On the Right Track

So after I wrote this, I got serious about my family's health. I started eliminating those harmful additives I discussed and we ate more fresh fruits and vegetables. I have been baking our bread and making our sauces from scratch. We don't buy sodas anymore and we rarely eat refined sugars. Sigh. It felt like we were on the right track, but I knew we needed to do more.

Snacks were the next thing to tackle. I ordered the Brother's freeze dried fruit (Beatrice loves them), I bought Annie's organic cheddar bunnies in lieu of Goldfish crackers, and I bought all natural cereal Os with no added junk. My biggest fear with giving up Cheerios and Goldfish crackers was the convenience of them. I was concerned with not having clean snack options for Beatrice when we were on the go. But the more I looked, the more things I found that were made with natural ingredients and were better alternatives to the stuff found on most grocery store shelves.

Today we went to Whole Foods and stocked up. I found tons of snack and meal options for all of us that contain no chemical additives. I am a big nerd in the fact that I have been looking forward to our trip all week. I love going to Whole Foods. It took forever because I read every label before I put anything in our cart. I have learned that if there is a long list of ingredients with words I cannot pronounce, it's not really food. And the best part? I only spent $60 on 4 large bags of food. I'm kind of obsessed with saving money and shopping organically is not cheap. I have been programmed to think that food should be cheap and not be a huge expense in our budget. But if I invest in our health by eating the most nutritious foods possible, we are actually saving money because hopefully we will save in medical expenses down the road. You are what you eat, ya know?

I don't really make New Year's resolutions. I'm more apt to make goals and improvements. My goal for this year: eating better and more naturally. JD is less than thrilled with this plan. He likes his Big Macs and Mountain Dews. I like my cake and gummy bears. I'm not saying that we will never have those things, but for now, the majority of our food is going to be wholesome fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and tons of water. No more artificial substances in our pantry. I'm excited.

The other day when Beatrice was chowing down on some hummus and whole wheat toast, JD asked if kids normally like hummus. I said that kids eat what is offered to them and depending on what is offered, that food becomes normal. I want healthy, wholesome foods to be normal to her. I want her to love her vegetables and prefer water over juice. I think we're on the right track and I'm excited about that.

Beatrice says, "I feel healthier already!"