Little Dancer

A couple of months ago TT7 started going back to Dance classes. When we walked into her first practice I was shocked at how toothpick thin all the other girls were. I kept questioning if I was doing the right thing or if it would lead to bigger issues I didn’t want her to face. But she LOVES to dance. She tries her absolute hardest for every move at every practice. There was no denying she has the heart of a dancer so I let her dance.

Today, I stayed to watch the first 15 minutes of her practice. She was doing everything the teacher asked with such excitement. Then all of a sudden it hit me…she is starting to look like the other girls. She is much more fit and flexible than when she started. I just stood there crying. I realized that her size isn’t going to hold her back from anything she dreams of doing. That is priceless. It’s worth way more than all the time, energy, and money we’ve invested into healthy eating. 

What an amazing moment to look back on when I'm tired and ready to give up...

Keeping Treats Special

We were at church the other day and they had some little cinnamon rolls sitting around. TT7 saw them and as usual got really excited. I asked her, “What if when we realized we wanted a cinnamon roll we went and got one that was REALLY yummy instead of just eating those because they’re here?” She thought for a minute and said, “Yeah, I think I’d rather wait and get one from Cici’s Pizza instead.” Wow!

Before, if we saw a sweet we’d eat it just because it was there. Now we are paying more attention to the quality of what we eat. If we’re going to have a treat (which is totally okay on occasion), let’s make it 1 or 2 really good ones instead of a whole bunch of the ones we just happen to come across each day.   

P.S. A true test of your willpower is to search "cinnamon roll" on Google Images. Holy Cowwww! Not approved or recommended by FFM. 

2 Month Update

Okay so we’ve been working at this for 2 full months now.

I’ve developed a set method for meal planning. But it still takes way too long so I’m still trying to tweak it to take less time. I’ll share the method once I’m happy with it.

Let’s talk weight loss…I know you’re wondering. :) I’m down 16 pounds. So that’s a good average of 2lbs per week. Honestly, for all the focus and work this takes it feels like it should be more, but I’m trying to remain calm and focused on the future.

We have fallen into a natural balance of eating out vs. eating at home. We eat at home M-F afternoon. Then eat out Fri night, Sat lunch and dinner, and Sun lunch and dinner. I know that probably sounds like a lot, but this an unbelievable improvement from our previous fast food twice a day habit.

TT7 is so full of energy it’s like we have a new kid.

I’m still amazed that I feel full before I reach the end of my meals.

Still no 5-star healthy Crockpot meals…my poor family.

I’m totally frustrated by little kids who eat ridiculous amounts of candy and are still thin. And by thin moms pushing carts of snack cakes, chips, and donuts around the grocery store. Yes, I am watching you! I’ve totally turned into a grocery store creeper! I just don’t understand why our family is so different?!?!

The kids are allowed unhealthy snacks on weekends only. I’m not sure if I’m happy with this arrangement yet. It seems like it’s teaching them weird habits. But I know I can’t have the stuff in my house so we’ll see what I decide later.

It feels like I may get bored with choosing the same healthy foods over and over. I’m trying to figure out ways to mix it up so everything I’ve worked for doesn’t come crashing back down. I need suggestions on ways to keep it from getting boring. I need my food to be exciting and something I can’t wait to eat! GBD thinks I’m weird. And I agree.

Thanks for your support over these past 2 months. If you have questions or want to request blog topics please let me know.

Pitiful Parfait

I woke up with the greatest of intentions. I had purchased plain fat-free no sugar yogurt, blueberries, and Kashi cereal. My goal was to turn these 3 items into a delicious, healthy, protein-filled breakfast parfait. I got out the fancy glasses and carefully made beautiful layers. I was so proud of the finished product.

TT7 took one bite and said “This tastes terrible!” What?!? After all the effort I went through to plan and prepare it she had the audacity to not want to eat it?!?!?! Talk about annoyed and frustrated. OMGosh, I was pretty ticked.

So later I tasted it for myself and it was…GROSS. Completely bitter tasting. So I learned one more thing on this journey- plain yogurt needs some sort of sweetener. (Yes, it’s okay to laugh at me!)

I added Splenda and it was delicious. I took a sample of the new and improved version to TT7 for lunch and apologized. She loved it.

I’m telling you this road to healthy eating isn’t easy, but totally worth making it through all these mistakes. I’m thinking of writing a book to keep track of all the craziness that happens when a fast food family learns to eat and prepare real food. There’s funny stuff going on at our house these days…

3 Pantry Secrets

1. I’ve started keeping the boring food like cans of beans and veggies at the kids’ eye level. That way they don’t just run by and grab something and mindlessly eat it. I don’t EVER tell them no if they’re hungry, but I don’t want to make it so that food is always on their minds and within reach.

2. I take most of the starchy foods like goldfish, crackers, and cookies out of their boxes and put them in plain Ziploc bags. Companies spend millions of dollars making their products enticing to children. I refuse to let their colorful boxes and cute characters influence my kids’ eating habits. I’ve been AMAZED at how the same cookies they used to beg for can now last months in the pantry. Without the packaging, it’s just not as exciting anymore. I’m sure there’s a much better way to store/organize this than Ziplocs, but I’m new to this. Anyone have suggestions?

3. I do not leave food out on the counters. It has to be closed up inside the refrigerator or pantry. Instead, we have a fruit bowl on the counter that is always accessible for the kids. They are welcome to grab a piece at any time. I’m all about keeping the less healthy foods out of sight, out of mind.

These tricks seem to be working well for us. Do you have any neat pantry tips to share?

Pants on the Ground

We’ve turned into the droopy drawers family. We’re all tugging at our waistbands to keep our pants up. Goofball Dad, our resident runner, is ready to go down a pant size. I find myself constantly pulling my pants back up, but not ready for a new size yet. When dressing TT7 for school, we found that 2 pairs of her shorts just fell right off. I’m excited to see some serious progress!

Crock Pot Killer

When I decided to change the way we eat in our house I knew I would have to start cooking real food. Before, my idea of home cooking was hamburger helper, boxed scalloped potatoes, frozen pizza, or dough from one of those fun cans that POPS! open. But I decided that if I’m going through the trouble of planning meals, grocery shopping, then cooking dinner it HAD to be healthy. After all, the foods listed above are no better for you than fast food.

Let me tell you, it takes a lot of courage to get in the kitchen with a pile of ingredients you’re not comfortable with and try to mix them together into something tasty. Cooking raw meat and vegetables is certainly not one of my God-given talents so every night we run the risk of having dinner ruined. There have been many times I’ve stood at the counter with piles of cut up veggies thinking “Oh good grief, what’s the point? I might as well throw it in the trash now.” But I keep going because I know my husband is willing to eat anything I cook. Bless his heart.

In a month and a half, I haven’t made a single dish I’d rate 5-stars. We’ve had a few 3’s and a couple of 4’s. But there hasn't been anything that I really want to eat again. I guess that’s what happens when you strip away all the sugar, white carbs, and processed foods. It’s taking a while for our tastes to adjust.

Oh and the crock pot recipe I made last night for 13 bean soup…my hubs rated it -1 star. Yeah, it was that bad. But I’m going to keep on trying. At least tonight’s dinner can’t be as bad…I hope!