Kids Help With Dinner

Over the weekend we assigned a day for kids to help out with dinner. Lily and Sophi made dinner today - they made a bean dip and some simple 3 ingredient cookies. 

I don't want us to have dessert everyday, so I'm going to have to learn how to tame that excitement to make treats. I'll try to let them every once in a while. But the main goal here is that they will learn how to make some simple meals. Maybe we can make a little "family recipes" book for when they fly the nest. 

I've been reading a book "Naturally Thin" by Bethenny Frankel and she shares 10 rules to live by to become naturally thin (reposted below with a few notes/comments from that link) - I hope to start to apply these to myself and our family:

1. Your diet is like a bank account.
2. You can have it all, just not all at once.
3. Taste everything, eat nothing. 
4. Pay attention. Notice what you are eating. When you eat, eat. Don’t eat while doing something else, because you won’t get the satisfaction out of your food and you’ll end up eating more than you realize.
5. Downsize now. Eat less. Portions are out of control in this country. We have no idea what a normal serving looks like any more, especially when it comes to restaurant food. Plates are often generous enough to serve a family. I was shocked and amazed when I first learned that the typical bagel is equal to four slices of bread!
6. Cancel your membership in the clean plate club. Nobody is going to slap your hand with a ruler if you don’t finish it all. Let it go. Pay attention to how you feel. When you have had enough, stop. This can be a real struggle, especially if you’ve been raised to believe that wasting food is wrong because, “There are starving children in the world.” But, the truth is that “cleaning your plate” is an illogical solution, since it does nothing to eradicate starvation and only hurts you. Remember, “It’s better to waste than to waist."
7. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Don’t binge. Never, ever again. Again, this is easier said than done if you are a binge eater, which Bethenny acknowledges, and she suggests that if you have an eating disorder, it would be wise to seek professional help. And if you are an emotional eater or if years have dieting have left you with a fear of certain foods, it’s important to remember that food is not the enemy and it is not your best friend. It is just food.
8. Know thyself. Forget about what all the “experts” say and pay attention to you. Become your own expert. Learn. Study your likes, dislikes, tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. What are the triggers that cause you to overeat? Are there certain foods that cause you to lose all control? What are your biggest food challenges?
9. Get real. Eat more real food and less process stuff. It’s healthier and more satisfying. Focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Think local, seasonal and organic when you can. But be realistic. Sometimes processed food will be the best or only option and that’s fine.
10. Good for you. Take care of yourself. Invest in yourself. Do what’s right for you, what’s healthy for you, what’s good for you. Exercise. Drink lots of water. Take a vitamin. Get enough sleep. Build a firm foundation of good health and self care and you can do anything.

Last night for dinner I made some grilled panini sandwiches, they were pretty good. I made two kinds - BBQ mozarella and mozzarella and tomato I made some panini's for dinner on Monday. On Monday we assigned each of the kids a day to make dinner. Abi did Wednesday - she made a potato bar. It's one of our simple basic meals.

Some of our default meals are: potato bar, taco bar, salad bar, spaghetti, and we'll also make sure they each know how to cook up the frozen meals from Costco that are our regulars: orange chicken, chicken alfredo, meat pie and shephard's pie, and pizza, 

It snowed yesterday, a good amount. The elementary kids had a snowday, which now just meant it was an online day - sweet! I thought that worked out perfectly. W and H stayed home too, cause they didn't want to drive the fiesta in the snow.  The kids had fun playing in it and sledding. There's one more month of winter and we finally got some deep snow! We need it.

Other news - Mel got her last vaccine needed for her Visa application to Brazil.

The clouds last night were beautiful - I took this quick picture after running to Smith's for a few ingredients for Abi's salad bar. I thought it looked like the perfect cloud for Jesus to come back in -

Peter saying prayer last night. 

I did watch the Mars Rover landing for a little bit today. The kids were at school and they didn't mention anything about it after they got home, so I'm guessing they didn't watch it there. Today I also bought another thing to try and help my weight and digestion - I ordered Activated You's "Morning Complete". It has a 90 day satisfaction guarantee, so we'll see how I feel come May. I'm still listening to the Naturally Thin Podcast and am working on overcoming my food brain.