We are home, but we are so busy that sometimes we just grab whatever for lunch.
Sometimes there are plenty of leftovers, sometimes there are not. I have caught myself wasting a lot of time trying to figure out what to feed us. Yes I keep fruit in bowls for easy access, but we need other stuff too.
I want a healthy husband, healthy kids, and I want a healthy me!
So I am planning on keeping a vegetable tray on the counter every day. The boys can walk by and take what they want and not worry about it being junk and I have to worry less about "did we get our five to nine vegetables today?" (I send Michael's in his lunch).
Carrots, spinach leaves, red cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts! (yes, they ate them!)I also bought cans of chick peas.
Anyone else have any good ideas?
13 comments:
Hey that is a really great idea! I just might use that. It would help me to eat better too. Thanks for sharing!
BTW, I'm really not sure what kind of perm I have...lol. She just put small curlers in and permed it. Sorry. It took a lot better this time...I've always had my hair a lot longer before when I've had perms so it didn't stay in ringlets very long. So far this is the best one I've had. :) Thanks for the compliment. :)
God bless!
~Chelsie
That is a good idea, Kim. Thanks for commenting on my blog. Enjoyed your post about worms too. =)
That's a great idea. I never can/could get my husband and sons to eat anything healthful, unfortunately. Not many things, anyway. I like healthful foods, but they don't. They like meat and potatoes, but don't like veggies or fruit.
They will eat yoghurt, though!! Have you tried that? They can get a little fruit that way.
Also, they will eat raisins, or "craisins" -- those dried cranberries. Those are good snacks.
Peanuts are good and easy to eat. Make sure they don't choke!
How about smoothies? I could actually get my children to drink a smoothie.
Oh, (the thoughts are starting to roll now) -- hard boiled eggs! Keep some peeled in a plastic bag. They make a good healthful snack.
I found that it has to be easy to eat -- kind of like your relish tray -- they can grab an item or two and pop it in their mouths, not have to peel anything or cut anything or find a fork, etc.
Do they like carrot cake? Make muffins or cupcakes (easy to grab and eat) out of the carrot cake batter instead of a cake.
That's a great idea! Love it! Someone might want to put it on ice to keep the veggies and dip cool.
Heather,
Thanks for stopping by!
Civilla,
Those are good ideas too. Justin and Jonathan (the 2 oldest) are very good eaters. They love vegetables. Ryan is the picky one, so your ideas are helpful. Thanks!
Vonnie,
I kept the dressing in the refrigerator and the vegetables didn't last long enough for ice. But yes, you are right. :-)
They probably shouldn't sit out all day. The veg tray has a lid and I could dump some ice into the lid and set the tray on top. I think that would work if they had to sit very long.
Great idea Kim! We munch on veggies, nuts, fruits and raisins mostly. My favorite snack is always a banana or apple with peanut butter! You can make your own granola or trail mix with your preference of grains, seeds, nuts and dried fruits also.
Shannon
oooh Shannon, I love bananas with peanut butter. I went through a stage where I ate them every day! Thanks for the ideas!
Kim,
I like your idea about a veggie tray, but how do you budget for fresh fruits and veggies? Those kinds of things are quite expensive where I live, and I have NO room to grow anything (besides, I currently live in a house rental, ugh!).
Lady Sofia,
That is a very good question. :-) Thanks for asking!
One thing to note is that these vegetables are actually acting as a meal replacement. So they wouldn't be just as a snack but instead of a meal. Eating a slice of bread or a piece of cheese helps if you are really hungry. However, if you have lots of veggies to eat whenever you want you feel like you are eating a lot.
(Just be careful... you could get really bloated if you eat too much of one thing! Eek!
Your system has to get used to the dietary switch and I think it takes doing it gradually)
I save a lot of money using the following tips and then I use the savings to pay for the vegs:
1. I usually shop at ALDI or Walmart b/c it's cheaper.
2. I buy very few things pre-made. (I make pancakes, cookies, waffles, most breads, snacks, etc all from scratch... except for biscuits because my husband likes the canned ones and they are cheap!)
3. I try to buy in bulk for things we eat a lot (things like rice and beans. & oatmeal).
4. We eat venison instead of beef (this is a HUGE savings!)
5.I usually try to do some vegetarian meals during the week instead of buying meats (think beans & rice!). The library has some great vegetarian books, but we usually do simple meals like bean burritos or such.
6.Usually the only meat I buy for 2 weeks is one large chicken (divided into three sections for three separate meals), sometimes canned tuna or other type of fish, and possibly a chunk of turkey ham ($3.50 for a chunk). It just depends on what I have planned. Sometimes we get by with only the chicken because I plan things with the venison or we eat more vegetarian.
So, I use the savings to buy the healthy stuff. I usually spend at least $6 just for fresh fruits. I only spent around $6 for all of the veggies I bought for the vegetable tray. You can get some healthy stuff really cheap (red cabbage for example was less than a dollar for a large head of cabbage)...and it will last several days. Too, you can get more for your money if you buy 2 pound bags of un-skinned carrots. I don't usually buy baby carrots but I was splurging. :-)
Our budget (for all five of us) used to be $150 for 11 days worth of groceries but it has gone up to about $200 since prices have risen (and that also includes other stuff we get like shampoo and stuff). I really don't know how that compares to what others spend but it is about as low as I have been able to get.
Some great books I read that helped me:
The Tightwad Gazette Amy Dacyczyn(sp?) --- Definitely worth buying!!!! Amazon has it.
Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy
Living on a Dime (click on my sidebar to visit their site) has lots of great books with all kinds of frugal recipes. You should be able to get their cookbook from the library. That is where I first found it.
One of my favorite scratch cooking website is www.hillbillyhousewife.com
I hope those tips help! I am sure you cannot do all of them... like the venison is hard for most people unless their husband hunts.
Thanks for all of these wonderful tips! We use venison alot as well. My husband doesn't hunt, but we have friends who do. They either don't want the meat, or there is extra; so it's helped on the meat budget. We use venison for pasta dishes, chili, etc.
Becca, That is great! We try to share our venison too since Michael likes to hunt.
Good idea - was going to ask where the dip was, but then I realized if the dip is taking the picture, it is hard for it to be in the picture...... :-)
O.k. Mark, If you were within reach... YOU WOULD PAY!!!! :-P
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