Healthy Living--Food! It's a Blessing, not a Curse.

I have heard myself saying the same things lately to my kids, my friends, and random people as they come up in conversation. It seems that health is rather elusive as of late.  I'm starting to think whatever mainstream is touting, the healthier choice is likely the opposite!

We concentrate on 5 areas to be healthy at our house.  Here's #1!  FOOD! I think people have some pretty interesting ideas about food these days. Bottom line: God gave it to us. He expects us to master the food, not the other way around. We need to be thankful stewards of what we have.  If someone has to steer clear of a food for whatever reason, it's all good....just don't expect others to jump on board your conviction.  Give info (if asked) and let them choose.

I'm not a food Nazi, but then no one has allergies at our house so there's no immediately terrible consequences if we indulge occasionally. The two words I keep saying to myself and my kids are "small portions" and "occasional treats".  I don't like a long list of "bad..."  words, foods, things you don't do.  It seems to beg "cheating" and that brings guilt.  So I'd rather not have a lot of rules and be guided by general principles, common sense, and your conscience instead. (The Holy Spirit might talk about this if you're a believer too.) 

We try to cut down on processed food. Someone once told me to shop around the outside of the grocery story (usually the produce, meat,dairy and whole food are there). 

Breakfast is pretty simple around here. Typically we have homemade granola (used often in parfaits) and baked or crockpot granola on hand for breakfast. Eggs, sourdough bread and fruit (alone or smoothies) round out the offerings. I buy a box of cereal occasionally. Sorry, but a bowl of Life cereal just makes a lovely break some days!
                                                     

Lunches are usually leftovers or sandwiches--on sourdough bread,  meat/cheese rolled, or lettuce wraps. Everyone gets their own lunch since we home school and we're working on our subjects and projects, it's just easier.  I usually check with the kids periodically to see what they've had to eat that day and suggest fresh veggies when needed. They seem to do well otherwise.

Suppers are the big planned productions. Sigh...we can call this meal "job security".  I'm not a foodie. I like to cook somewhat, but by 5 pm each day, I'm tired so  knowing that about myself, I usually plan easy food ahead. One thing that's helped is a menu for the month. We try to eat something different every night of the month.  Generally one night is a crockpot large meat dish (whole chicken, roast, and occasionally ham or pork roast or turkey).  We eat that and have enough broth and leftovers to make soup or pull the meat for sandwiches/rice bowls/meal salads.  We also generally have one soup a week in the summer and two in the winter. It's yummy, warm and healthy and reheats well! "Breakfast for dinner" is a quick Wednesday meal since we have classes all day and then AWANA at night.  Favorites there include: baked oatmeal, crockpot steel cut oatmeal, frittatas, omelets, french toast and pancakes.  I try to grill once a week--because one of the boys usually helps with that. I also plan at least one chicken and one ground beef/turkey meal a week because it's cheap when we get our meat from Zaycon and the farm.  We usually have a couple veggies...one raw and one cooked. And sometimes I have a carb but not always. I think we have plenty during the day so don't need a lot more starchy things at dinner.  But hey, this week I had a cornbread stuffing mix and it was DIVINE with the chicken.  Once in a while...

We rarely have dessert which was a hard lesson to learn coming from the farm where dessert was an after school snack AND an after supper treat every day. One might not have to wonder why diabetes runs in the family, huh?  I do try to add a smoothie here and there and if we just HAVE to make pudding or have ice cream, we use small custard cups and enjoy our small pleasures.  My daughter likes to bake, so I usually have her do that when we're going to be out for fellowship meal or for a get together with other families.  That way you can have a couple and share the wealth.  We sometimes grab a Blizzard at DQ...a large size shared 5 ways is about right.  And McD's ice cream, though I'm not sure what's in it, is a nice treat when we've been out all day and just need a little bite to get us through to dinner.  I keep those plastic sleeve popscicles in the freezer during the summer because I want the neighbor kids playing at my house where I can happen by and play a bit every once in awhile.  (I learn some interesting things and insert a few mom-ism's.)

Some of our favorite healthy, fun choices are: 
Nuts (with a couple chocolate chips equals a candy bar),
Kale chips (20 min in the oven on 300 w/ a little oil and spices),
Water kefir (made with grape juice makes a great 'soda'),
Baked oatmeal w/ a handful of chocolate chips or blueberries (cut into "treat bars").

Some of my favorite ways to not waste food are:
The 'dump' soup out of bone broth --I've never had it turn out badly.  Good way to get rid of small amounts of leftovers. 
Smoothies are great places to use up that produce that's about ready to go bad.

Small portions and occasional treats.  That's the mantra EXCEPT-- The only time I'm a Nazi is if someone's coming down with some 'ick'.  Then NO SUGAR period, end of discussion. It's an immune suppressor.  Frankly, we cut way back on food period if someone's coming down with 'ick'. If you're sick you get filtered water, herbal tea, bone broth, veggie/fruit smoothies (maybe), and Vitamin C every hour until you are at least a day past ick!   Do not pass GO; do not collect $200; go to bed and/or go get an Epson salt bath with some essential oils. Rarely do we get sick. Very rarely does it spread through the house if we follow that protocol.

What are some healthy snacks you like? I'm always on a hunt!

These are recipes for things I talked about. But the disclaimer is that I don't think I've every really followed a recipe in my life. I kind of dump what I have in...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/218929/slow-cooker-oats/
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/176957/baked-kale-chips/
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/51013/baked-oatmeal-ii/
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/water-kefir/water-kefir-frequently-asked-questions-faq/