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| Eating fresh broccoli from our garden |
With the rising rate of obesity we make it a point to strike
a balance between healthy eating and allowing our boys to be kids. The hubby and I try our best to eat healthy on
a daily basis and exercise regularly, not only for ourselves, but also as an
example to our boys. Remember, they’re
always watching, listening and mimicking.
So how do we do this, especially with how busy life can get?
We first started by making it a point to exclusively
breastfeed our boys from birth to at least 1 year of age. Now I know this can be very difficult, so if
you’re not able to breastfeed, please don’t put this pressure on yourself. Getting your baby fed and healthy, whether
through breastmilk or formula is what’s most important. Next, when our boys first started eating I
made every meal they ate from scratch.
I’m not going to lie, this took a lot of planning, effort and time, but
it also saved us a ton of money! I would
buy fresh produce, blend it thoroughly, store in freezer safe containers and
defrost as needed. I would also grill
chicken breast, mix it with different types of veggies and freeze. With each meal prepared I would make it a
point to expose my little one to a new spice or seasoning. This helped to diversify their palettes and
as they continued to grow it allowed them to seamlessly eat and enjoy the home
cooked foods hubby and I eat on a daily basis.
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| One of our meals |
Now I know you’re thinking, how can you eat a home cooked
meal every day? This is how we did it
and continue to do so. I dedicate one
day per week to prepare meals. On this
day I usually prepare 2-3 different meals.
I do this so that we can eat a variety of foods throughout the week
without getting tired of eating the same thing.
We’re now a family of four, so sometimes our meals may run out towards
the end of the week, and that’s when I’ll usually prepare an easy meal in
either my crockpot or baked in the oven.
With that being said, are there days when I am just too dang
exhausted or sick to prepare a meal? Of
course! I believe in striking a balance
in every facet of life and this is no exception. On days like this I’ll either ask hubby to
prepare something or we’ll heat up some frozen pizza or meal. Or if I’m craving a hamburger, Chick fil-a,
or a chicken cantina bowl from Taco Bell we go and get it. We believe that having this every once in a
while is fine. I would say that we
typically eat out about 2-4 times a month.
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| The beginning stages of our garden |
Our meals normally consist of 1-2 veggies, a protein and a
starch or carb. My hubby hates veggies,
but sees the need for them and knows his body will thank him for it later. I also make smoothies on a regular basis for
myself and my family. The boys have had
them since they were toddlers and absolutely love them! I pack them with different combinations of fruits
and veggies like spinach leaves, carrots, cucumbers, avocadoes, bananas,
mangoes, peaches, strawberries, pineapple, pears, grapes, celery, ginger, etc… We also have a garden in our backyard that the
boys love to care for with their dad and they’re always so excited to be able
to eat something from there. We planted
collards, kale, lettuce, spinach, okra, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries,
bell peppers and cucumbers. Now that’s truly organic!
What’s the point of me telling you all this? It’s to show
that we are the ones who control what our kids consume at the end of the day. Continue to expose them to healthy food
options, allow them to get involved in preparing what they eat and watch them
get excited and actually enjoy it! It takes
time, effort, patience and planning, but at the end of the day isn’t it worth
it? Your bodies and bank accounts will
thank you later!
