We (meaning me) are trying to eat healthier. It's motivated by a few things:
1) Mike's been sick and I can't help but believe a healthier diet would help him resist all the gunk he is exposed to at the Mission. It's not necessarily the healthiest of places to work, given the crowd he works among.
2) I have some really great people in my life who are inspiring me to eat better. (only one of them ever reads my blog, so Thanks Mel!)
3) I'm trying to figure out how to feed a family of 7 more affordably and efficiently.
Here are some of the major problems we've encountered so far:
1) Eating healthy is not affordable. Good golly. Saturated fat and high corn syrup content are cheap. Whole grains are not. Someone explain to me why processed food, which takes more labor and machinery, costs more than whole grains. . .
2) The kids do not adjust well to change. Now really, it's not like they live on corn dogs and mac and cheese (well not very often anyways) but they are completely suspcious of anything new. Yogurt that is pink and in a plastic container: no problem! Yogurt that is homemade and comes in a glass jar: ugh!
3) Mike is not thrillllled about the idea. He agrees I can eat however I want and feed the kids whatever I want- but he's not convinced yet. He did love the whole wheat pitas Sasha and I made!
I'm offering one of the successful endeavors thus far: a breafast bar with NO sugar and whole grains. It's easy and actually tastes really great. I tried another one that Mel swears by, but am inept when it comes to making it work.
Apple Breakfast Bars
1 1/2 c. oats (quick or whole)
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. chopped dried fruit (I like apricots)
1/2 c. chopped nuts ( I like pecans)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. orange juice
1 1/2 c. shredded apples (peel and all)
Mix all, let sit for ten minutes. Press into an 8x8 pan, cook for 25 minutes on 375.
Loosen with spatural, cut into bars while warm, serve hot or wrap individually for on the go.
Trust me- even Mikey likes it. :)
3 comments:
Oh goody, a new recipe to try! The recipe I use for breakfast bars can be kinda finicky. Truth be told, it was the first recipe that I found for breakfast bars, and since they turned out halfway decent, I've been too lazy to look for another one. Now I don't have to. These sound good, and not complicated. Right up my alley. Keep the new recipes coming : )
The breakfast bars sound yummy. I will have to try them. My guess is that Claire will like them and Luke won't even try them!
i am on a bit of a kick as well, and i can commiserate about the cost of healthy food! it does not make any sense. my favorite new baby food is quinoa flakes - they are also great to use in baking! you can substitute it for flour in some cases and it is a very healthy whole grain w/ lots of protein.
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