This is the time for us to make this kind of change. Roo is 5, and JoMax is 2, and they don’t know that Doritos are called Doritos, and they don’t know that after they go to bed we usually have a milkshake with chocolate raspberry chip ice cream and milk. Therefore, while the change is dramatic for us, it is not quite as dramatic for them. Better to do it now before they, too, often have a milkshake before bed.
Our first day on this Eat to Live healthy 6 week eating plan, we had a special Family Home Evening (FHE) planned (something we do every Monday night) on the topic of Eating Healthy.
First Day Vegetable Carnival Family FEAST: Whole wheat pita, asparagus, sauteed onions and bell peppers, spinach, carrots, roasted sweet potato fries with cinamon, roasted purple cauliflower w/garlic, corn on the cob, red beans and wild rice, watermellon, peaches, oranges, mangos, pears, bananas...
We read some scriptures and talked about how God made our bodies and the beautiful world we live in, and how we want to take care of our bodies so that we can enjoy this beautiful world, and enjoy our life together as a family. We shared with them that Daddy and I have been wanting to eat healthier so we can be healthier, and we want to be able to run faster and jump higher, and go on lots of bike rides together, and go swimming all the time, and jump on trampolines and take a lot of hikes, and go to the playground. And we talked about how if we eat good food, it will help our bodies to do these things.
I had dinner on the table: a huge selection of fruits and vegetables cut and ready to eat, raw and cooked. Then we told them we had a feast at the table, and for dinner tonight they could choose whatever they wanted to eat, and they could have as much as they wanted, and if there was something new that they hadn’t had before then maybe they would like to try it.
They though it was fabulous.
We ate a lot of food.
I still crave a milkshake, but I’m okay.
(I did cheat on Tuesday and had a small handful of chocolate chips. Shhh, don’t tell Joe. Let’s see if he’s paying attention. And I promise I’m giving those chocolate chips away, I just can’t bear to throw them in the garbage. For some reason the thought of that just makes me feel angry.)
goood for you em. Your blog is lovely and inspiring. As always. love you, amazing!
Just found your blog! Great inspiration! For those looking to avoid the microwave (which I read saps all the vitamins out of your veggies) in the hot weather, I have had great luck with my Rival rice steamer…of course it makes fabulous rice but steams vegetables wonderfully as well and doesn’t heat up the kitchen! I have used mine every day for years and it is still going strong! I think it was about 12 dollars at Target…..
I finally caught up on the posts. It looks delicious and your kids are smiley and happy as always. I think I am going to try a watermelon diet. It is easy, sweet, and juicy which helps me since I often confuse thirst with hunger. This way I take care of both at the same time. Besides, it is really sweet and yummy.
Emily,
Here is a yummy recipe for you.
1 chopped pepper (red looks prettiest)
chopped green onions
black beans
1-2 chopped mangoes
1 lime, juiced
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1 chopped avocado
mix above ingredients in bowl, chill if desired. Serve in whole wheat tortillas. This is one of my favorite summer foods.
P.S. Kory, “microwavable vegan” is pretty much 50% of what I am. I buy a lot of frozen veggies that you can microwave in the bag (or in a glass dish if you prefer, or even on the stove top for that matter). That is how I get a lot of the 1 lb of cooked veggies per day.
Thank goodness for microwaves!
I’ve also seen a lot of vegan fare in the frozen isle next to the organic/natural foods section at the store–a lot of Annie’s brand (I think?) mexican and pasta dishes. The only drawback is that with the processed foods you also get salt, sugar, and oils.
Doing this diet doesn’t have to be hard if you don’t mind eating a ton of raw and cooked veggies, and fresh fruits, and whole wheat pita, and beans and rice. So far I’ve stuck to canned beans, though technically if I cooked my own I could do it with less sodium. And of course people will tell me that cooking beans is easy. I know it is. But not as easy as opening a can!
Kory, I sautee the onions with just a smidgen of olive oil spray, hardly any at all. Tonight I sauteed mushrooms with just water. I know it sounds totally bland, but it works just fine for texture and done-ness. I love sauteed onions, they taste caramel-ly, warm and tender, so tasty! Tonight we’re having Vegan Lasagna for dinner (my mom made it when she visited, and it is yummy!) and tomorrow night we’ll do something Mexican themed with super whole wheat tortillas and sauteed onions, mexican spices, bell peppers, tomatoes, zuccini, beans & rice.
Melissa, isn’t that cool? It is purple/bluish cauliflower! The first time I saw it was at the Farmer’s Market a few summers ago. Then I just noticed it in the produce section at Kroger’s. It is actually purple! And not artificially. It just is. When you cook it, the color changes a little to blue. Roo likes it raw and purple. I sprayed it lightly with olive oil and tossed it with some garlic (I would have used salt too, but not on this 6 week plan), and then stuck it in the oven to roast for just a few minutes–maybe 4-6 minutes? Easy Peasy. Roo was Super-Duper Excited to eat it! That’s what she’s holding in the photo.
[...] And this leads me to my next post: The First Day Vegetable Carnival Family FEAST! [...]
At the risk of being obviously clueless about unique vegetables (not carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower… beans) What is that blue stuff next to the corn? It looks familiar, but it is blue! I want it for our 4th of July rw&b themed dinner.
I’m proud of you.
Yikes, all of that looks so yummy. I’m impressed with the variety! I’ve been wondering, what are your thoughts/feelings on organic foods? I took a class last summer on agricultural ecology and it has made me consider not only what I’m eating, but where it came from. Also, I’ve been on a micro-green kick lately … you should try it!
what do you sautee onions in if not butter?
Looks delicious, also looks like a lot of work. When they make microwavable vegan I might think about it.