Like many moms, I avidly read through the Pinterest tales of moms who no longer server their families any processed food products. I ooh and ahh over the bread that they make from scratch. I ogle the photos of neatly laid out Bento boxes full of healthy school lunches...each one packed with a loving note from mom. These women are super heroes. And I say that with genuine admiration and no bitterness what-so-ever. OK...only the tiniest hint of bitterness.
But it HAS gotten me thinking. My family does consume a lot of pre-packaged, over processed foods. Certainly more than I would like. This is due, primarily, to two factors: 1. I am a couponer, and processed foods go on sale with coupons more often than healthy foods. So I buy them because I have two boys who eat more food in a day then I do in a week. And cheap food keeps me from having to live in a cardboard box. 2. My boys are often desirous of a snack at a time that I am not available to fix them a lovely, healthy snack. So I get stuff for them that is quick and easy and that they can serve themselves.
So what hope is there for me... the budget conscious, full time working, over taxed mother? Well...there's got to be SOMETHING I can do. So, I have adopted a strategy that works well for me in other areas of my life...the baby step approach. I am trying to change our eating habits in baby steps...one thing at a time. It doesn't seem nearly so daunting that way.
So far, I've done two things. 1. I've replaced the bread I normally buy at the store (which was already 100% wheat...but was very processed and full of preservatives) with bread purchased weekly at our local Great Harvest Bread Co. Now, their bread is EXPENSIVE...which rubs the coupon queen in me the wrong way. However, I have made the point to purchase only day old or two day old bread. This saves me 25% or 50% respectively and brings my total extra expenditure on bread to only about $10 per month. I can handle that. And with a bread clip placed tightly at the neck, the bread still lasts a week or more.
2. I've started making yogurt pops on Saturdays. They are incredibly simple to make and my boys love them for snacks. I was inspired to do this after I bought my Popsicle molds at IKEA. If you don't already have some, CLICK HERE to get the great IKEA version for $1.99! Last Saturday, my 2 year old and I assembled the pops. 2 blueberries on the bottom, spoonful of fruit yogurt, 2 blueberries, another spoonful, etc. We had a great time, and the results were delicious. One thing that I might change next time...the blueberries are quite tart, and yogurt is already tart (especially when frozen.) So I'm thinking of macerating the blueberries for a while in simple syrup next time before I drop them in the pops. I know, I know...more sugar. But still homemade and you gotta make it taste great right?
I will begin compiling my simple steps as a sidebar to the blog. Happy eating!
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