I do believe the only food group I'm missing is fruit. The best snack (and dessert) in the world! Keep plenty of fresh fruit around the house that is easy to grab. Once again, try all the different varieties you see in the store, I just noticed that mandarin oranges just got into my local store. These only come around this time of year and my family will eat a ton of them.
Now, on to making nutritious meals, this is what I will be focusing on for the next couple of weeks. If good nutrition starts at home, parents need to set a good example for children to take with them everywhere they go. Children will eat a lot of food in school and at friends houses. If they eat healthy at home, then it won't matter if their friend's parents fix...well, not so healthy meals. Or if they see asparagus on their plate at grandma's house, they may just get excited to see one of their favorite foods! :)
In order to fix nutritious meals at home, you need to be prepared. Have healthy food in the house! If your cupboards are full of whole grain pasta and brown rice, you have one healthy step out of the way. If you did your vegetable shopping with your kids after school, there's another step out of the way. Some people are recipe people, they prefer to use a recipe, no matter what. Some like to make things up off the top of their head. Either way, be prepared.
There are alot of different ways to obtain healthy and quick recipes. You are sitting in front of your computer right now, open up google and go for it. This is a good way to get lots of ideas for those of you who don't actually use the recipes. Once you find some recipes you like or they give you good ideas...write them down (or print them off).
Here's a good note: it is okay to change a recipe!! I have a wonderful recipe for Spinach Bake: frozen spinach, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, onions, salt, pepper, and garlic. I like to make a lower fat version of this using low fat sour cream (my family is sour cream crazy and if I didn't keep low fat, cholesterol free sour cream in my house, my 11 year old son would have clogged arteries by the age of 20), remember that cheese is good for us, so buy some low fat cheese, I take out the bacon on normal occasions to limit the fat and cholesterol content of the recipe. Now, the spinach bake tastes just as good as it would with all of the original ingredients, it's just a bit healthier, and I bet your kids will like it if they see you like it!
If the recipe you find has chicken thighs and legs, it's okay to substitute boneless, skinless chicken breast to lower the fat content from the skin of the thighs and legs. But, do you know what my store sells; boneless, skinless chicken thighs...what a great way to have the nice juicy taste of the dark meat without the hassle of bones and the fat of the skin.
So when looking through your cupboards (which should be filled with healthy foods) and going through recipes for ideas...be creative! Some of the best meals will come from quick fixes that you have to make up in a pinch :)
