Every single recipe I look at that is geared toward health, has some sort of food that I have never heard of!! Why can't there be simple ones?! :unsure:

So what is in everyone's pantry and frige? I need some ideas.

I like to snack, so I can handle subing doritos for fruit. It is mainly the meals that I am struggling with.

For me, personally, I find it's more portion control than anything. I don't want to deprive my family of the "good stuff", when I started this back in January, I started cutting back on my portions, now I'm down to about 1/2 (maybe a little more) of what I used to eat....normally!

That's not to say I don't splurge once in awhile.... :unsure:

If I deprive myself too long, I'll end up binging on something REALLY bad, you know what I mean? That said, I do NOT keep around chips, cookies, that kind of stuff....or if I do, I try to forget it's around.

Oh, and what's in my pantry? Microwave mac & cheese, spaghetti o's, Apple Jacks cereal, instant oatmeal, peanut butter....

Fridge? Milk, American cheese slices, grapes, apple/grape juice, bologna, lunchables....

Can you TELL I have a 3 year old?? B)

Get the Body for Life cookbook. Good & easy recipes....for the most part.

Throw the following into a blender:
1 banana
1 avocado
half cup of strawberries or sliced peaches (frozen or fresh)
dash of maple syrup
dash of vanilla

mmmm....That sounds great Mandy!!! Thank you.

What we have in our frig:

- lots of organic fruit, veggies, herbs (fresh) in the frig
- organic almond butter
- organic peanut butter
- organic butter
- boursin
- goat cheese
- turkey
- roasted chicken
- organic free range omega-3 eggs
- organic yogurt
- kefir
- goat's milk
- organic jelly
- sprouted grain raisin & sesame breads
- whole wheat flour
- maple syrup
- assortment of hummus
- organic heavy cream

Freezer:
- wild salmon
- wild whiting
- lean grass fed ground sirloin
- organic chicken breasts
- organic fruit & veggies
- ice
- 2 bottles of frozen water
- 2 half gallons of Breyer's ice cream (Henry's)
- lamb shoulder
- shrimp
- scallops
- rib eye steaks
- veggie burgers
- pecans
- walnuts

Pantry:
- organic stewed tomatoes
- organic tomato paste
- organic beans (kidney, black, pinto, garbanzo, etc)
- chilis
- curries
- buckwheat
- organic whole wheat high fiber cereals
- grits
- spices & seasonings
- some Asian stuff
- coconut, sesame, peanut, pure extra virgin olive oil
- chicken noodle soup
- organic chicken & beef broth
- organic mac & cheese
- cornbread mix
- cans of wild salmon
- cans of crabmeat
- supplements
- organic peanut butter & almond butter
- organic oats
- almonds, pepitans, shelled sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
- organic, whole wheat pastas
- organic rice pastas
- basmati rice
- balsamic, white wine, red vinegars

We also keep 2 baskets on the counter:
- one filled with fresh fruit (honey tangerines, asian pears, plums, apples)
- one filled with veggies (onions, beauregard, red potatoes, ginger, garlic)

These really are the main staples in our home. We (Henry) cooks very simply. I eat 4-6x/day and it has to be simple, otherwise it would not work for me. As you can see, other than the ice cream Henry has, we don't have much food junk in our house. Yeah, the grits and cornbread mix aren't that great, but those aren't too bad. It's not like I'm going to pull out a bag of grits and start eating that.

Our kids love to eat healthy and I think it's a misnomer that a 3 yr old has to eat unhealthy things. Something that Sean and I love to snack on is red/yellow/orange sweet pepper strips dipped in a roasted garlic hummus. Yummy. The kids enjoy the organic yogurt, or a piece of fruit with some nuts. They also like a slice of sprouted grain raisin bread with either organic almond butter or organic peanut butter. Sometimes I'll make a fruit smoothie that has frozen & fresh fruit, goat's milk, ice, flaxseed, coconut oil, and some whey protein. They love it. They also like hard-boiled eggs, a great source of protein. They pretty much eat what we eat, just less.

If you condition your kid to eat healthy and you set the role model, it gives them a better chance. It's a way of life in our household, and they know of no other. When we go out to eat, they don't always eat all the food at the restaurants because that's not what they normally eat. Make it fun. If you gripe and complain about eating healthy, they will see this and not enjoy eating healthy. It's only as hard as you make it.

We really try to minimize on the processed stuff and have very little of it at home.

Dinners usually consist of a meat or fish that has been seasoned with herbs/spices, an oil and either grilled/broiled/baked and steamed veggies with black pepper and organic butter. There are a lot of variations on this. Sometimes I'll use the crockpot to cook a roast/meat with veggies or chili w/beans. Instead of lasagna noodles, I use eggplant or squash in place of it. We tend to go towards goat dairy products over cow's, but if that's not available, we'll use cow's but organic.

Lunch often consists of a salad with a meat or fish. To get fat, that comes from the meat or fish, olive oil OR nuts. I don't usually use dressing because I like the taste of fresh veggies and their delicious flavors. Don't like them masked by anything.

Breakfasts can be an omelet, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, oats soaked in water overnight or cooked (no instant) with coconut oil, stevia, cinnamon. Occasionally at home, I'll make buckwheat pancakes w/organic butter & maple syrup with free range turkey sausage, sesame toast w/organic jellies & butter. There are many other breakfast ideas, but these are the simplest and the ones we actually do on a regular basis.

I love food that has a good presentation and bursting forth with color. I'm sort of a snob that way. I don't like things overcooked, and often eat my veggies raw.

Hope this helps,
Doris

:blink: yep Doris, that was the type of food that I can't identify with, and I really would like to find the "in between" of flat out fatty processed junk, and totally organic wierd named products that I am too chicken to try.

What is hummus? And buckwheat?? And how do you get all of that organic food? Does it cost more? Is it really more beneficial to your body than non organic?

I am super curious about that. I would like to change my (and family) eating habits, but if I throw something called hummus on the table, my kids will FREAK OUT!

but then again ANYTHING is better than eating a cow IMO.

MG -

I didn't make these changes all at once. I started healthier changes in the summer of 2002. That was 3.5 yrs ago. That started with replacing soda with water. After I got that down, I moved onto the next thing.

Don't worry about what hummus is right now (it's pureed chickpeas with other ingredients).

So, I would suggest slowly replacing what you currently eat with a healthier version (this does not mean "diet" or "lite" or "reduced fat"). I always use real stuff -- meaning full fat or whatever.

For example, instead keep more fruit in the house, like the things you may like -- bananas, oranges, grapes, strawberries, etc. Once this becomes a habit, then add more vegetables.

Changing your taste buds takes time. I used to think eating a salad doused in Ranch salad dressing was healthy. Over time, I've gotten to the point of rarely using salad dressing and can eat salads with nothing or just a little olive oil. I enjoy the taste of raw veggies a great deal.

Organic does cost more. Things are usually smaller. What I did was start with organic bananas, then I moved onto other fruit and vegetables. Not everything I want is available organically, so I also buy regular stuff. Nevertheless, I wash things very thoroughly by spraying the fruit & veggies with an organic spray that gets the stuff off as I soak the stuff in warm water. Once again, this is a process.

In my area, we have stores like Sprouts, Wild Oats, Henry's, Sunflowers, Trader Joe's, AJ's Fine Foods, which are all healthier type stores that carry lots of organic products.

Once you've mastered these things, then trade some of your cow's dairy products with goat's products. Goat's stuff is easier on the digestion system.

Buckwheat is a type of grain, but less processed and better for you. So is barley, quinoa, etc. We don't do a lot of grains in our household, if I can help it. Starchy things do not do well in my system.

The organic stuff typically does not have all those pesticides, hormones, anti-biotics, preservatives that many of the foods have. They are more natural. So, yes, it is overall better for you. The cost of things is more. Do I tell the difference? I didn't think so at first. We used to shop at Costco all the time. We stopped buying food from Costco last June. Then in January we went and bought some food there and the food tasted so gross to me. It made me not feel good. I could definitely tell that our eating had changed a great deal in the 8 months.

Instead of dreading this, look at this as a big adventure and something fun. Take this time to learn about healthier foods. Like what is the glycemic index? How does eating foods with low GI values beneficial to you? What are the various names of sugar? Is drinking diet soda good or bad for you? Is eating full fat foods bad for you?

Every person is different. It takes time to change taste buds and habits. Don't expect this to be overnight. I suspect in 3 yrs from now, our eating will be even better. Things take time to change. Do things slowly and gradully. If you beat it into people, they are more apt to resist change. Educate yourself.

Some good books are: Body by God by Ben Lerner, Total Health Cookbook by Dr. Joseph Mercola, The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott, The Maker's Diet by Dr. Rubin Jordan, and the e-book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto are some books that come to mind. Take from those what you will.

Doris---
Can I come raid your fridge? :D Sounds like the stuff I eat when I can!

Sure -- come over anytime Mandy!!!

I thought about you today Doris. I passed a store called Chamberlins. I only caught a glimpse, but it said organic market or something like that! So they do exist around here.

I bought Tea Tree Oil today. Does that count :)

I've heard about that stuff...what do YOU use it for?

heh, well you know that nasty boo boo that I got with my little incident? Well I just swab some tea tree oil on it just to be sure it does not get infected. It is also good for "feminine" issues. I can pm you those, but I lean toward the more conventional methods when those things pop up. Putting a few drops in with your shampoo also can relieve eczema and dandruff, which my daughter has very bad. None of the shampoos that you can buy has helped, but we are going to try this method.

Wow, so it helps with boo-boos? That's good to know, I've never heard of that....

It's also used in a lot of natural cleaning products.....

MG -- it's a process of change and does not occur overnight. We're all in various parts of the journey. Don't compare yourself to anyone. Do the best you can for where you are right now. Ok? Enjoy life.

I am really proud of myself. I mean, I haven't seen the scales move but let me tell you what has happened in my first week of the Self Challenge.

I spent the entire week focusing on my water and food intake. I made sure I kept my body in motion even if it meant just doing leg exercises in the hot tub. My energy level improved and my sleep was much more sound. Yesterday, I caved in to take my girls to Firehouse subs. I had a meatball sub! And I felt like crap last night because of it! I was sluggish, bloated and even saw my body differently!! It was an amazing revelation!! I am not beating myself up over it, but I am conscience now of what processed food is doing to my body!! It sucks!

Good for you, MG!!! That is awesome. Just turtle steps. You'll get there.