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.