Healthier Lifestyle

I have always been the person talking about changing how I eat, but I never seemed to actually make it happen. I was forever telling KT that we were going to be making some changes to what we were eating...and then I'd go get McDonalds. I know, I know. Poor KT. He would listen to me everytime I went on one of my long spills about how we ate such bad things, he would agree that we needed some modifications, and then he would just shake his head when I went right back to the old ways. Unfortunately, this happened a lot. I never wanted to try to lose weight, but I wanted to improve my health and avoid any future health problems. Well, it's a good thing I had Ella because I am (finally!) making some changes!!

With such problems as child obesity (1 in 3 children are obese!), foods full of preservatives, foods covered in pesticides, fast food joints on every corner, and so many more, I decided that Ella needs and deserves a better future than what she was going to get if we kept eating the way we were. So to Google I went! Research is my best friend, so I was determined to learn as much about healthy eating as I could. First thing, no more fast food! My heart still breaks a little to think about this, but I am staying strong! We also agreed to not eat out for a while. I started creating weekly meal plans, and so far, we have not ate one thing outside of our own kitchen. Granted it has only been about two weeks, but still! That is definitely an accomplishment for me! Weekly meal plans have also helped us save money. I plan out every meal for each day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks), and then we go grocery shopping just for the items we need. According to KT, he can see the money-saving already. We try to have a good breakfast, light lunch, and a filling dinner. I have also been looking for some good recipes to try out. Got any?? And for those of you that don't know me, just the fact that I am asking for recipes to cook is a huge deal! I am not exactly domesticated! But since I have been staying home with Ella, I have been working on my Susie Homemaker skills. I think I am getting better! :)

One thing that we agreed to have every single day is a green smoothie. Before you make that face, give it a shot! If you haven't ever had one, you should really try it out. I promise that with the fruit in it you can't even taste the greens. Seriously! And I am probably the pickiest person I know! Bland is usually my favorite flavor. Well, besides salt, but I am trying to work on that too! The base recipe calls for 1cup spinach and 1cup kale (kale is like a superfood, so good for you!!), 2cups of choice fresh or frozen fruit (sometimes more) (btw, I have read that citrus doesn't usually do well in these), 2 bananas, and about 2 cups of water. We mix ours up a bit by adding in some lowfat vanilla yogurt, soy milk, and a few tablespoons of flax seed (full of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids so really good for your heart) I think the best fruit to have is a bag of frozen mixed berries (they also turn the smoothie purple if the color is what holds you back). We recently tried apples, but it did not go so well. We didn't peel the apple, so that may have had something to do with it. The texture was pretty hard to get down. We also usually only use one banana because KT doesn't like a strong banana flavor, and bananas can be very overpowering. But if you like bananas (like me!), then go for two! Overall, green smoothies are such a great way to get in your servings in greens without even thinking about it. Most of us do not get even half the amount of greens we are supposed to have in a day, so a green smoothie is a great way to get those greens in!

The next challenge we are taking on is to start decreasing the amount of meat we eat. This is really going to be a hard one for us. We are both really big meat people. Honestly, is there anything better than a thick, juicy, rare steak?!?! If there is, I haven't found it (other than deer jerky, but that's a blog post all its own)! I suggested cutting out meat for one day a week. KT looked at me like I was crazy. LOL. He said how about one MEAL at a time. I laughed and agreed. This challenge starts this week, so wish us luck!

Do you have any healthy eating recommendations?? Any changes you have made to improve your health and eating habits? How about some recipes? Please share! I need all the help I can get! :)


XOXO,
Dani