Healthy Eating

Hello!

As I've discussed on here before, we are trying to clean up the food we are eating in this house.  Inspired by the talk I attended by Dr. Jim Sears we have (all but completely) eliminated high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and food coloring from our house. This has not been such an easy thing to accomplish. It has added about 30-45 minutes to my grocery shopping trips as I trudge through reading every label. It has cost us a little bit extra as we have replaced some offender items in our refrigerator and pantry with safer versions. It has made us be more mindful of the food we are putting in our mouths. And finally, it has opened up new lines of conversation between the three of us.

Back in Sage's babyfood days, I bought very little pre-made food - usually only for emergencies or outings. But mostly I cooked, pureed and froze organic fruits and vegetables for her meals. I credit this early start to her current love of all natural foods. And while I have always made her meals healthy (with the exception of allowing fast food at times) I was not always so good to myself.  I have bad habits and they die hard! However, she has been a good inspiration through this transitionas she has become a pro at asking "Is this healthy or hurtful to my body?" I have already noticed, in 1 month of clean eating, a difference in my water retention, skin appearance, energy levels, and the way my clothes are fitting. Let me point out that while we hope that our changes will result in better long-term weight management, we are really concentrating on being healthful, not losing pounds. Scott and I are working to find new recipes that will engage our tastebuds while still maintaining the crucial attributes of what we are calling "safe food."

One of the other things we have been doing is working to find vegetarian meals that are satisfying as well as filling but that also fit our new "safe food" guidelines. This is mainly due to my weak stomach and my aversion to cooking and then eating meat. But we are also looking at it as a healthy step forward as we both know we consume way too much red meat, in particular.  Don't get me wrong, I love steak and burgers - but only if I am not the one to prepare them. So we have made the decision to go vegetarian at home, while still allowing ourselves to have meat when out at restaurants and other's houses.

Some of the things we have made lately that fit our HEALTHFUL and YUMMY guidelines have included:

• Stuffed Tomatoes (Feta, green onions, garlic, etc baked into a big juicy tomato),
• Homemade red pasta sauce with zucchini, tomatoes and black olives,
• Pesto/Veggie Pizza,
• Falafel, black bean and corn burgers,
• Tofu Chili,
• Organic Boston Creme Pie,
• Parmesan and Seitan (wheat-meat) encrusted asparagus,
• Veggie Fajitas, and
• Aglio-Olio (whole wheat pasta, olive or safflower oil, garlic, black pepper, black olives)

I've decided to make a new topic: Food on this blog to share ideas. Some of my recipes are from books and rather than reprint (and infringe upon) their work I will refer you to those books, but most of the meals I cook are my own take on other recipes or ingredients -  I will share those here in detail. I hope that you will find new, healthful food ideas to try with your family!

Here's to your family's health!

Emily Filmore, Author
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/