Tuesday, November 13, 2012

One Week Of Eating (Mostly) Right Update

It's been a week since Hubby and I decided to revamp our eating habits.  I've been working to cut out the excess fat and carbs while adding in more whole grains and produce.  I made up a menu with meals for most of November (there are still a few holes in my menu because my brain just can't seem to come up with any more dinner ideas--I'll probably make Hubby cook on those days).

It's only been a few days, but so far things are going well.  I have stuck with the menu with only minimal adjustments--different veggie, I used brown rice in the chicken stew rather than barley.  Hubby and I have also tried to cut back on our evening snacking habits--Hubby has been cutting it out completely while I am still eating evening snacks but limiting it to only healthy choices.


Oven fries--tossed in a little EVOO and salt

I have been working to satisfy my snacking habits with mostly fruit.  Rather than grabbing a handful of crackers, I am making myself grab an apple or banana.  When I crave ice cream, I am eating an orange.  Thursday I washed a pound of blackberries and set it on the counter to dry.  I found myself picking away at the pile every time I walked by (so did my girls) until the pile was gone.



Yesterday I washed and cut up a pound of carrots and a bunch of celery so it's in the fridge and ready to go for snacking.  I think I will just set it out on the counter every day so I'll grab some when I walk by.  Last night I made shepherd's pie using ground turkey sausage and sweet potatoes.  It was a little different than the white potato variety, but it still tasted okay.  

I'm finding that having the monthly menu is really helping.  When I made up my menu, I also made a list of all the ingredients I'd need to buy to make the dinners.  It made making my grocery list a lot easier.  Every morning I check the menu and see what we're having for dinner.  Knowing what I'm cooking at 7:00 am in the morning really helps to make my day more peaceful.  No more, "Oh no, it's 4:30 pm.  I need to think about what to make for dinner."


My kitchen helper--yes, all of those accessories are necessary

I am also working on including the kids in dinner prep.  Last night we had shepherd's pie.  I had Joy browning the meat, Lizzy peeling and chopping the onion, David snapping the green beans, while I peeled and chopped the sweet potatoes.  We spent the whole time bumping into each other, but we had a lot of fun.    I like teaching my kids kitchen skills so that one day they can replace me and do the cooking.


Half finished shepherd's pie--more potatoes were added


Today my plan is to sit down with my cookbooks and make a list of all the healthier recipes that we like or that I want to try.  Once I have a master list, it will make it a whole lot easier to put together a monthly menu for December.  If you have any great dinner ideas, leave them in the comments section so we can all benefit from getting more ideas.

3 comments:

  1. You rock! Here's some of the recipes we like: http://pinterest.com/mksandford/favorite-recipes/

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    1. Thanks for all the good ideas! I repinned and printed off a bunch of recipes to try for next month.

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  2. I love stir fry. Chicken and LOTS of veggies (onions, carrots, peas, water chestnuts, peppers,mushrooms, etc.) and bottled sauces available in the store. Check the internet for "light" versions. I have been using rice noodles lately. While not low in calories, you don't have to use many, and they are a nice change from rice.
    I also enjoy making soups. You can dump in tons of veggies, whatever you like, add a little meat, and serve with good whole grain bread.
    I am getting hooked on pears lately. Wait until they are nice and ripe, and then peel, cut up, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar lightly, put some granola on top, microwave until hot and serve with light Cool Whip. A yummy ending to a meal.
    Your shepherd's pie looks really good!
    Chili--there are all sorts of versions in cookbooks and online. White chicken, vegetarian, ground turkey. Add veggies to make it even healthier.

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