

If you're looking to feed your family a little (or a lot) healthier, here's a list of ideas for dinnertime foods that you might try.  I'm not including the recipes - most of these foods are pretty basic - BUT, if there are any you would like the recipe for, or have questions about, leave a comment below.  I'm happy to help.  Feel free to also share what you find works for you:)  

Proteins

Chicken - boneless, skinless breasts or tenderloins (grilled or baked with a variety of spices)

Beef - ground (made into meatballs, meatloaf, tacos, etc)

Beef - steaks (grilled - always a crowd pleaser)

Fish - grilled or baked in the oven

Pork - tenderloin

Veggies 

Cauliflower - oven roasted

Broccoli - steamed or oven roasted

Carrots - steamed or oven roasted

Green Beans - steamed
Asparagus - oven roasted
Zucchini/Squash - oven roasted

Potatoes (sweet, red or white) - baked, oven roasted

Salad - this one I'm careful with.  After years of the kids dousing theirs with ranch dressing, I no longer buy ranch.  They use vinagrettes.  And I put tons of veggies in separate bowls for the salad. It leaves more dishes to clean, but I find the kids pile more on this way. When It's all in a bowl, the cut up veggies tend to fall to the bottom.

Other Sides

Rice - whole grain

Couscous

Quinoa

That's much of it - what we eat over the course of a week.  I mix and match in all different ways.  Often I make 2 veggie sides and no grain.  And there are other things we'll have sometimes.  But really, this is my go-to list of dinner items in my memory bank.  Now, I've made enough of these foods that I don't really need to use recipes, but I still look from time to time to spice things up, and add new flavors.  And yes, on occasion (rarely) we have a pasta dish.  It's not about all or nothing in my house.  I strive for balance, which for me means that the majority of what we eat is clean, and once in a while we indulge in richer meals. Start small.  Pick one or two new vegetables to try this week.  You might find that you're eating a lot of the same things at first, but you can expand on it as you find comfortable.  

The nice thing about eating this way most of the time, is that you don't have to stress or feel guilt if you indulge one night here and there.  And if this becomes your habit, you will probably find that you make healthier choices when you go out to eat.  As for the kids - they'll get used to it.  You've heard me say that there were complaints when I first changed over to healthier eating. But that has stopped.  They really don't complain about not having fast food, soda or sweets.  In fact, my 'picky eater' tonight voluntarily took seconds of cauliflower.  I kid you not.  If that can happen in this house, I'm certain your pickiest eater will do just find if you add healthier food to your menus. 

~ Bonnie

Nutrition For the Whole Family

Eat better as a family. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Then why is it so darn hard?

For years I've said to my husband (and myself) "I want to eat better. I want our whole family to eat better".  And for years I did nothing about it. Not that we ate terribly, it was just that I knew we could do better. I did (and still do) the majority of the grocery shopping and cooking in our house.  It's a job I love to do, and I take that responsibility very seriously. But...mixed in with wanting to provide my family with nutritious meals is the desire to make them all happy with foods that they'll love to eat. Oh, and did I mention I have 3 kids?  Nutritious AND great tasting? If you're my 14 year old son, you'll argue that those two don't always mix - especially if you're talking about vegetables.

Can we do it? Yes we can. Will we do it 100% of the time? Probably not. And that's OK! I know, I know...we often hold ourselves to such high standards that anything less than perfect is unacceptable. You have to learn to let it go - the ideal of perfection. And, don't punish yourself or beat yourself up if (and when) you fall short. Life is a balancing act, and that holds true when it comes to eating.

Don't get hung on whether or not everyone likes what you make. That one might be difficult - especially of you're a people pleaser like me. Feeding a family and expecting everyone to like what you serve all of time is just not going to happen. It's not. When I shifted our meals into a much healthier and cleaner direction, my kids were less than thrilled. There were complaints, faces, and probably some tears too. But, they survived each time. It really didn't take long for my family to get used to a change in eating habit.

I think a big key is getting them involved.  My kids love learning to cook...guess the apples didn't fall far from this tree.  Letting your kids help plan a meal, and teaching them how to make is a great way to have them excited about what they're going to eat.  Of course you want to be age appropriate, but even a young child can help mix ingredients. Educate them about the food you're feeding them.
Also work on that willpower when you buy groceries! Clean out your kitchen and eliminate the foods you don't want them to eat - or you to be tempted with.  Having 'junk' food in your house for the kids is a killer when it comes to eating healthy.  If it's in the house it could end up feeding your cravings and weaker moments.  And if you have younger kids in the house, they aren't able to go to the store and get it for themselves.  If you share the grocery shopping responsibility with others in your household, ask that they don't buy junk either. It's important to have healthy options available for everyone in the house. 

Remember to be gentle with yourself. It is both a journey and a learning process.  The more you can share it with those in  your life, the more success you are likely to find.  Next week we will have some family friendly nutritious and delicious food that your family can try!

~ Bonnie

What is a calorie?  .   .   .   .   . 

 

cal-o-rie

noun

1) the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through degree Celsius (defined as 4.1868 joules), small calorie

     

2) the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water through 1 degree Celsius equal to one thousand small calories and often used to measure the energy value of foods, large calorie 

 

 

 

     Scary stuff!  Are you on the edge of your seat yet? In all reality it's pretty simple, and yet some what complex. But nothing to be frightened of, as some "diets" and "trainers" would have you believe. Simply put do more from an activity standpoint than you consume from a food standpoint and you will lose weight. Eat more, do less and you will gain weight. Kind of.

 

     Food, while often looked at from a comfort and taste stance, should be viewed as what it is: FUEL. Fuel to run the body through a gambit of processes - from activity, thought, repair, and growth. That is foods true use. Not to say for an instant that taste shouldn't play in to choices you make on occasion, you have to enjoy your food from time to time. And here is something that you won't hear often enough, there is no such thing as a bad food. Everything you could ever think of to consume has a place, and can be used in a manner suited to a healthy eating plan. 

     The caloric value of food, the source, quality, and freshness should be accounted for when selecting you fuel. As well as your goal and current condition. You must account for all you are and do when designing your food plan. You must understand that the calories you choose can make or break your look and health, if you are to look only at food as the means to your end or goal. The backside of calories, or energy expenditure is just as crucial in achieving your goal as the intake. 

 

"obsessive misguided calorie counting must come to an end"

 

     I will leave you with this - food plans are a living breathing thing. They must adapt constantly or die. Your obsessive misguided calorie counting must come to an end, and any plan that has you counting every calorie and worrying over every misstep, will leave you wanting more and failing in the long run. Learn your body's ability to efficiently use calories, and how you can do it quicker when you do indulge, and you will be much happier and healthier. 

Getting Started

Our first blog post...where to start? Let's start with just that - Getting Started.

When you first begin to experiment with resistance training you often will ask others what they do. It's likely you will read a book or two on training, and maybe buy a few magazines on health and fitness. You often will come to the conclusion that doing 3 sets of 12-15 reps will burn fat and that doing 3 sets of 8-10 reps will build muscle. You will also think that training for 45 minutes is the perfect time frame to tax the body into changing. And finally, you will learn that steady state cardio will burn fat and give you the perfect body shape you always wanted. The problem is, you have just learned how to make minimal changes and not break through that first plateau.

Resistance training is a tool to help you achieve the look and feel you are after. And as with any great tool, it can't be one size fits all. It has to be customized to fit your life and your body. What is your goal, timeframe, lifestyle, body type, health history, athletic background, health restrictions, etc?  All of these should play into your training plan. Sure, initially what I listed above for sets and reps will work. But you will experience short lived gains, but your body will acclimate to the program and not have anywhere to go next to continue progressing. Continuously increasing the resistance week after week isn't realistic. This is where having knowledge of different training styles or a knowledgable trainer comes in. There is no perfect style or routine out there, rather the use of different styles and different routines are needed to keep the body growing and adapting.

 “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

Read everything you can about training and nutrition. This is really the only way to increase your training IQ. Take all advice from "well wishers" and "experts" with a grain of salt. Consider your sources - does the person coaching you have the fitness level you hope to achieve? Do they have the look you desire? If so, are they a product of smart, proven techniques or are they genetically gifted and getting by on that? If you see someone in the gym with an exceptional body part ask them how they achieved it, or simply pay attention to what they do and try it if you are shy. Attempt every program, technique, split, routine and range you learn about. You don't know til you try!

Best of luck and enjoy your training journey.

- Ty