Trying something new...

I've been doing quite a bit of reading on food, especially food in America. Some of it's scary, inflated, shockingly true, but mostly it leaves me feeling uneasy and thoughtful. 

Steve and I are somewhere between the "only eat organic" people that make their own bread and dehydrate their fruit and super-processed, McDonald's is the best thing ever, people. 

We're migrating towards eating more holistically and naturally if not for ourselves than for our kids. Slowly, the sodas and Oreos are fading out at the kale and smoothies are making their way in. (Now, when I say "fading out" I mean that we're purchasing less and less; however, per our most recent conversation, I won't be buying those things.... at least not for the summer.)

It's really difficult to change the way you do things. 

We just... feel that they're still so young & small and that the habits and priorities we instill in them now will affect them forever. We know that our families will be supportive in our effort to not reward with snacks & treats and with their help, we hope to turn a couple things around. 

Steve is awful about remembering to eat, so when he does have a meal, it's usually a lot. I, however, eat all the time. Mostly healthy things, but I do love my snacks. Probably because of me the kids are snack-a-holics. Mealtimes can get pretty dicey because of this. 

We're experimenting with these for the kid's lunches:

(these lunches include 1 slice whole wheat bread with natural PB, half banana, greek yogurt with a couple mandarin orange slices, almonds, 2 mini rice cakes and 2 M&Ms.)

The hope is that with a little thought and preparation, their lunches will not only be readily accessible (yay!) but will also be varied and healthy. I purchased these containers at Target for a little over $2 a set. 

Upon recommendation, I also purchased THESE ice pop sets for freezing smoothies. Pour smoothies into these bad boys and take them out as needed (thaw a bit in the fridge for a bit) for a healthy, fun, quick snack. These are much better than the store bought freeze pops and are more filling. Also, totally awesome for summer!

The kids and I LOOOOOVE making smoothies & shakes. They never notice the spinach, chia seeds or kale in them. My most recent creation (that I snagged from somewhere online) is a strawberry oatmeal smoothie that I make in the morning and eat on the go. It fills me up until lunch (really, it does) and is super delicious. 

If you're interested:

Fill blender in this order-

1/2 rolled oats (I use Quaker)

about a cup of vanilla almond milk

squirt of natural honey

splash of vanilla 

several frozen strawberries

chunk of frozen banana

1 ice cube

Blend until smooth and creamy. 

I'd be interested in fun ideas for kid lunches (though I've seen several online, I'd always like more!) as well as any thoughts/advice/recipes to help us on our way.