I try to eat healthy. I feel better when I do, and I know it’s something I can do to give my kids the best mom around. There are a few years of unhealthy habits I need to fix, but I’m doing it slowly with real livable habits.
I tend to use clean eating habits, as much as possible. I’m not perfect with it, but I do as much as I can. Before I tried clean eating, I was very intimidated by the cost, but I have found a few ways to make it affordable. I was also worried about whether or not my picky eaters would eat the same foods. Well, we’ve found a few compromises that make us all happy. Are there nights when they have pizza and I have one of the clean meals I’ve got packed in the freezer? Absolutely. But we make it work.
Here are a few ways I make it work for my family:
1. Eggs
Eggs are really cheap right now, especially if you shop around. I get a dozen for less than a dollar at Walmart. I go through phases with eggs. Sometimes we do eggs for dinner. I just scramble them up with a little cheese, and when I plate them, I add peppers and onions to mine and extra cheese for the kids.
Sometimes I like eggs for breakfast with a piece of fruit. I’ll make a few days worth of hard-boiled eggs and keep them in the fridge. My favorite mom-hack for hard-boiled eggs is this little cooker. I make seven eggs at a time and I can just set it and move on to something else. Because if your kids are as busy as mine, waiting for a pot to boil is not really feasible.
2. Frozen vegetables
If you shop around for frozen veggies, you can usually find a good store brand blend for under a dollar. And those bags tend to last our family a few different meals.
My favorite frozen aisle find is the pepper and onion mixture. Like I just mentioned, I can just add some to my eggs, or I can throw it in the crockpot with some tomatoes and chicken. I also add them to my chili for extra veggies.
The basic corn, peas, green beans and carrot mix is another staple in my house. You may be thinking that’s too starchy for clean eating, but since my son usually picks mostly carrots and corn for his plate, while my daughter likes the peas and corn, that leaves the green beans for me.
I also use the California Mix with pork in the crock-pot. Pork is one of those meats that I find to have a huge price differential. Some stores the regular price is around $4 a pound, and some it’s around $2 a pound. So I stock up when I visit the $2 a pound store (here in New England that would be Market Basket). Back to my recipe (sorry folks, I’m not a measure it out person- and nothing tastes the same any time I make it). I add some honey, garlic some balsamic vinegar and a bit of low sodium soy.
3. Crock-Pot Lunches
Every Sunday I make a Crock-Pot full of something that will be my lunch for the week. This is where I use the ingredients that my picky eaters won’t eat. They eat at daycare, so I don’t need to plan for them. A few favorites- Italian chicken with diced tomatoes, zucchini, frozen peppers and onions, and fresh spices. I make ground turkey chili the week I need a little extra iron (if you know what I mean). Buffalo chicken is so easy- just buffalo sauce (check the sugar content in your favorite brand) with a scoop of garlic. Stuffed peppers are good too, but I usually stick to the green peppers for cost sake. I always look at the pack of three multi-colored peppers and think how pretty they look, then my wallet takes over and says $4?!?!?! No way!!!
My lunches feel more like suppers, but they also help curb my afternoon cravings. And my suppers tend to be pretty quick and simple. We get home around 4:45, and my kids are usually ready for supper around 4:47. And if you think you’ll get bored, freeze some chicken one week, and trade it for the chili the next.
For my chicken, I usually buy the bulk package. For about $10 of chicken, I get two weeks of lunches for myself with a few extra for my husband.
4. Staple Fresh Veggies
My son likes carrots and cucumbers. My daughter likes celery and cucumbers. So most weeks I buy carrots, celery, and cucumbers. I have some for my mid-day snacks and some for my kids with supper (often on their pizza night). I can usually get all three for under $5 and I know we will eat it with no waste.
If I get bored with the veggies, I add natural peanut butter or make my own ranch dressing with Greek yogurt. Speaking of natural peanut butter, take a look at the store brands. Walmart and Aldi’s store brands are usually less than other store brands regular peanut butter.
5. Freeze Your Own Seasonal Fruits
Last week I was shopping with my son. He wanted his favorite fruit- strawberries. I gasped. $5 a pound?!?!?! I told him right there that I don’t pay $5 for two pounds of strawberries, and I certainly wasn’t paying $5 for one pound! He whined a bit until we found a three-pound bag of apples for $2. I did make him really smile when we got home and I made him a smoothie using the strawberries I had in the freezer though.
Being a teacher, I have the kids home with me during the summer, so I tend to over-buy fruits for the sake of variety. I always take what’s left and freeze it. So when Sweet Boy is not being so sweet because his favorite fruit is too expensive, I can still give him some of his favorite treats.
So those are my strategies for eating healthy. If you like real recipes, I do have a few on my Old Mom Recipes Pinterest Board:
[fts_pinterest type=single_board_pins pinterest_name=jenlala76 board_id=old-mom-recipes pins_count=6]
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