Week 4, an update...

Our family is approaching the 4 week mark of our "new way of eating" and I'm SO happy to report several things.  

I fit my old favorite jeans again. (Not old as in 1990, just old as in a few years ago). That's 10 pounds that I lost without exercising. So, all of you people with back aches and awful pains, it's possible! Baby steps.

I started exercising again two days ago. I'm sore, but I'm going skiing in two weeks so I'm pushing through it.

We are eating fruit for breakfast EVERY morning. It's our first breakfast. Our second breakfast (Yes, we are HOBBITS) is usually Ezekiel bread toast or pancakes.

This was last Saturday's fruit salad. I was feeling creative. Most mornings I just wash and chop a bunch of fruit and throw it in a bowl and let the boys have at it. 

The boys have found this change, the addition of fruit salad, to be a delightful one.  I used to "strongly dislike" making fruit salad. It's amazing how fast I can throw one together now. It helps to have a sharp knife. More on that later.

We start our lunch with either raw veggies or an organic salad.

Yep, I've switched to eating only organic greens. Obviously, I can't find everything organic during the winter, but I'm of the opinion (I have a few of those, sorry) that if the basis of my salad (the biggest part) is free of pesticides, that I'm doing myself, and my family, a huge nutritional favor.

I just love the crunch of Romaine hearts. Crunch, crunch, crunch. It makes you feel like you are eating more.

Initially, lunch was the most challenging change for me. After all, I AM THE LUNCH LADY
and this family was used to eating mainly sandwiches for lunch.

Now I have to get creative. It's not always so easy when we have to do school in the morning and then switch gears and cook a lunch. There's definitely a lot of planning involved in eating well.

The question is..."Is it worth the time and effort?"

Yesterday's lunch was chopped up leftover baked potatoes sauteed in butter. Yes! You can eat butter! (Cut out all the other boxed stuff that we eat full of preservatives and un-natural substances and you can eat butter.)

I served the potatoes with a side of sauteed frozen tri-color peppers and a chopped shallot.

Only 1 out of 4 boys doesn't like cooked peppers so I call this lunch a success!

It only took 5-10 minutes to throw together.



Pretty food is important. The more colorful (not food coloring!) the better, nutritionally and aesthetically.

If it looks pretty, people will eat it! It's like "art" on a plate. The best restaurants use presentation, why can't we?

TIPS: Stick with simple foods, simple ingredients, simple flavors.  Eat whole, living food. You'll feel better!

I'm off to defrost sushi rice and iron a dozen shirts,

The Lunch Lady