There have been a few of my evenings this past week that have been consumed with worry about all the responsibilities I didn’t accomplish that day. In particular, worries about my children and if I gave them enough individual attention.
There are moments during the day when all 3 of my children are pleading for my attention.
Whether that pleading involves my 5 year old calling my name to play a game, or my 3 year old acting disruptive due to my neglect.
AND
There is always the need of my smiling sweet 8 month old, who is currently on a 4 hour eating plan.
My days are filled with many other responsibilities calling my name:
My wonderful husband who I can’t get enough of, my least favorite companion- the dirty dishes,
and of course- my kitchen is always yelling: “What’s for dinner?”
How many times do I lie down at night and say these four justifying words:
Life is too busy!
Life is too busy to keep my house clean…AND spend time with my husband…AND spend time paying the bills…AND spend time writing a blog post…AND spend time serving others…AND spend time doing laundry…AND spend time playing a game with my 5 year old…
AND…spend time making a healthy meal for my FAMILY!
We all know the answer to these issues.
I’m going to throw out another all too common four word phrase:
It’s all about PRIORITIES!
Once I have my priorities in order, and I ACT on those priorities- I seem to have less worrisome nights.
Feeding my CHILDREN nutrient dense foods is a PRIORITY to me. There are many reasons for this- one in particular, stated very clearly is: “Childhood diets create adult cancers.”
But am I always perfect? Do my kids always eat the most nutritious foods possible?
NO– but I do try to have the majority of their calories come from whole food plant based foods.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Sir Winston Churchill
Here are a few simple strategies that help me continue towards my success of HEALTHY LIVING:
1. No junk food in the house!
(No foods that are high-fat, high-sugar and/or artificially concentrated) If you make healthier choices easier…and unhealthy choices more difficult…you can better invest in your health! The key is not to demand perfection, but simply to put resistance in the path of transgression.
2. Create a weekly menu
Make it fun! Have your kids help! Go through your recipe book (or browse through our recipe section) and find meals that fit you. Make a shopping list, and make a copy of it. So you can use it again. Many of our recipes call for bulk food storage items that don’t need to be purchased weekly (beans, whole grains, nuts & seeds).
3. Cook in Quantity
I am fortunate to have a family that doesn’t mind leftovers. Most of our lunches are made from leftovers from the night before. Most weeks definitely have a dinner containing a couple of dinners from previous nights. I love leftover night!
I LOVE TO SAY:
“Plan for success, and you will succeed more often”
I’m sure we all would agree with another high PRIORITY – the need to SPEND QUALITY time with our children.
Yesterday- I hadn’t prepared well for lunch…but I wanted to spend time with my kids OVER spending time in the kitchen. I had the perfect solution.
I made a very common and very popular quick lunch…but I made it the WHOLE FOOD WAY!
Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwiches
Nut butters are an EXCELLENT source of GOOD FATS for my children. To read more about good fats…read prior blogs here and here.
WHOLE FOOD MOMMIES NUT BUTTER SANDWICHES
Ingredients
All Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar added)
All Natural Almond Butter (no sugar added)
All Natural Tahini (Sesame Seed Butter)
WFM’s Whole Wheat Bread
Honey or Jam (low sugar- try to use one without high fructose corn syrup)
Directions
Mix 2 parts peanut butter with 2 parts almond butter and 1 part tahini to make a perfectly yummy nutrient dense nut butter spread. (This is the combination that I like the best…but make your own spread combining different amounts for your own tastes)
I mix this spread in a old glass peanut butter jar and store in my fridge.
Spread the nut butter and honey over 2 pieces of whole wheat bread for a fantastic quick and easy sandwich.
Eat sandwich with fruit and veggies for a complete lunch.
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Kids are only kids for so long…have fun! Set priorities…Don’t stress…and Plan for success!
Life is Good!
Source: WFM 1-10