Healthy eating- getting the junk food out (Lent)

One of my goals for this year was to work on healthier eating.  We've been letting too much junk in, to help us get it all out of our systems we've got a plan for Lent.  Healthier eating is not just good for our bodies, it can help clear the mind and can even be better on the pocket book (healthier can mean less medical expenses, and I find that when I'm eating whole foods my body just feels more satisfied ).

No wheat- while we are not cutting out all grains, wheat (in the form of white flour) is in so much of the "junk" be bring into the house.  This (wheat) is also something we are phasing out, or keeping to a minimum for medical reasons.  For this period of time we are going to get it all our of our systems.  Oatmeal will be our main grain as well as some quinoa and a bit of brown rice.

No refined sugars-  This will easily cut out the rest of the junk.  No white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and (as always) no artificial sweeteners.  What will we be using?  We will mostly be using honey, maple syrup, and some stevia.

Dye free- We have been moving to no artificial colors, we will get all of it out of the house after Mardi Gras and then keep it out!

What will we be eating?  I find that when taking something away it is very helpful to focus on what we CAN have and even add in some new alternatives.

For breakfast we will be having baked oatmeal, eggs, some bacon and maybe sausage.   We may even try some yummy baked goods like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls.  This looked like a fun breakfast too.

Lunches are fairly easy; the kids have a favorite bean dish we will have regularly.  I've made quite the stash of crackers including graham crackers (a huge hit), club crackers (enjoyed by most), herb crackers (YUM!  I love these; the recipe is found in this book), and coconut crackers (good, but need to be cooked until crunchy next time).  We will add in fruits, veggies, cheese, and salami for some tasty lunches that are a hit with my kids.

Feeling bad for my poor kids?  Don't.  I've got plenty of goodies planned for this time including (but not limited to)....

Vanilla bean cake, brownies, honey "caramel" corn, and homemade Hazelnut spread(nutella) pictured to the right.

I'll be posting on my family blog about our Valentine's day treats as well as St. Patrick's day.  Head on over there to see what I come up with.

Some of my favorite (on line) resources for healthy but "normal" recipes are...

Deliciously Organic

Spunky Coconut

Elana's Pantry

What about you?  Are you making some changes to how your family is eating?  What are you doing?  What are some of your favorite resources?  What are you doing to make this fun and help you stick to your plans?

links I love

I just read this post on brave moms and brave kids.  It was so right on.  While there is a time to be protective and sheltering it is so important to let go (and be brave moms) so that our children can learn to be brave and learn to live a life for God!

This post (part way down you get to the part about raising a family on one income) from Raising Olives was such an inspiration to me as I learn to be a better steward of what God gives me and to rely on Him more.  I love the reminder of how very blessed we are and that so many things we have are truly luxuries.

Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6:8

Here is another great one on Large Family Finances and living debt free.  It really is about lifestyle and expectations.

Following that thread I found this short sermon by Paul Washer very convicting and encouraging.

The Slavery of Serving Worldliness

Managing that laundry pile

Do you struggle with laundry?  Have you lost small children under the piles in your home?

I've posted about managing laundry before, check out this post too!

Laundry is a never ending job in every home, but all the more so in a large family home.  Our laundry and clothing management strategies have changed over the years, and there are so many ways to make it work.  I'll share what is working for us right now, and I'd love to hear what you are doing too.

-Cutting back on the clothing is a great first step in keeping the laundry under control.  We make sure everyone has 2-3 sets of every day clothes as well as an "errand day outfit" (which also works as a back up for Sundays) and a Sunday outfit.  This is really all they need along with the basics of socks, underwear and 2-3 sets of PJs.

-Only wash what is dirty!  Don't let your kids (or yourself) get in the habit of throwing clothes in the hamper just because they have been worn.  Teach them to take a look at their clothes (and maybe a smell) to see if they really do need to be washed.  Teach the kids to hang up their Sunday/Errand day clothes as soon as they get home so they don't dirty them (this not only makes the laundry pile smaller, but cuts back on the ironing too!).

-Schedule your laundry days.  Using the above two steps you should have reduced the amount of laundry needing to be washed.  Now just schedule two or three days to run a couple of loads of laundry.  With everyone helping to start, move on, and then put away the laundry it will be a quick and easy job.  You will still need to run some loads of sheets and towels (and maybe some cloth diapers too?  We do!), but that should be about it!

-A family closet can help keep things organized and in one central location.  I had always thought we would need a whole room for this, but with a little thought and creativity we've made this space in our laundry room work well for us.  It also helps us remember not to bring too much into the home since we can see everyday that the space is limited.  We may not do this long term, but for now it is working out well.

That is what works for us.  What works for you right now?

Time to clean out the pantry/refrigerator/freezer!

The start of a new year is a good time to get a fresh start in the kitchen.  Doing a pantry challenge can help you de-clutter (get rid of the junk or odds and ends) and help get back to your budget (after it was busted with the holidays).  The goal is to eat what you have and purchase as little as possible, this will require some creativity.  I'd like to spend half of my regular budget this month.  I'm not sure I can do it, but I'll give it a go.

First I looked through my cupboards ignoring the recently purchased/staple items.  I found quite a bit to work with.  The black bean humus had sounded good, but I just never got to it, I think we will have it for lunch with some veggies.  The bags of caramels will be turned into some yummy candy bars with the help of some other staples.  I found a couple of packages of tortillas, it kind of scares me that they still seem to be good despite being purchased well over a month ago.

Then I went through my freezers (I have three), since one is mostly full of the 1/2 a cow we purchased 4 months ago most of that freezer needed to stay put.  The other two produced this and a bit more on the second go round (including a large turkey and a ham)....

I found several small containers of chili that were intended to be lunch for my hubby. :/ We will make a dinner out of them and some corn bread.  A bag of pot stickers that should have gone with our Costco Chinese food was found, that will be a lunch.  I had forgotten about the yummy Mozzarella and garlic sausages.  It seems that we have a pea lover in the family (not me), but I'm always forgetting to get them out.  We will work our way through them this month.

Are you going to do a pantry challenge too?  If so, what sort of goal are you setting for this challenge? What did you find in your pantry?  Anything of note?

New year; its time to set some goals!

The start of a new year is a great time to set some new goals; both personal and as a family.  Most of mine involve the family in some way, but are personal as well.  Here are some of the goals we are setting....

1. We've let lots of processed foods, sugar, and just plain junk (can we even call it food?) creep into our home over the past weeks and months.  It's time to clean out and most importantly; not let any more in.

2. De-cluttering is a constant goal/battle.  As a family we are going to work on being very mindful of what we are bringing into our home, as well as getting things out that are already in our home.

3.  I've been slack in managing our finances, not being a good steward of what we have been given.  I need to have better self-control and be wiser in where/how I'm shopping.  These are things I know to do, but application is a whole other matter.

4.  Unfinished (or not even started) projects abound around here.  I hope to enlist the kids in working on some of these things and not starting new ones unless absolutely necessary.

5. The goal is that we would not have so much stuff cluttering up our lives requiring our time and attention so that we may better focus on the relationships in our lives.  To be spending more time studying God's word, applying His word, and serving one another in love.


As I go along working on these things I'll try to give some updates and let you know how I'm doing (and maybe encourage you along the way too?).  How about you?  What goals are you setting?  What areas do you need to work on?  How are you going to go about accomplishing these goals?

Happy Birthday Jesus!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas to you from our crazy clan!

Lamplighter books giveaway (2 books!)

Congratulations to Channonsworld, you were the randomly drawn winner for this giveaway!  

Lamplighter books are some of our favorites for our children, and our family.  We love to read them out loud as a family.  Every one that we have read so far has captured our hearts. We love that they are not only sweet stories with good morals and values, but most also point to Christ. We give these beautiful books to our children as Christmas gifts. With Christmas just around the corner I thought I'd post a list of our favorites to give you some ideas for your own children.

Books we have read and loved
Teddy's Button
Me and Nobbles
Jill's Red Bag
Willy's Trunk
The Robbers' Cave
The White Knights
The Giant Killer
The Little Lamb
Little Sir Galahad
The Three Weavers
Fire in the Sky
The Basket of Flowers

Books we own and are looking forward to reading
The Unexpected Guest
Jack The Conqueror
Rosa Of Linden Castle
Basil Or, Honesty and Industry
Jessica's First Prayer

 

Books that are on our wish list
Paul, A Herald of the Cross
The Vanished note
Amy and Her Brothers
Charlie's Choice

Now for the fun! I'm going to give away two of our favorite Lamplighters- The Little Lamb and Me and Nobles. When you enter please make sure I will be able to contact you either through e-mail or your own blog. Here are some ways to enter....

-be a follower of this blog for one entry

-Facebook this blogpost/giveaway for one entry

-Blog about this giveaway on your blog for one entry.

-Go to Lamplighters site, look around, and tell me what you found there that looks interesting for one entry.

- What Lamplighters have you read and loved?  Tell me about your favorites for one entry.

I'll Choose a winner on December 12th.  If I get your contact information quickly the winner could have these in time to put under the tree!

Also, if you haven't helped us win a different giveaway by visiting Saddleback Leather's homepage, please do so!

 *We are Lamplighter affiliates.  If you make a purchase through clicking on our links we earn a commission off of the sale.  We are affiliates because we love these books so much and love that we can offer a 15% discount to everyone that purchases through our links!  

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