Getting Started --- with a family!!
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BrandNewAmy
Posts: 38 Member
Hello! I have tried many different "diets" and while I've found success with some, it is only short lived. I've been reading up on the eating clean lifestyle for quite awhile but haven't really put it into place. I need help!!! Here are some things about me that will help you understand my situation a little better:
1. I'm lazy. {Okay, I'm a lazy cook. I don't want to make recipes that have 20+ ingredients some of which include things I cannot pronounce!! LOL}
2. I do not live near a Trader Joe's {Boohoo} but can get to one if you really recommend it!!
3. I have two daughters, ages 10 and 6, who are super picky eaters. {I need to change this!}
4. I am not independently wealthy so I need to keep a reasonable grocery budget.
5. My hubby works funky hours so some nights its just the girls and I eating {left overs are a bonus!}
So, with those things in mind...any help with menu planning would be GREATLY appreciated!! I need to change my eating habits and bring my family with me!!
Thanks in advance for the help!!
1. I'm lazy. {Okay, I'm a lazy cook. I don't want to make recipes that have 20+ ingredients some of which include things I cannot pronounce!! LOL}
2. I do not live near a Trader Joe's {Boohoo} but can get to one if you really recommend it!!
3. I have two daughters, ages 10 and 6, who are super picky eaters. {I need to change this!}
4. I am not independently wealthy so I need to keep a reasonable grocery budget.
5. My hubby works funky hours so some nights its just the girls and I eating {left overs are a bonus!}
So, with those things in mind...any help with menu planning would be GREATLY appreciated!! I need to change my eating habits and bring my family with me!!
Thanks in advance for the help!!
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Replies
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I rarely shop at trader joes. More importantly, do you live near a farmer's market or have access to a csa box?0
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Our city has two farmer's markets...one on Wed night and one on Sat morning. Not sure about the other...0
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I concentrate on trying to buy the majority of my food from those types of places. The fresher the ingredients, the easier they are to cook. For example, summer has a lot of zuchini squash. A great easy side dish recipe is to cut it up (round slices fairly thin) and sautee it with olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, and crushed red pepper. At the end add parmesan cheese. Also, these types of markets help interest children in exploring a variety of foods. They get to learn about varietals and farmers and will naturally be more curious to try what they have helped pick out...so be sure to bring them with you.
Since the majority of what I eat is fruits and vegies, they come from farmer's market. I also go to a fish market and buy fresh fish a few times a week. I rarely eat meat, but if I did I would try to find a good butcher. The rest comes from dry goods store for dry goods and some dairy. I have a whole foods. If I didn't, I'd look for a health foods store. Then a trader joes. Nothing wrong with trader joes either, it just doesn't have a lot of my brand preferences.0 -
I completely understand your issues. I have tried eating clean but have struggled with my 7 year old and twin 5 year olds. I have found that I can only try one NEW food a week (like brown rice or squash) but I make myself a salad on chicken nugget night. I have found my 7 year old curious about my salads and willing to try a bite or two. As for regular meals, I have been working on swapping out regular items in favorite recipes with more clean foods - I have changed our spaghetti sauce, pasta & bread (to wheat) and several other items (not shared due to my little spies). This takes time but allows me to go dinner by dinner of our families favorites and change to make it cleaner for all of us.
I have changed dessert as well - I do my best to have fresh fruits on hand. The kids love strawberries, grapes and apples so I shifted them from ice cream and cookies. Now, this is not fully clean eating but with my kids, I have been taking my time introducing new foods and adjusting as needed so the whole family can have the benefits.
Best of luck!0 -
Hello! I have tried many different "diets" and while I've found success with some, it is only short lived. I've been reading up on the eating clean lifestyle for quite awhile but haven't really put it into place. I need help!!! Here are some things about me that will help you understand my situation a little better:
1. I'm lazy. {Okay, I'm a lazy cook. I don't want to make recipes that have 20+ ingredients some of which include things I cannot pronounce!! LOL}
2. I do not live near a Trader Joe's {Boohoo} but can get to one if you really recommend it!!
3. I have two daughters, ages 10 and 6, who are super picky eaters. {I need to change this!}
4. I am not independently wealthy so I need to keep a reasonable grocery budget.
5. My hubby works funky hours so some nights its just the girls and I eating {left overs are a bonus!}
So, with those things in mind...any help with menu planning would be GREATLY appreciated!! I need to change my eating habits and bring my family with me!!
Thanks in advance for the help!!
Dirtyfloordiaries.com
PaleOMG.com
OnepotPaleo.com
Mom/kid/time friendly sites.
My kids are going much slower than I am. I do regular grocery store, Fresh and Easy, Costco once a month, and TJ's as needed for specialty items.0 -
As for regular meals, I have been working on swapping out regular items in favorite recipes with more clean foods - I have changed our spaghetti sauce, pasta & bread (to wheat) and several other items (not shared due to my little spies).
Love it!! "Little spies"! Yeah, my kids would flip if they knew what I was planning on doing!! LOL
Thanks for the ideas!!0 -
Dirtyfloordiaries.com
PaleOMG.com
OnepotPaleo.com
Mom/kid/time friendly sites.
My kids are going much slower than I am. I do regular grocery store, Fresh and Easy, Costco once a month, and TJ's as needed for specialty items.
Thanks for the web sites. Those are a couple I haven't seen yet!
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Have you checked out 100 days of real foods blog? She has so much information and great recipes.
My kids are 7 and 10, but were 5 and 8 when we changed our lifestyle. They watched Food Inc with me, and I explained why we would never eat fast food, junk cereal or poptarts again. I told them that it was because I now knew how bad these foods were for them, and because I loved them so much, that I could not feed them those foods again. Did they love this? No. I was very firm and I changed our diet 100% the next day. It was like ripping off a bandaid. My kids now have spinach smoothies everyday and never ever ask for a Dino Nugget. They were picky eaters bc I created that environment. They are decent eaters now and they understand why we make the choices we do.
Are we perfect? No. We still eat some processed organic foods. Yes, I have to cook more but I typically make really simple foods. I make a batch of healthy pancakes with quinoa, carrots and zucchini to advance and they eat those with their smoothie in the mornings.
Eating this way has saved us money as we don't eat out as much and I'm not loading a cart up with a bunch of processed crap.
Good luck! It's worth it!0 -
Have you checked out 100 days of real foods blog? She has so much information and great recipes.
My kids are 7 and 10, but were 5 and 8 when we changed our lifestyle. They watched Food Inc with me, and I explained why we would never eat fast food, junk cereal or poptarts again. I told them that it was because I now knew how bad these foods were for them, and because I loved them so much, that I could not feed them those foods again. Did they love this? No. I was very firm and I changed our diet 100% the next day. It was like ripping off a bandaid. My kids now have spinach smoothies everyday and never ever ask for a Dino Nugget. They were picky eaters bc I created that environment. They are decent eaters now and they understand why we make the choices we do.
Are we perfect? No. We still eat some processed organic foods. Yes, I have to cook more but I typically make really simple foods. I make a batch of healthy pancakes with quinoa, carrots and zucchini to advance and they eat those with their smoothie in the mornings.
Eating this way has saved us money as we don't eat out as much and I'm not loading a cart up with a bunch of processed crap.
Good luck! It's worth it!
Love this post!!! We created the environment for picky eaters from birth! What do we feed our children as babies? Rice and fruit.....and so on!
With kids I try to also get them involved in the garden. they are so much more willing to try food that they got to pick or help cook, etc. A total immersion in the experience helps a lot! And one change at a time is fine--mass change is fine. It is whatever YOU have to do to get it done.... I now have a 5 year old who asks me "does this have anything artificial, or GMO's momma?" BEFORE he asks for it. If I say yes--he just puts it down. It's become that simple.
CSA is Community shared farms where you purchase a share.....farmers markets are great. www.localharvest.org can help you locate local everything!0 -
Have you checked out 100 days of real foods blog? She has so much information and great recipes.
My kids are 7 and 10, but were 5 and 8 when we changed our lifestyle. They watched Food Inc with me, and I explained why we would never eat fast food, junk cereal or poptarts again. I told them that it was because I now knew how bad these foods were for them, and because I loved them so much, that I could not feed them those foods again. Did they love this? No. I was very firm and I changed our diet 100% the next day. It was like ripping off a bandaid. My kids now have spinach smoothies everyday and never ever ask for a Dino Nugget. They were picky eaters bc I created that environment. They are decent eaters now and they understand why we make the choices we do.
Are we perfect? No. We still eat some processed organic foods. Yes, I have to cook more but I typically make really simple foods. I make a batch of healthy pancakes with quinoa, carrots and zucchini to advance and they eat those with their smoothie in the mornings.
Eating this way has saved us money as we don't eat out as much and I'm not loading a cart up with a bunch of processed crap.
Good luck! It's worth it!
Thanks so much!! I'm still working on this...0 -
The 100 days or real food blog is what really helped me start this. I originally just set myself a goal of eating clean for one week and it's been two and a half now an I'm still going strong. Give it a look. She has a ton of great ideas for kids lunches and family dinners.0
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It is quite an undertaking with just my hisband and I! I am glad to have found this board since we are just beginning on our journey to clean eating!! I appreciate the website information I will definitey check them out! Good Luck!0
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I just read This is Why You're Fat by Jackie Warner and it's inspired me on clean eating. I followed the Rosedale diet a few years ago, which is pretty similar, and felt fantastic on it. I also have ridiculous picky kids. One has bona fide sensory issues...the other is just stubborn. This is my biggest struggle. So far I am trying to make myself and my hubby a big salad for lunch and dinner...then whatever protein is for dinner is something we all share. Fortunately my kids are little carnivores and like most meat. I will make a basic pasta or couscous for them and veggies for the adults. They have to have the veggies on their plate even if they don't eat them, and we are working on taking bites.
In terms of buying organic/grass-fed meat, I get mine at my local farmers market. My local BJs store carries a lot of healthier meats like buffalo/bison which we love and salmon burgers.
Good luck and I would love to hear others experiences!0 -
With kids involve them. Mine weren't super picky, but they were picky. I got them to try new things by letting them pick it out. Helping them incorporate it into daily food. We'd try it a few ways. Sometimes we'd find none of liked it. But now we can say we tried it and we don't like it. Sometimes one kid would like it and one wouldn't. But we found new things we liked. I also don't keep it just healthy. This summer we were looking for a new Mac n Cheese recipe. Once a month we try a new one with a big green vegetable salad. It's been fun.0
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I think Woodmans in Green Bay is way better than Trader Joes. Trader Joes is like Aldis in that it has a limited selection of food and some are not good in any way shape or form. (Iwouldn't recommend the Curry chicken tenders)0
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I think Woodmans in Green Bay is way better than Trader Joes. Trader Joes is like Aldis in that it has a limited selection of food and some are not good in any way shape or form. (Iwouldn't recommend the Curry chicken tenders)
Excellent point! LOVE Woodman's!! Guess I should get over there and do a little shelf scanning! Made it down to TJ's in Glendale today and {aside from having both kids nagging me the entire time} I was feeling a little overwhelmed. Didn't buy too much. 
As for Aldi's...tried that out earlier this week...holy Walmart-like!! I couldn't avert my eyes fast enough from some of the shoppers. Very. Scary. My 6 year old saw a woman with purple hair and said "I didn't know there really was purple hair! I thought you had to have it colored!" poor thing thought the woman really grew purple hair!! Thank goodness it distracted my DD from, um, well, her other assets... 0 -
Love the Aldi's story........... my Aldi's is very good! I buy most of my produce there for my salads and juicing. They carry most of the basics for much less than Publix. That way I can go to Publix and just buy some things and not mind paying so much for them. Aldi's had peaches for 0.29lb where as Publix was $1.99lb! Great big difference.0
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Check out the book "Well fed". It is available on Amazon for 20 bucks I think. It is money well spent. It has a lot of good recipes, tips on how to prep ahead to make it easier to eat clean, and it has a lot idea for hot plates which are super easy to put together with less effort.
Like any other lifestyle, clean eating will only work if you make it work for you. Change things slowly. If you don't have one, invest in a chest freezer. Then you can buy meats in bulk. You can find a local farm or butcher that sells grass fed at reasonable price an freeze it. Buying all organic and all grass fed can be a huge drain on your budget. Look for local farmer's markets and price around.0
