Friday, March 20, 2009

Food, water & garbage. New week, new resolutions.

Sometimes I wish I were funnier than I am but I am after all the oldest child.  Having the oldest child syndrome I think catagorizes me as a blue type personality who can't help but be a  perfectionist & quite serious @ times.  I don't know if that is true of all first borns but what I do know is when it comes to my family's diet I can be quite intense and serious.  Let me just show you as we take a tour down our dietary lane.

I don't proclaim to be the biggest know it all health nut on the planet but what I do know is I never ate healthier during and after the triplet pregnancy.  Considering all of the demands on my body I'd never felt better.  I mean really, how does a girl like me not eat hardly any meat but produce upper 5 pounder triplets (besides a miracle from above).  
Take the miracle aspect away and I can't deny how much diet plays a roll in how we function.   First all let me introduce one of my best friends in the pantry, her name is Quinoa [keen-wah] and everybody looks at me funny when I try to tell them about her but she is exotic and very well diversified..  I tell everybody about Quinoa because of all of it's health properties and nutty taste.  I'm crazy for this super food grain that's not really a grain but really a seed stuff. It can be mixed into just about anything and after you eat it you will feel unstopable. Google it I dare you. Next I am currently obsessed with Agave nectar because it is low on the glycemic index.  It stacks up pretty well to honey in the natural sweetener department.  We use it to sweeten anything from pancakes to oatmeal.  Can't really recall the last time I've used the white refined stuff but I will use it if I have to.  Then 2 years ago I discovered Spelt flour and have been hooked ever since.  Didn't even know it existed before then.  Pretty much it is like whole grain wheat flour but much easier to digest (much more expensive - O too)  Seriously is a staple for me now.  Finally just to make me feel better about my mantel of motherhood I've also been using a ton of milled flax seed. "Oh you don't want to eat your veggies, well ok then your just going to have to have the magic yogurt again", followed by a bowl of applesauce or yogurt filled with my little flax seed friends & an inside chuckle (or cackle). I feel so tricky & it satisfies me greatly to see a kid down their yogurt or other items with this stuff mixed into it.  

Oh these are just a few staples that I've mentioned and they just begin to touch the surface of grains and good health items but the biggest thing I have learned is that when Mac & Cheese goes on sale buy all 40 boxes on the shelf.  I've just officially exposed myself I'm afraid, but it's true we eat mac & cheese every other day.  Really I just posted the above items to hide behind the fact that we eat way to much M & C and to remind myself how much better I could step it up on the food pyramid.  It's time for a change so I figured if I focused on a health post and get it out in writing, that would be the first step to the fruition of.  

Which leads me to my water intake.  Apparently I've been trying to keep my glass half full. So much in fact that I heard that I may not be helping my body out. I guess I was taking it a little too literal or something. Well excuse me while I change the motto around here to "Is your garbage half full or half empty"...Now that way I can still be positive with a half empty glass of water.  My garbage is ALWAYS over flowing, so what a good life I must have. Thanks in advance to Mr. Garbage man who comes on Tuesday for you are one of my favorite people.

Oh and I don't know if I've mentioned one of my other favorite people but her name is MOM.  Look what she did to my pantry one time.  Need I say more...


This is going to be a great week. I have a fun surprise planned for my 100th post.

11 comments:

Whitney said...

You are an inspiration to us all. I do think if I pulled some of that stuff out Zach would literally fall over dead. He had to eat Whole wheat pasta once and that was WAY to much for him to handle.

Jessica said...

Can your mom come to my house too? My pantry seriously needs her!!

momof3girls said...

please come to my house - I want my pantry to look like your!!!

Lindsay Jones said...

The more I read about you the more I realize how much we have in common, we really should be hanging out! Do you have some delicious recipes for quinoa? I have some in my pantry and have only cooked it once. I would like to give it another try.

Jami said...

I love quinoa...I have tried cooking it acouple of times, but it is never as good as the stuff I have tasted at "whole foods"...let me in on some of your cooking secrets.
And we eat mac and cheese A LOT. Not me...but Grace...which is terrible, and I feel bad giving it to her...but it is just so easy

Debbie said...

You forgot to mention steel cut oats...after all you were the one that turned me on to those...or was that Liza? Anyway, I seriously needed this post to get me motivated to getting some other healthy grains and using my flax seed stuff!!! :)

Stacey Crewse said...

I need to come over for all of my meals and let you trick me too!:) Teach me super mama!! I dont even have a clue where to start in the eating amazingly healthy part. Lets see... we do have the overflowing trash in commen :)!!!

Annie said...

After a post like this you need to follow up with some of your favorite Quinoa recipies and other favorite uses for the mentioned grains. My problem is not buying healthy stuff, it's knowing what to do with it once it's in my pantry.
I think Mom has addicted all of us to extreme kitchen organization. Ever since she came and helped me organize my apartment when we lived in California, I can't stand a pantry without clear containers for cereal, grains, crackers etc.

Cheryl said...

I'm so impressed that you fix such healthy foods for your family. I've never tried Quinoa but I do have flax seed in my pantry. I will put it in my yogurt now that I read your post. Thanks for sharing all the healthy tips! Can't wait to see you 100th post!!

Kelsea said...

You seriously inspire me.
To be a better me.
your so cool.
I'm not lying when i say i wanna be like you when i 'grow up'

i blogged about you today, and about how cool you are.
you are the bomb.com


thanks for everything!

Mom in High Heels said...

I put wheat germ and flax seed in a lot of our foods. Dh and ds don't even know it. I mix it in cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, pasta sauce, casseroles, bread crumbs, sloppy joe's (made with turkey), pancakes, muffins, cakes, every thing.
Also, can your mom come visit me? I live in Germany so it could be a great European vacation. After she organizes and labels my pantry. :)
How do you fix your Quinoa? I need to know!