Our Homes: The First Defense For Eating Healthy

Posted on September 9th, 2008.

Jenny from New Mexico wrote me and said:

“One thing I would love to see on your site are some ideas for healthy family friendly meals.  My husband is on Weight Watchers so it would help him out, too.  But when I have to cook mass quantities for a family of 6, I find it hard to stay healthy and affordable.”

 

Thanks Jenny for your email! And actually, she’s not the only one who has said things to me like, “I just don’t know what to feed my family for dinner”… or “what do you make for dinner every night?” and “how do you make healthy things that your kids will actually eat?” So, I’ve decided that every now and then, I will post an entry telling you what was on the dinner menu at our house and hopefully it will give you some ideas you can incorporate into your own homes. 

 

Like I’ve mentioned before… I am not one who loves to cook, but I do it out of obligation and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle. If you really think about it, your home is about the only place your family will truly get the chance to eat wholesome, healthy foods. Even school lunches are full of foods high in saturated fat, empty calories and sugar. Take for example what is on the menu at my kids elementary school today: Nacho Supreme, Refried Beans, Corn, Fruit & Veggie Medley, Churro. At first glance you might think, “well, refried beans aren’t all that bad.. and corn is a vegetable.. and if they are serving a fruit and veggie medley, well it’s not THAT bad is it?” Let me tell you how this works. The kids stand in line and pick and choose the things they want to eat. I’ve been to the school during lunch time and noticed that the majority of kids skip right over the fruit and veggie medley, or if they do take one, they also take a little tub of high-fat ranch dressing to dip the veggies in. On a side note – it’s my belief that it’s better for kids to eat veggies dipped in dressing than not eat any veggies at all… but of course, that’s just my own opinion.

 

All around us we are bombarded with unhealthy foods… especially our children. I can’t stand how treats are thrown at them – EVERYDAY – from every direction. Yesterday we went to the bank… the teller gave them each a sucker. We went to the grocery store… the checker gave them each a laffy taffy. A quick trip to grandma’s house ended in an ice cream cone for both of them. And at gymnastics, the kids were all sharing some skittles they had purchased from the candy machine. 

 

In my quest for teaching my kids the importance of choosing healthy foods over unhealthy foods, I am careful not to be a “treat Nazi”. I don’t want to cause them guilt or shame over what they choose to eat… but it is a fine line we have to walk very carefully. When my kids ask for yet another treat, I often reply back with a question such as, “well, how many fruits or veggies have you had today?” This helps them stop and think about the imbalance between healthy and unhealthy foods they have consumed that day. 

 

So back to my point… our homes are the only defense against unhealthy eating. We should all strive to serve nutritious meals at home because if our kids don’t get healthy food at home, where do you think they are going to get it? Um, nowhere!

 

Each night as I prepare dinner, I always try to include something from the main three macronutrient food groups. A lean protein (example: chicken, ground turkey, fish), a healthy carb (example: fruits, veggies, brown rice, whole wheat pasta) and a healthy fat (example: olive oil, avocado, nuts). If you include something from each of these categories, you can feel rest assured that you are serving up something WONDERFUL for your family and their health.

 

Last night our dinner menu included:

- Grilled Tilapia (lean protein AND healthy fat)

- Steamed Broccoli (healthy carb)

- Brown Rice (healthy carb)

- Sliced Tomatoes (healthy carb)

 

If you think that menu sounds fancy at all… or if you think it sounds too time consuming or too expensive… it’s NOT! If I made it – you can be sure it’s easy! With a little preparation and planning ahead, I was able to walk in from gymnastics at 6:40 and we were at the table and eating at 7:00! Here’s how:

- Fish cooks thoroughly in a short amount of time. I simply spray some olive oil on my George Forman grill, put the fish on, spread some raw honey on each slice, shake on a little dill weed and salt and let it cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes. {SO FAST!} Fresh salmon is my favorite fish to eat, but since it’s so expensive, I only buy it when it’s on sale. I have found that tilapia is a pretty good tasting fish as well… and cooked this way makes it divine! Mmmmm!

 

- Fresh broccoli is a pretty inexpensive vegetable. (At least around here it is.) Every time I buy a bushel, I chop it up into large pieces and stick it in my fridge so when I’m ready to use it – it’s all ready for ME! Since it’s healthiest to only STEAM your veggies, it takes only minutes to boil the water, throw the broccoli in and pull it out when it’s barely tender.

 

- If you use the REAL thing when it comes to brown rice, (none of this “minute” rice stuff), you are getting the FULL nutritional value out of the rice. The only problem with this kind of rice, is that it takes about 40 minutes to cook. To solve the time issue, whenever I make rice I always make about 8 servings more than I need at the moment. That way, next time I need some rice, all I need to do is warm it up and serve. Simple!

 

- And finally, you can easily add veggies to any meal by choosing those that can be enjoyed in their original state. Simply slice up and serve! I used tomatoes because of our insanely huge tomato plants in the backyard, but I often use veggies like cucumbers, peppers, celery. They don’t require a lot of time because you don’t have to peel them. So easy!

 

As you can see, this super healthy meal was extremely FAST, EASY and INEXPENSIVE to make. My kids love it when I serve this meal… with the exception of my 5 year old who hates tomatoes. She loved everything else however, and had it all gobbled up before dinner was through. So there you have it… an idea for your dinner tonight and a solution to all the unhealthy garbage that manages to find it’s way into our bodies. 
Enjoy!

 

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