Healthy Eating

One of the things I've been trying to do lately is change our eating habits. We don't eat badly, I don't buy "junk" food (Pop, cookies, chips, etc) except for a party or something. But I was definitely getting a little lazy and not paying attention to the stuff we were buying. I feel the most responsibility in making sure my family eats healthy.

At the grocery store I've worked hard at paying closer attention to the labels. I'm so shocked at the garbage they sell us and label as "healthy". So I don't buy anything that has HFCS or MSG. Sometimes you can't find a better replacement and I've had to cut things completely from our list which isn't always a popular choice. Cutting out the extra garbage food leaves more room in the budget to buy the healthier AND more expensive food items.

I'm also getting more creative in sneaking vegetable purees in things. Especially for Ethan. He won't touch a single vegetable. So its tricky but so far I've had good success. Carrot and sweet potato puree hide well and my favorite is hiding cauliflower puree in their mac and cheese! yum!

Now, I unfortunately don't have the food budget to shop at health stores such as Trader Joes or Whole Foods regularly but I'm doing the best I can with what I have and the stores that I have.

I'm enjoying googling the web for homemade recipes and the kids so far have enjoyed my experiments. 

 Homemade Fruit Roll Ups 

One big thing I've been wanting to do but really intimidated by was homemade Cream of Chicken soup. I use it a lot in all sorts of recipes and I'm tired of buying the canned stuff! So finally the other day I gathered the ingredients and did it!

My first 2 attempts....not successful. The first time I had the burner too high and didn't pay attention so I ended up with burnt butter. The 2nd time I dumped all the flour in at once and it clumped up. 

Tada! Third times a charm I guess :) 

I've had a few friends want to know how to make it. Its SUPER easy! The recipes are all over the internet but I thought I'd post just for fun. 

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup ---Makes 4 cups (about 2 "cans" worth)

Ingredients

5 Tbs Butter

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cup of milk

1 can of chicken broth 

1/4 tsp tsp onion powder or 1/4 onion chopped
1/4 garlic powder or 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried parsley
dash of paprika

First you melt your butter (slowly! don't let it burn) in a medium sauce pan. Once its melted SLOWLY add the flour, making sure you stir stir stir to incorporate it in the butter. Cook on medium-high until you see bubbles then 30-60 seconds after that. Add the broth, milk, and seasonings. Cook and stir often over medium to high heat and closely monitor the sauce. Once its boiling stir for 2 minutes and watch for it to thicken. Turn down the heat if you are using the sauce right away, or remove it and let cool before you store for later.

See! Easy peasy :) The ingredients are simple and so is the process but you have to be close by and paying attention! Which was hard for me trying to make it at dinner time for the recipe I was using for dinner. Kids everywhere, other food cooking, etc hence the 2 fails before the final product :) Yesterday I made another batch during nap time and it went much better! So, for busy mamas out there I would recommend not doing this at dinner time. Prepare ahead of time! You can store in the fridge for 5 days or freeze it too. The texture might change but once you heat it up in the dish it'll be just fine!

My old standby recipes are much much improved with this homemade sauce! So fresh and the flavor is much more natural tasting. Try it!

Anybody else out there making changes for the family's diet? Have any tips/tricks to share! I'd love to hear!