Browsing Category:

Cooking

Clean Eating for Your Family

Day 23-11:14 pm: Recently I have been trying to figure out a way for our family to eat better. It has been something that has been weighing on my mind for a while. At first, I was doing really well. I only gave my toddler whole foods and I made sure she always had a fruit and veggie on her plate. I didn’t want her having any junk food. Then she had a french fry, and the junk food slowly crept in after that. Ice cream. Gummy fruit snacks, chips, pizza, chocolate, and candy. She loves them all. What kids doesn’t? But, as I have gotten busier, it has become easier and easier to buy quick meals or eat out, and we have not been eating as well as we should. Well, that’s all gotta change. Clean eating for your family is far too important.

It’s time to take charge of our eating habits.

When I talk about “clean eating” I mean eating foods that aren’t processed. It is a largely plant-based diet that includes a lot of fruits and veggies, legumes, and whole grains. Basically, only food items that have 5 ingredients or less and no additives or chemicals. So much food is processed and when it is, most of the nutrients are stripped away. Clean eating has so many health benefits and that is why I think it is so important for our family.

I’m not doing it to loose weight (though that would be a pleasant side effect). This isn’t going to be  a “diet”. This is going to be a lifestyle change that the whole family is going to be in on together. We are all going to make the conscious decision to eat better.

I also got a book, Clean Slate. It takes you through the reasons why you should practice clean eating and has a ton of yummy recipes. I haven’t tried any yet, but I’m going to try to get started.

This is all a part of my Journey to Harmony. Feeling better and taking care of myself and my family need to become a priority.

Do you practice clean eating? Thinking of giving it a try? Let me know in the comments below!

Do you Struggle with Meals? Try these Simple Meal Helpers!

Posted in Blog, Cooking, Parenting

Millennial Housewives have to do it all. Raising the wild mini-yous, side-hustling, cleaning the milk off the counter,meal-helpers-1
and eventually trying to cook a meal while your toddler spills flour all over the floor. Don’t you wish there were some sort of fairies that turned into meal helpers?

Well, they aren’t fairies, but there are some apps that can help!

I know how you feel. After a long day watching the kids, trying to get some work done, and constantly bending over picking up toys, the last thing you want to do is stand in the kitchen and make a big meal for your family. I usually throw some pasta in a pot, heat up some sauce, and throw some lettuce in a bowl. It’s not fancy, but it feeds my family.

But, I’m trying really hard to eat healthy and make my family better food, and I know you are too.

So, here are a few apps or services you can use to make your family some meals they actually want to eat.

Blue Apron

meal-helpers-2

This company sends you a box with all the ingredients you need to make an entire meal. You get to select the number of meals you want and if you have any special dietary needs. Once a week this giant box arrives at your doorstep with everything portioned out and the recipes to make the meals. It’s that simple.

Pros: The meals are actually pretty good, they are healthy, and I love that they come to your door already portioned out. I was able to make some tasty food for my family that they actually want to eat and the recipes were easy to follow.

Cons: Dishes! So many dishes! In the directions they have you place everything in small bowls. You don’t have to, but even if you don’t, you still end up with a lot of dishes. So, it doesn’t make clean up any easier. And, they give you just enough food for that meal, and we rarely had leftovers, so it’s a lot of effort for one meal.

Produce Delivery Box

meal-helpers-3

There are many companies out there now-a-days that will deliver fresh, local, and even organic produce right to your door. Farm Fresh to You, The Produce Box, and Mother Earth Produce to name a few. You can pick and choose how much produce to get delivered and you may even get to try some interesting veggies you’ve never seen before! A nice, healthy addition to your meal.

Pros: You get local, organic, fresh fruits and veggies delivered straight to your door. Your family can conveniently eat healthy and it will expose your kids to all sorts of new veggies they can try. It’s a easy and fresh way to prepare meals.

Cons: Sometimes the fruits and veggies you get aren’t recognizable. Therefore, it takes a little extra effort to look up online how to prepare them. Also, if you don’t like something you might have a lot of extra leftovers. Also, produce doesn’t last long so you have to prepare it within the week, or freeze it (which isn’t great for some veggies).

 Munchery

meal-helpers-4

This food delivery service actually delivers pre-made dinners to your door, so no more cooking! You just have to heat them up and put them on the plate. You can go to the website to see what they are serving for the week and pick out what you want. Seriously, for a busy mom it doesn’t get any easier.

Pros: The meal comes already prepared so you just have to heat it and serve. They use local fresh ingredients and every time you buy a meal they donate to the local food bank! You can eat gourmet meals for about the same cost as take-out without the hassle of going to pick it up. You can order all online which makes it super convenient.

Cons: Each meal is pretty much enough for one night, so you won’t have left-overs. And, they are a little more gourmet, so it might not always be something you kids will like. (Unless you have kids with fancy taste!). If you have people with big appetites, it might not be enough food, or you might need to order more meals. But, for an average person, the portion sizes are pretty good.

There are plenty of delivery services like these out there and you need to check to see which ones deliver to your area. Companies like Plated, Imperfect Produce (which just came to my area and I want to try!), and Freshly all do about the same thing. It’s pretty amazing how much help there is out there for Millennial Housewives when it comes to preparing healthy meals for her family. You just need to know where to look! Happy cooking!

 

Have you tried any of these services? What were your thoughts?