PSYCH! No cake for you!! LOL BUT...this rule is a piece of cake for me! I love to cook and the kids and I rarely eat out. Maybe once or twice every two weeks or so.
Bob goes on and on about this one in his book, but again, I'm really only highlighting the items I felt would be useful to me and other that I know read my blog....so here's the jist....
"WHY - REALLY - THE FRENCH AREN'T FAT
We can take some guidance fromt hat fashionably slender people on the other side of the Atlantis: the French. It was the French, back in the arly part of the twentieth century, who created the moderm way of table dining. And I am not talking about sitting aorund for a four-hour meal. Rather, I mean the daily meal rules:
- Do not put large platters of food on the table. When you put second portions in front of you, you're more likely to eat like it's Thanksgiving rather than, say, Gandhi's birthday.
- If possible, do not eat alone. Eat as a couple, or as a family.
- Do not eat away from the table. The table is where you eat. Even when you snack. The couch is where you watch TV, read this book, or meditate.
- Set the table - even if this means the most rudimentary plate, napkin, fork, and glass on a placemat. After all, the table is where you eat, not feed.
- Allow no distractions at the table. Especially no TV."
I have to take a moment and say how proud I am that a lot of the rules above are pretty stirct ones in my house. It's a RARE occasion that ANY type of food is taken out of the kitchen and away from the table and we do NOT have the TV on when we eat. We focus on the food and each other, not gazing past both to stare at a blinking screen. My kids know the rules and as soon as I say "let's eat" the tv goes off and they start calling out their reserved spot at the table and who's turn it is to sit by mommy. Ok on to the remainder of Bob's rule....
"CHANGES WHEN SHOPPING
Your first real change will be when you go shopping. The basics are intuitive. In the spirit of planning ahead, make a shopping list. Put question marks next to the items you don't know enough about - salt content, organic or no, and so forth. Take a pen to check things off or make notes. If there is a meat counter or butcher, as about special cuts of meats or fish and purchase only the amount you need (those precut shrink-wrapped meats are often for families of four, so aboid them unless you need that much). Burchers are so used to being ignored they'll love the attention. This is your life - make your own food world or be at the mercy of others.
Check your shopping pattern: are most of the items coming from the periphery, where you find produce, proteins, and fiber, or along the walls or the store! This may be the single most important piece of advice from the person I consider to be the nation's best food writer, Michael Pollan. By doing so, you'll not only but the right foods, but you'll also send a signal to the store manager to pay more attention to whole, healthy, unprocessed products.
CHANGES AT HOME
Do yourself this favor: put the least caloric and most rule-abiding things at eye level in the fridge and pantry....buy a bunch of resealable plastic bags and containers of differen sizes so you can pre-portion-control meals and snacks.
What about your dry pantry? Stock up on all your basic spices and dried herbs....throw away that dusty old tin of dried garlic flakes and buy fresh garlic bulbs. You should have olive oil, tuna, canned tomatoes, garbanzo beans, hummus, and low salt chicken stock. Order a box of single-portion peanut butter and guacamole packets. Get some high bran crackers like GG Bran Crispbread.
A few things should always be in your refrigerator: plain greek yogurt in single serving containers, apples, berries, string cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese, grated parmesan cheese, Ezekiel bread, a half pound of cheddar or swiss cheese, a quart of low or no fat milk, and some fresh green beans and cucumbers for snacking. And some lemons, since a squirt of their juice can help you kick your salt habit. Lemon brings out the flavor in all kinds of foods."
Some notes on what works in MY house....I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have greek yogurt (not plain) in my fridge, all kinds of fresh veggies, a bowl of fruit on the counter top is always over flowing with apples and oranges, I ALWAYS have fresh garlic on hand as well as skim milk, olive oil, cucumbers, carrots, and different varieties of hummus depending on our mood....yes, I said OUR! I get asked all the time if my kids eat the same things as I do and yes, YES they do and they love it! I'm always having people tell me how surprised they are that my kids will eat veggies and hummus or black beans and quinoa. It's a good thing. They get their treats too, but they are just that....TREATS....not everyday fare.
So last night I wanted to whip up some stuffed peppers with the leftover filling from last week's recipe. I had 5 peppers on hand thanks to some given to me fresh from a friend's garden by my mom and I knew the stuffing I had left was not going to go that far and I was also given quite a few fresh tomatoes that needed to get used up, so I added three chopped tomatoes to the mix and a handful of fresh shredded parmesan and mixed it in with the leftover black beans, quinoa, onions, etc from last week and it perfectly stuffed my 5 green peppers. The kids couldn't wait for dinner (it took longer to cook this time) so they downed LOTS of pears and some homemade banana bread from Grandma as well. So the pepper's will be tonight's dinner and as I type I am enjoying one to the dismay of the coworkers that call my concoctions "child abuse"....LOL! It's all in good fun! I love that my kids eat the way I do at 3 and 5 years old!
Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Greek Yogurt Cup, Banana
Snack: Carrots and Hummus
Lunch: Stuffed Pepper & Apple
Snack: Apple and Peanut Butter
Dinner: Stuffed Pepper
Happy Tuesday!! My immune system is currently being "conditioned" but I'm in high spirits and enjoying life. I hope you are taking the opportunity to do the same! :)
Thanks for reading!
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