What we eat

So here are my most cooked meals every month.  Some with links to the recipes.  I think I may try one major grocery shopping trip for the month to buy most of the ingredients and I may even start cooking some ahead of time and freezing them so things go smoothly after school gets going.  Having a meal in the freezer keeps me from running out to a restaurant.  If a recipe involves ground beef we usually use ground turkey and look for other substitutions in these recipes to save fat/calories/salt.

Potato Soup with Paninis
Waffles and Turkey Bacon (thanks to this magic machine and the waffle plates)
Beef Stew and homemade bread
Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Mashed potatoes and Veggies
Ham and Homemade Mac and Cheese
Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies
Grilled Salmon, Rice, Salad
Our Favorite Chicken, Rice, Veggies
Mostaccioli, Salad
Chili with Cornbread Muffins
Taco Salad
Stuffed Peppers with Veggies
Chicken and Dumplings and Salad
Tacos or Burritos with Rice and Beans
Spaghetti with Salad and Garlic Bread
Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potato Fries
Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup with Quesadillas
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches with Steak Fries and Veggies
Baked Flounder/Cod/etc with Rice and Steamed Broccoli
Stir Fry Chicken or Beef with Rice (frozen stir fry veggies with the meat with this and then I make fried rice)
Marinated Grilled Chicken with Rice and Veggies


I usually try 2-5 new recipes every month so those are somewhere in the rotation and we eat out occasionally.
Share your family favorites!

You know you want some mac and cheese

I make great macaroni and cheese.  It took years of experimenting but I believe I have perfected it.  I'm sharing this with the world so here it is...

First, boil and drain 2 cups macaroni noodles.
Then, make a roux.  You need a 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour.  Stir together for about a minute and then gradually add in 1 3/4 cups milk.  2 cups is too much.  1 1/2 is too thick.  1 and 3/4 cups is just right.

Next add the cheese.  I use about 1/4 lb Velveeta.  I have tried doing this the "right" way without American cheese but you just don't get the ooey gooey factor.  Then add 8 ozs of your favorite cheddar.  It should look like this

then stir and melt until it looks like this

Throw all the cooked and drained macaroni noodles in and stir to coat.  Pour in a casserole dish and top with whatever you like.  I like to take about 2 Tbs of melted butter and mix in some seasoned bread crumbs until it is crumbly and perfect and sprinkle that on top.  You can also use toasted bread, more cheese, or let your imagination run wild.

Here is how it looks when it comes out of a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes...YUM!!!

Finding joy in this diet

Let me start by saying that I'm thankful to be in the National Guard because I have to stay a healthy weight for my job.  Losing a job that you love is a powerful motivator to get and stay healthy.  I am exercising so that I can pass my fitness test but I knew that my eating habits needed to change as well.  I heard about the "Lose Baby Weight Diet" from Parents Magazine and decided to give it a shot.

I will be honest...I was really irritable about it at first.  I hate depriving myself and like most people I want to do what I want to do.  Then last night at Chili's I had a revelation.  I was ordering off the "Guiltless Grill" part of the menu when I really wanted an Oldtimer and fries with a side of ranch for ultimate fry dipping.  I was mad that I couldn't do what I wanted to do.  Then I looked at my kids.  I thought about what it would be like to be raised in a family that made really good food choices so that when you grew up you just automatically made those choices.  You splurged occasionally and indulged on holidays but for the most part, you made healthy food choices because it was just what you knew.

I'm thankful that I was raised at least halfway there.  We didn't grow up with fattening snacks around and we ate vegetables with dinner.  I just want to go even farther in that direction for my kids.  I want them to see me making good choices everyday and enjoying healthy foods not just enduring them.  I want them to see my husband and I exercising regularly because that is just what you do to take care of your body.

So it means I will have to be more intentional with what I eat...because it matters.  Not only for my job and the way I look in jeans but in how my kids will treat food for the rest of their lives.  I won't be on as strict of a diet forever but little changes add up and I want to be a good example for them in every area of my life.