Day 32

I tried a new recipe today ‘Oatmeal on-the-go Bars’. I thought it sounded like a great snack for Jaxon. They are full of healthy ingredients-- but not so full of flavor. I didn’t want to throw them out, so I added some cream cheese frosting! Everything tastes good with cream cheese frosting right?! The cream cheese I had in the fridge actually had less than 5 ingredients too so I’m not breaking any rules! The bars had a great texture but just seemed a little bland. Probably won’t try this one again.

So, if I make it in my own kitchen with my own ingredients, its REAL food, right? Well, if it meets all the “rules”, then yes. So now when I eat whole wheat toast lathered with real butter instead of margarine, I am justifying it by thinking, “its fine, its real food after all.” Those chocolate oatmeal cookies have REAL ingredients in them too but they also have real calories as well! I need to remember that the whole Calorie In/Calorie Out theory still applies here. J As of today, I need to be aware of WHAT I’m eating as well as the AMOUNT I’m eating. (Dang! So much to remember.*ha*)

A friend of mine told me that she and her son are going to give this challenge a shot. They may not be in it 100% yet, but they are definitely becoming more aware of what they are eating. Go K and D! I wish them the very best on their own journey of discovering REAL food!!

Some people think that in order to do this, you have to become a slave to your kitchen and then it becomes a Job! Home cooking does take a commitment and a little more time to prepare than fast food and take out but when I think about what I’m getting out of it there’s really no question. It is so much healthier for me when the chemicals and preservatives are left out and the most important thing (in my opinion) is that it brings the family together. And even though our girls are grown and gone, I still enjoy sitting down with Dwight and sharing a nice meal. In today’s crazy world, the family sit down dinner is slowing becoming obsolete. I think that is so sad.

Another thing that intimidates people is they think their cooking has to be perfect. Heavens No! Of course I want my food to taste good but I don’t need to spend hours over the stove to get a quick healthy meal. A stir fry is fast and easy and don’t forget how simple it is to fire up that grill! So maybe one night supper is ‘good’ rather than ‘great’. That’s ok! A ‘good’ homemade meal is ALWAYS better than fast food – any day of the week.

*Thought for the day*

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it………..then you’re probably the family dog.  J