Last week I wrote about my new found determination to change my eating habits. Nothing drastic or extreme. I just want to give my food intake the kind of consideration it deserves, especially now that I am pregnant. (and I'd really like to not gain 45lbs this time around, thanks)
My diet is being roughly planned around this chart that I tore out of National Geographic over a year ago.
Which is basically the food pyramid. Change my grains to whole grains and add more fruits and veggies to my diet. Limit dairy and meat and almost completely cut out fats and sweets. Go fresh whenever possible.
My breakfast has been oatmeal. Once I run out of my huge tub of this, I'd like to hunt down some quinoa based on a post by the blogger Happy Green Babies.
I usually make River and I a snack of a fruit smoothie which usually includes some low fat plain yogurt, some whole fruit juice, and two types of fresh or frozen fruits. I'm a big fan of blueberries, especially since I have bags and bags a dear friend of ours handpicked last spring and froze for us.
This is a wildly popular snack in our household. River calls it "blueberry ice cream".
My diet is being roughly planned around this chart that I tore out of National Geographic over a year ago.
Which is basically the food pyramid. Change my grains to whole grains and add more fruits and veggies to my diet. Limit dairy and meat and almost completely cut out fats and sweets. Go fresh whenever possible.
My breakfast has been oatmeal. Once I run out of my huge tub of this, I'd like to hunt down some quinoa based on a post by the blogger Happy Green Babies.
I usually make River and I a snack of a fruit smoothie which usually includes some low fat plain yogurt, some whole fruit juice, and two types of fresh or frozen fruits. I'm a big fan of blueberries, especially since I have bags and bags a dear friend of ours handpicked last spring and froze for us.
This is a wildly popular snack in our household. River calls it "blueberry ice cream".
For lunch I made and froze two kinds of veggieburgers. The first a black bean concoction and the second a delicious zucchini patty that tastes divine smothered in marinara sauce. If eaten with bread, I use a more expensive/more natural version purchased at our local Whole Foods and enriched with Omega-3.
Last night I decided to even start cooking dinner for the family since *gasp* Jason liked the zucchini patties! Plus, my energy level has soared with the changes to my diet during the day while my appetite has decreased. The foods I have been eating are more nutritionally rich and meeting my needs much better than whatever processed crap I was shoveling into my maw before. So this diet is well worth the bit of extra effort.
I still have a long way to go, it is true. I need many more recipes to add to my personal cookbook. I need to keep the house stocked with fresh fruits. I certaintly don't begrudge myself a random glass of chocolate milk or a miniature carton of ice cream (and I mean small. Like small enough to cover with my fist). Baby steps going on over here.
Still, I am quite impressed with myself.
Tofu and Vegetable Packed Curry and Jason ate this too! So yummy!
Tuesdays are my only meat day. Can't say I didn't steal a pepperoni off my son's slice of pizza one day, but really its rather easy to stick to the meat once a week rule. I hate cooking with meat! So I'm looking for some creative and vegetable rich ways to use it on Tuesday. This week I am making Polish Stuffed Cabbage!
I am having fun cooking although I really can't wait for the spring to get rolling so I have more fresh fruits to work with.
Farmer's Market here I come!
Last night I decided to even start cooking dinner for the family since *gasp* Jason liked the zucchini patties! Plus, my energy level has soared with the changes to my diet during the day while my appetite has decreased. The foods I have been eating are more nutritionally rich and meeting my needs much better than whatever processed crap I was shoveling into my maw before. So this diet is well worth the bit of extra effort.
I still have a long way to go, it is true. I need many more recipes to add to my personal cookbook. I need to keep the house stocked with fresh fruits. I certaintly don't begrudge myself a random glass of chocolate milk or a miniature carton of ice cream (and I mean small. Like small enough to cover with my fist). Baby steps going on over here.
Still, I am quite impressed with myself.
Tofu and Vegetable Packed Curry and Jason ate this too! So yummy!
Tuesdays are my only meat day. Can't say I didn't steal a pepperoni off my son's slice of pizza one day, but really its rather easy to stick to the meat once a week rule. I hate cooking with meat! So I'm looking for some creative and vegetable rich ways to use it on Tuesday. This week I am making Polish Stuffed Cabbage!
I am having fun cooking although I really can't wait for the spring to get rolling so I have more fresh fruits to work with.
Farmer's Market here I come!
I eat oatmeal everyday for breakfast (or dinner) myself. It truly is a superfood. However, I like to have protein/grain/veggie or fruit at every meal so here's something that I like to do that you might too.
Get the Old Fashion oats, the kind that take five minutes to cook. Mix half a cup of oats with one cup of water and start cooking. While it cooks, beat one whole egg with 1/4 cup of milk. When the oatmeal is about half done, slowly add the egg mixture and cook for about three more minutes. Add sweetener, fruit (I like raisins), and cinnamon then cook one more minute. This tastes like oatmeal pudding in the best way. It's also crazy filling. Makes one serving.
Try "Red Mill" Steel cut oats...takes 20 minutes to cook but they are the best. You can add walnuts and dried cranberries, I like them left over too!
Lori's right; steel cut oats are the best. They are a little expensive at grocery stores. I used to go to a natural food market in Columbia to get them. The great thing about steel cut oats is that you can cook them in a crock pot. You can cook once for all week.
Oatmeal also freezes well....make it ahead and pop it in the microwave every morning for a healthy breakfast!