Keep it real, keep it simple. Sounds simple, right? This has been my motto since school began. But figuring out how to keep it simple can sometimes be a challenge. (Or at least for me). But after four weeks, I think I am getting the hang of it. Our weekly calendar on the frig has been amazing. I was letting the girls pick their breakfast and lunch for each day of the week on Sunday. I then found I was preparing two different breakfasts and two different lunches all before 6:30am each morning. That did not work. So, for the past two weeks I made the menus without input from anyone. And, the girls get the same breakfast and lunch. I do take into account their different tastes and tweak their meals accordingly. And, I used meals they liked during the first two weeks. When they complain, I gently remind them that they liked said meal a few weeks ago. Examples of lunches - rice and beans, sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches, bean spread sandwich, school lunch one day a week, and repeat a sandwich. Sides always include fruit, veggies, granola bar and pretzels or chips. They also like ants on a log, apple slices with sunflower butter "sandwiches", salads, and dried fruit and nut mixes. Other ideas can be found:
100 Days of Real Food (This is not a vegan website, but I do like her focus on unprocessed, real food, and she has great lunchbox ideas)
My meals are easy, I usually have oatmeal or rice and fruit for breakfast. Lunch is a big salad with leftovers. This was a recent lunch, a big bowl of lettuce, a cold sweet potato, baked the night before, and left over quinoa. I LOVE stone ground mustard, and used that as the dressing. Took me 2 minutes to prepare, filled me up for the rest of the day and I thought it was delicious. Can you think of a healthier meal than greens, sweet potatoes and quinoa?? I think not!
Dinner simplicity:
I signed the girls up for too many after school activities. I have two tired girls on my hands when they get home from their sports - I need to help them with homework and quickly get dinner on the table. Chad is traveling - so it is just me juggling tantrums, homework and cooking. I tried to do one "recipe" last week and quickly learned that was not going to work. So, I am back to SIMPLE. Taco night, pasta night, left over night, beans and rice night. If family comes over for dinner I order Casseroles. Our Sunday night dinners, Chad is usually home and we prepare a meal that takes more effort. I will share some of those meals soon. But for now, in our home we are not trying many new things. And it is making my life SIMPLE! We do keep our focus on REAL food though - always.
Here is an interesting article on eating variety versus simplicity:
Jeff Novick's Article
