Last Meal

President Obama's birthday is tomorrow. On the news, they showed that the last meal on his birthday eve was a burger, fries, and a milkshake. The First Lady has a healthy eating campaign. I wonder if she has the same problem thatI have. You know, he's eating that kind of thing and she's pushing health eating program. I think that must happen in a lot of families.

Several people in my family have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type II diabetes. I think people get these types of conditions as they age. I'm determined not to get these types of conditions as a result of lack of exercise or poor diet.

How we should eat

When I spoke with the nutritionist, it was funny just how focused she was on feeding your body. She didn't seem to get the fact that I just like to eat. Of course, if I actually ate the way people are supposed to eat, I wouldn't always have to count calories. I eat cottage cheese and greek yogurt for snacks. Who would want an extra helping of that? No, the things I overeat are fattening or sweet. If I thought about what my body actually NEEDED, I wouldn't have the challenges that I have.

Zucchini

I've been very stressed for the last couple of weeks. I've had so much going on personally and professionally. When I'm stressed, I don't eat the way that I should. I was kind of annoyed yesterday because David made white rice. Also, he bought this huge pack of Mac and Cheese from BJ's.

Margaret had some extra zucchini from her garden. I got one huge one and sauteed it with tomatoes and onions. I added some parmesean cheese on top. I only made half of it because when Raymond saw the zucchini, he frowned at it and said he wasn't going to eat any of it.

I don't think he was expecting it to have a spaghetti like flavor because he actually did taste it. He liked it and wanted more.

Vacation

We just returned from our eight day trip to the beach. We rented a place with a kitchen so we only ate out three times. David went shopping one morning and came back with toaster streudels and hot pockets. Kind of annoying. We don't have a crazy schedule, so it would have been easy to plan for healthier meals. Sophia, Lucas, and I went for long walks in the mornings. Layla and I rode bikes. Raymond practiced throwing the football with David. Raymond, Lucas, and I played frisbee.

They all enjoyed jumping waves and boogie boarding. The days were filled with lots of activity.

Conclusion

New recipes include strawberry and spinach salad, rhubarb with raisins on , quinoa, cashew asparagus, strawberry fruit smoothies, and mango chicken.

The kids have adjusted to healthier breakfasts. There's no whining about wanting pop tarts or Cap'n Crunch. They really think about portion sizes and frequently ask whether or not a particular food is healthy.

David's made huge strides. I can't believe he's actually shopping at the Farmer's Market. He's stopped asking the kids if they want seconds. Also, he hasn't brought home a huge box of cookies or anything since we started this. This is good for me. I'm always watching what I eat and I just don't have that much self control. Today when I wanted something sweet, I got raisins because it's the only sweet thing that was in the house.

Raymond is the only person who didn't read Food Rules.
Lucas has taken it upon himself to alert Sophia and Layla when they are attempting to get another portion.

David hasn't mentioned stopping the project and I think we'll continue to progress. My next mission is to focus on exercise.

Fruit Smoothies

David has been doing well with making breakfasts. Sophia and Layla both love toast with peanutbutter on it. They also like scrambled eggs.

The other day, he called to see if it would be okay to grape soda. That's a huge step for him. It was on sale and he thought it would be a nice treat. At least he was asking about it. I asked him to get ingredients for fruit smoothies, instead. The kids had fun making them, and they were delicious. A few strawberries, yogurt, ice, yum!

Vegetables

The kids aren't crazy about vegetables, so I've been serving lots of fruit as side dishes instead. That's the great thing about summer. It's also quick and easy.It's funny, because it really doens't feel like I have prepared a meal when I just serve fruit. I made a fruit salad and they simply loved it.

Making Changes

Sophia lost one pound. I think the most challenging thing for her is to just eat one serving. I'm glad she's thinking about what she eats and is making an effort to be more active. Yesterday she mentioned that she wanted to exercise with me. I'd left for the gym at 4:45 and I was gone when she woke up. I know they are very active at the camp she attends, but I guess she just wants to get a little extra exercise in. I hadn't slept well the night before, so I was exhausted by the time I got home. Today, I only did weights, so this evening I will try to go for a run with her. I still didn't sleep well and I'm tired already.

David has been going to the Farmer's Market every week. A couple of weeks ago he got ground beef and I made meatloaf with it. It didn't taste the same and it took a little bit of time to get used to it. I had leftovers yesterday, and I decided that I like it. I guess I never thought about the fact that the meat would have a different taste. Last week he got sausage there, too. Only Sophia and David liked it. I've never liked sausage, so I'm not the best person to comment on that. This past weekend, he bought mangos, corn, tomatoes, and ground beef. We had cheeseburgers last night. Again, they didn't taste the same. It's funny how we've all gotten used to the fat. I still liked it, it was just different. I had a mango for dessert yesterday. The kids had ice cream. Tonight we will have the tomaotes and corn and I'll serve the honey dew melon for dessert. Maybe I'll ask him to get a chicken next time. I wonder what it will taste like. He thought of going to the Farmer's Market on his own. Pretty cool!

Fourth of July

I started my day with a spinning class. Later we went to see my mother-in-law, then we went to see the fireworks at the University of Maryland. I usually sit in my chair while I wait for the fireworks to begin. Raymond usually plays catch, and Sophia usually draws. This year, I brought a ball, and I played catch and keep away with Layla and Sophia. Just to keep them moving. It kept them moving. I like seeing them so active.

I made brown rice yesterday. Sophia only eats a very little bit of it. I think she's protesting. She got only one serving of ice cream. She seems to be handling it pretty well. Layla has gotten so much better at accepting my "no" when she asks for more. Layla's the kind of kid that will keep eating. It's pretty easy to distract her.

I've found that having fresh fruits for desserts is a winner. They all like pineapples and mangos. Today we had cantalope for dessert. I tried a new recipe with rhubarb the other day. The absolutely loved it.

Cravings

I'm not doing such a good job at keeping away from sugar. The nutrionist says I should always eat a proetein with a carb, even if it's an apple. That's why I just can't eat sweets. Sugar makes me crave sugar. When I stay away from it for two days, I actually don't crave it anymore. I tend to be less hungry. It's just getting through the cravings for the first couple of days. But it is just so FUN to eat sweet stuff. The kids seem to be doing pretty well. I definitely hear them talking about food choices and that's a good thing. They have stopped asking for pop tarts and toaster struedels. Yay!

Lucas actually went for a walk on his own because he felt lazy. That's fantastic.

The boys seem to be able to resist food. They can get just one of something and be done with it. I think maybe the girls inherited the hunger gene from me.

Exercising

Since Sophia was concerned about her weight, when I took Lucas to karate, rather than come home to start dinner, I took Layla's bike and Sophia's scooter. While he was working out, they rode around for about an hour and they seemed to have a really good time. Also, before I went to the gym this morning, I took her for a walk/run for 45 minutes the next morning. She doesn't run so much so she tires rather easily. She didn't like it, but at least she understands the importance.

We can do that during the summer because I don't have to worry about homework. We didn't end up getting back until 8:00 which meant we didn't finish eating until 8:30. David grilled cheeseburgers, but still it was a late night. The girls didn't end up going to bed until 9:30. That meant that I didn't get to sleep until about 11:30. A long night. I'm rarely spontaneous like that, but I guess every now and then it's okay.

I decided not to ask David to work out with Sophia. I think the diet changes are enough for him. He's doing well on that front and I don't want to rock the boat. Besides, guess what? He wants to get a bike! The girls like to go bike riding. That would be a cool family activity.

Attitude

Today we had chicken, quinoa (a different recipe), and mixed vegetables. Raymond wasn't so happy about that. It was a new recipe. I've noticed that he gets a little bit of an attitude whenever I cook healthier meals. David brought home leftover pizza and everyone wanted to have that in addition to what I'd cooked. Well, I must admit that I kind of did too. But we can save it for a different day. Sophia is reading Food Rules. It's taking her kind of a long time. I don't want to be the food police, but I do want them to understand where I'm coming from. Once she finishes, it will be Raymond's turn. He actually does a pretty good job of watching what he eats. He's an athlete and likes to keep in shape.

Weight Concerns

Sophia is a little concerned about her weight. I think the only thing she needs to do is to exercise a little more. The only thing is that she doesn't really like sports. Even though she's only allowed to watch TV for 30 minutes a day, she will usually select an activity that is sedentary. She likes to do crafts, read, and play with her Barbie dolls. She will ride her bike if I send her outside, but she is a little uncomfortable riding around the neighborhood by herself. Riding in the loop in front of our house can be a little boring. She runs around at camp. But now that school is out, I think maybe I will show her some exercises she can do. I actually prefer to exercise by myself. Quite frankly, it's the only time I get to have by myself! I do want her to include exercise in her daily routine, so maybe I'll add an extra workout that we can do together. . . unless I can get David to do it. Hmmm. That's a thought. He doesn't workout, and I think that might be the thing to get them started. I am willing to do it if he doesn't want to, though.

Off of the Wagon

This past week has been very stressful for me. When I am stressed, I eat poorly. I made a trip to McDonald's and got the number 1 with large fries and a chocolate Sundae. I also went to HR and got two Snickers and Baby Ruth. I guess a few days won't hurt. Today, I'm going back to logging what I eat into Livestrong.com. I'm so busy and I really feel like I don't have the time to do it.

I read an article that indicated that caffeine depletes your body of Vitamin D. I knew that at one point, but I think I must have forgotten. I'm trying not to drink it, but I just get so sleepy sometimes. I wish I didn't have to sleep because I always have so much to do. I've found that in the long run, it really doesn't help that much. I eventually crash.

Farmer's Market

David found a Farmer's Market. That's kind of a big thing for him. He bought fresh corn and tomatoes. He bought whole grain English muffins and a big container of blueberries. Sophia asked about pop tarts yesterday. David told her that he wasn't buying them while I'm working on my project. I certainly hope he doesn't really see this as a short term thing. My plan for this was to be part of our lifestyle. I need to talk with him about that, but didn't want to bring it up in front of Sophia.

Oodles n' Noodles

The kids have been begging for Oodles n' Noodles. Lucas came up with a plan, suggesting that we buy them once a month. I didn't agree to that. I never had Oodles n' Noodles until my room mate introduced them to me when I was in college. I was trying to figure out why we have them in our house. It just occurred to me that it was because of Raymond's friend Alec. Alec plays football and a couple of years ago, he needed to lose weight so that he could play. His mom emptied her house of all fattening things and we ended up with the big case of Oodles n' Noodles. I'll be sure to remind them of that should the subject come up again.

They still don't seem to like this new way of eating. I don't think I'm being too strict. They have fattening foods every now and then, I just make sure that I limit them to one serving.

Lucas Read Food Rules

Lucas was required to read 25 books this school year. School is ending soon and he has some catching up to do. A perfect opportunity! I gave him "Food Rules" and he completed it in about 45 minutes. When I was out running errands the other day, we stopped by McDonalds. He said he was going to get the hotfudge Sundae. When we got to the counter, I ordered a Strawberry-Banana Smoothie, and so did he. I asked him about it later and he said he changed because he figured the Strawberry-Banana Smoothie was healthier. Sophia is reading it now. We'll see if she makes different choices as a result of reading it.

Nutritionist

David talked to the nutrionist. We got some good ideas about things that he can fix for breakfast. He's still a little relunctant, but at least a little willing to try. Ideas were greek yogurt with fruit, whole grain bread with peanut butter or almond butter, bread with tomato and cheese.

Choices

I went to the knowledge exchange. The good thing is that there was fruit there. The bad thing is that there were also dougnuts. Luckily, the bag had the calorie count on the box, so that kept me from eating too man. I only ate two of the little tiny doughts - 90 calories.

Yesterday we had pizza. Not a big deal. I think it's fine to have an unhealthy meal every now and then. No need to quit cold turkey.

Knowledge Exchange

Today is the knowledge exchange. There are going to be doughnuts and bagels there. That's not good for my resolve. I only have 1 1/2 more pounds to lose and I don't want to get off track. But I like doughnuts and bagels. I still can't figure out why just counting calories doesn't work. I'd be happy to eat the doughnut rather than two pieces of fruit. For some reason, I don't lose weight when I eat the bagel. I think I should have saved my cottage cheese and blueberries to eat during the meeting. I don't have a lot of will power.

Making an appointment

I just called LifeWork Strategies to make an appointment with a nutritionist. They're going to call back to get more information and then set him up.

Layla is very upset that she can't have poptarts for breakfast. She fell onto the floor, kicking and screaming. Raymond thinks I'm being too picky. Sophia really wants Capn Crunch for breakfast. Also, she's very upset about the brown rice. She says she doesn't like it They'll adjust. Or, at least one day they'll appreciate it.

My cousin visited

So, my cousin came and we had cheeseburgers with fruit salad and potato salad. I also made a pound cake with a chocolate sauce. I would have been happier with french fries, but I would most certainly have eaten too many of them. I ate my burger on a wheat bun. I think I've been doing pretty well by eating the brown bread. The only thing is that I ate too much cake and too much potato salad.

In general, the kids have been doing better at limiting their portions. I did find that eating my meals on the salad plate was helpful. When I have a big plate, it seems like I have too much space and it makes me want to go back and get more. It's a mental thing, I know. But with the smaller plate, I don't eat as much.

Deciding What to Eat

David and I are having this big discussion about what to eat when my cousin comes. He's a little annoyed. He thinks that because I want him to be more conscious about what we eat, that means that he doesn't care what we eat. What I have said is that he is going to have to want to make a change in how we eat. The reasons he comes up for not doing it can be overcome. He says he does not have time. Yes, it does take more time to eat more healthfully, but it's work it. He's got to be willing to put forth a little more effort. With a little planning, he can do it. But he has to want to do it.

Dilemma

So, my cousin is coming Memorial Day weekend. He and his friend are coming for supper. I really want to keep up with my healthy meals. But if I do that, not only will they think that I have forgotten how to eat, they'll also think I have forgotten how to cook. Really, the problem is with me. Everyone else in the house seems to have the ability to stop eating. But not me. Nope. I just keep eating. On the one hand, it's only for one day. On the other hand, even if HE'S just going to be here for one day, when I get off track, I tend to remain off track for a couple of weeks. Something I'll have to consider.

The Results

They tasted the dishes, and seemed to like them. You can see their comments in the youtube links below, if you'd like. They all liked the quinoa. Sophia and Lucas liked the Asparagus. Layla actually asked for more quinoa.

Of course, David has commented that the one bag of quinoa costs $6.00. He's funny how he'll buy a huge case of Oreos because they are on sale, but gawk about the price of healthy foods. The one thing I noticed is that I cooked three cups of quinoa and we still had half of it left. I usually cook four cups of rice and every single bit of it is gone at the end of supper. Maybe it filled them up more. I think we saved on two fronts - healthy food and portion control. I think we have choices about how we spend our money. He has an SUV that gets low gas mileage and costs $100 to fill up. We'll save money by having healthier kids. Besides, it's not like I want to eat that stuff all of the time. My hope is that as that as I teach my kids to cook, they will have healthy recipes in their heads as adults and cooking healthy meals will be second nature to them.
Family Comments
(goes to youtube)

Layla wants more quinoa
(goes to you tube)

Quinoa with Black Beans and Asparagus with Cashews

Well, I tried two new recipes. I got them at the health fair, so my next attempt will take a little more work. The only thing difficult about trying new recipes is that they always take longer to cook. I never use recipes unless I'm baking. It would have been a lot simpler to make mashed potatoes and fried chicken. I have a lot to do and it takes time to keep looking at the ingredients to be sure I'm putting in the correct amount of things.

Sophia says she doesn't like black beans and Raymond says that Qunioa doesn't taste like anything. Of course, neither of them has tasted either of the dishes yet. Below is a you tube video of what the dishes look like.

Asparagus with Cashews
http://youtu.be/S8GRSBuUvZk

Quinoa with Black Beans
http://youtu.be/jHostq8f498

Eat Brown Foods

I'm not so sure how well this one is going to go over. We eat wheat bread, but we could benefit from eating brown rice and wheat pasta. White rice is less expensive, but brown foods are a lot healthier.

Be More Conscious of Portion Sizes

David had his health fair at work today. He brought home this brochure titled What is a serving size? I'm looking at this brochure, and I wonder if this is the serving size for kids, or what? I don't see how I would get full on that amount of food. We certainly cannot all be expected to eat the same portions, can we?


Things to Do

1. Discuss portion sizes with a nutrionist.


2. Use salad plates rather than the larger dinner plates we currently use.

Request that David talk to a nutrionist

I will talk to David about speaking with a nutritionist. I'd like him to get some ideas about what types of breakfasts would be healthy. He doesn't like my suggestions. I'm going to ask him to refrain from buying things like pop tarts, sugary cereals, and toaster streudels. I would like for the kids to eat a protein to last them a few hours. I will make the appointment for him and we will review the suggestions that the nutrionist makes.

He's being pretty stubborn about. He just keeps saying, "I'm doing the best that I can. I don't have time to make a real breakfast in the morning." He thinks I just just make the breakfast. I'm fine with that as long as he takes on one of my morning or evening activities. His choices are ironing clothes the night before or doing hair.

He doesn't want to swap. How annoying is that.

My plan for getting the family on track with eating healthier foods includes:



Get family to think about what they are eating before they eat it

Reading Food Rules

Going through Food Rules to decide which rules we will focus on.

Requesting that David speak with a nutrionist to get ideas about healthy, quicks breakfasts.

Get at least one healthy recipie a month.

I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but I usually don't take the time to search for recipies.

Eat more brown foods.

Cook at least one new recipies per month.

So, I've been thinking that I need a better plan. Yesterday I was really tired and frustrated and a little sad. In general I've been cooking healthfully, but yesterday I wanted my green beans the way I grew up making them. A little bacon, sugar, and salt. . . delicious. I've been making them with just a little canola oil and they never taste quite right. I've had lots of healthy dishes at restaurants that I like. What I will do is get real recipies rather than reconfiguring the recipes that I have in my head. They will never taste quite right and so I will always feel like I am missing something. Linda made this fantastic spinach recipie that I simply loved. I will search for and cook at least two new recipies per month. This will mean buying different ingredients. When I really want food to taste cook, I add ham hocks, bacon, fat back, or butter. I think that if I actually use a healthier recipe, I will learn healthier ways of seasoning foods. There are probably all kinds of spices out there that could help out with that.

We've read Food Rules, but I don't think it's making much of a difference. I think we need to talk about what we're going to do with the information.

Getting Educated

I gave the book to David and amazingly, he's reading it!

Food Rules

HR's book is "Food Rules". I read it and I really don’t see anything earth shattering. I already know that stuff. Maybe I could give it to David to read. Maybe reading it will help him better understand what I want to do and why. Maybe he wouldn't think I was bugging him and we wouldn't have to fight over food. Sometimes people accept changes better when they get the information in a different way.

Decision

It’s been four years and a few weeks ago, I decided I don’t want to let it go. What my children eat now will affect them for the rest of their lives, and honestly, it could also affect their children’s health, too.

Time for Change

I want my family to be healthy and fit. When my children were born it was very important that they eat healthfully. I made all of their baby food and nursed each of them for twelve months or more. When I went back to work after having my last child, I began having dizzy spells. I'd walk down the hall and lose balance. Sometimes my heart would start beating quickly, for no reason at all. Finally, I went to my primary care physician who sent me to a neurologist. I was convinced that I had a brain tumor. After the neurologist examined me, I waited anxiously for a diagnosis. I was quite surprised at what he said. The random dizziness and increased heart rate were caused by stress, lack of sleep, anxiety and depression. He told me to get more sleep and to take vitamin B ( vitamin B is known to help treat nerve endings). I was annoyed. He knew I'd just had a baby and I thought, "He's making these assumptions based on that. There's something seriously wrong with me, and he's focusing on the fact that I'm a new mom. This is my fourth child. I'm a master at time management and I know what I am doing. "

As I drove home, I thought about the questions the neurologist has asked. How many hours of sleep do you get each night? About 4.What do you do for fun? Nothing- no time for fun. I thought about my schedule. My day started at 4:30 a.m., I made breakast, got all of the kids ready for school, dropped off three of them (1 at daycare and 2 at the bus stop) each morning, went to work, got to bed at about 11:00, and was up several times during the night.

It occurred to me that perhaps I was a little tired and that the only way for me to get more sleep, was to get a little help. I decided to talk with my husband. He agreed to make breakfast for the kids.

After about two weeks, I noticed that there were things like pop tarts and sugary cereals in my house. I was quite annoyed. I should have been more specific. Before we had children, we talked about the importance of preparing healthy meals for them. At first I didn't say anything. I think the worst thing you can do is to give someone a responsibility and then tell me how to do it. After a couple of weeks, I suggested that he give them healthier things to eat. He said he didn't have time. So, I decided to let it go.

Starting Out

My parents say that when I moved up North, I forgot how to eat. I have not. I am simply more thoughtful about what I choose to eat. Don't get me wrong, I love food. What is easiest for me to cook and what I want to eat when I am upset and anxious, are always foods that I grew up with. Large helpings of meat, vegetables cooked with pork, and lots of potatos and breads. I simply love the homemade cakes my mom bakes. These are the foods that I must always fight.