Happy New Year, everyone!
As you all know, I am going to start incorporating real food into our daily routine. I've done a lot of thinking about how to implement this and make it realistic for our family to accomplish this huge goal. I think baby steps are going to work best for us.
I would like to start out making sure the girls take a real food lunch to school every day. I would also like to cook dinner for us every night, which means cutting out fast food completely from our diet. Other than myself, the rest of our family isn't really big on breakfast, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out our breakfast routine! Thank goodness I have a crock pot! That will help a lot on nights the girls have gymnastics or nights we will be too busy to cook.
I think snack time will take a lot of planning because right now the kids love chips, Cheetos and other junk food. I found a great snack online (probably on Pinterest) that is mostly whole food (except for the chocolate chips). Its called Energy Bites; kind of like a cookie, but much healthier! I think it is a great "transition" food. It's super easy to make, only requires a few ingredients and doesn't require baking.
Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Ingredients
1 cup organic rolled oats, uncooked1/4 cup unsweetened coconut (I used Bobs Red Mill brand)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup natural, organic peanut butter
Dash salt
Method
In a medium size mixing bowl mix all dry ingredients well. Add honey and peanut butter. Mix until combined. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Will keep for about 1 week.
Sometimes I choose to toast the coconut under the broiler for a minute. This brings out the flavor a bit more! You can also add a dash of organic vanilla extract for a richer flavor! Either way, these are a delicious, healthy and filling snack! Enjoy!
