Conscious Eating Habits for the New Year

Making good, conscious decisions about what my family puts in their body has always been a priority of mine. While this is true, we do have slip ups and my knowledge is sometimes lacking. The big picture is I do the best I can, and I try not to punish myself when we are not perfect, but we all feel better when we eat better. Honestly, my family can always do better and that is 95% on my shoulders.

My main goal in the kitchen is to feed my kids real food. Lately I’ve had many proud mama moments like when all 3 of my kids are excited to have salad on their plate or have them turn down processed foods because it “tastes funny”. Their palates have been developed and no, they don’t eat everything I put in front of them. They do love fresh fruits and veggies and I credit that to starting young.  Since my kids were able to eat solid food, they were eating the same foods as the rest of the family. Obviously, things had to modified to what their little chompers could handle. Example: If we have a salad for dinner, I would separate the components and didn’t give them lettuce until they could chew it.

A favorite summer dinner dipped in hummus maybe with some cold cuts and crackers. My carrot and tomato thief got to the plate before I could take a picture.

It has been a lesson over the past few years that simple, fresh food tastes better. My favorite complete meals, along with my family’s, are less than 10 ingredients. Not only is it easier and faster for me to prep, it is also less complicated for their taste buds.

Do we have treats? Ab-So-Lutely! I am a believer in treats because I don’t want my kids to feel deprived or binge on unhealthy foods when given the chance.  “Everything in moderation” is a phrase used quite a bit in our home. The EASIEST way to avoid the temptations is to not have the temptations readily available so I try hard to not have an excess of unhealthy choices in the house.

My biggest struggles are the snacks! Those cute little orange fish are a family favorite and are oh so convenient. So, at the top of my goal list for the year is to have clean snacks readily available. Planning and food prep are key to stay on track. It is so much easier to choose something fresh and healthy it is just as convenient as the packaged snacks. Some of these include cheese sticks, homemade yogurt parfaits, pre-cut veggies with hummus, homemade granola bars or protein bites, apple slices with nut or non-nut butter, fresh fruit and smoothies.

What is your struggle? What kind of recipes or ideas would you like to see from me?