Who's up for a 10 Day "whole" foods challenge?

[ravinlunachick]

I'm going to start February 1st, following Michael Pollan's suggestions from his book Food Rules.

 

1)Eat food.

 

2)Not too much

 

3)Mostly plants

 

My goal is to focus on so-called whole foods (unprocessed--no cream o'soups or boxed mac n'cheese or nuggetized anything!) in reasonable portion sizes. I don't want to entirely eliminate any foods, although I do hope to limit meat to only 1-2 meals per day, and then in small quantities. I already eat very little red meat; most of what we have is turkey, chicken, or pork.

 

I know I don't get enough vegetables; I want to work on improving that during these 10 days. I figure if I can make it through 10 days, I might do 10 more. Ideally, I'd like to do 30 days, but I believe in baby steps! Breaking it down into 10 day increments makes it seem more achievable.

 

So.....who's with me? :bigear:

[AngelBee]

Hmmm....I may be in :)

[Parrothead]

I'm in!

[Caitilin]

Count me in, please! :D

 

I try to have us eat this way anyhow, but a little extra accountability is very good for me.

[MSNative]

Have you checked out this website? http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

 

She has some good menu plans and recipes.

[ravinlunachick]

Have you checked out this website? http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

 

She has some good menu plans and recipes.

 

Oooh, thanks! I'm trying to give myself a couple days to at least come up with a good plan for dinner every day. I'll check those out. :)

[VeganCupcake]

Sounds great! I like to eat this way, too, but this is a good reminder!

[ravinlunachick]

It's Day 1! What are y'all eating today?

 

Breakfast was egg muffins--basically beaten eggs in a muffin tin with some spinach and cheese. Baked until nice and firm. Leftovers were frozen for quick breakfasts later in the week.

 

Lunch--chilli spaghetti with homemade turkey chili from the freezer, green salad and a sliced orange

 

Supper will be some sort of Indian food, per dh's request. Maybe chicken saagwala or tikka masala.

[LibraryLover]

Breakfast was scrambled eggs (our own) with some frozen organic broccoli sauteed in with the eggs.

 

Lunch is last night's left over kamut penne pasta, that I mixed with sauted green peppers (frozen from my garden), a chopped onion, some fire roasted tomatoes (from Muir Glen) without the sauce. I tossed with quite a bit of olive oil, plus some salt, pepper, & sprinkled with Reg Parm cheese. Sauteed organic (frozen) spinach on the side. ETA: We have a freezer full of chicken, so I often have leftover shredded or chopped chicken around. I did add a small amount of leftover chicken and sautted it up the onions and green pepper.

 

We have apples, clementines, and bananas, carrots, celery, and yogurt as snacks.

 

I'm currrently doing a 12 hour chicken broth simmer for tomorrow's chicken soup ( which will have quiona, celery, carrots, onions, garlic).

 

Burritos tonight with rice. The tortillas are purchased organics, with my own refriend black beans, chopped tomatoes, frozen corn, brown rice. I am serving Muri Glen salsa and organic Bearitto Blue Corn chips. I also have avocado and plain organic yogurt (Brown Cow, not my own). I use cumin & sauted garlic in my refried beans like a crazy woman, but it's very good that way.

 

I am going to make some chicken salad with the some of the chicken being cooked for the soup, either for for lunch for tomorrow or the next day.

 

There is also baked fish (not sure what kind yet. I need to make a fish monger run) and green beans in our near future, as well as a minestrone-type veggie soup with some of the chicken stock (probably with some browned ground beef if there is any ground beef in the freezer at the local farm (grass fed beef). There has only been pork in the last couple of weeks, and we're not big pork people. If no beef, I'll just do a veggie soup. I have carrots, celery, cabbage, buternut squash, & chopped frozen tomatoes (from my garden). I'll probably add a bit of all of that. Maybe with millet or rice to thicken. Not sure. I'll see how I feel when I get there. I'll also had garbanzo beans.

 

The kids will prbably bake something as well- we have some organic brownie mix in my stash. I have lots of organic canned pumpkin, and the girls have made pumpkin bread. But I guess that's whole and from scratch. I also look the other way when they make the organic Annie's Mac & Cheese sometimes. Some things just are. :) Like Cheerioes.

 

If I try to think any further ahead, my actual head will explode.

Edited February 1, 2012 by LibraryLover

[LizzyBee]

I'm in. How strict are we being?

 

For ex, lunch today was mozzarella string cheese wrapped in a piece of deli turkey. Fresh mozzarella and organic turkey would probably be better, but at least it wasn't junk food.

 

I eat tons of fruit and salads, so that's not an issue.

[ravinlunachick]

Library Lover, I think I'm going to come live at your house! Yum!

 

My foods aren't organic or free-range; I'd love it if they were, but that's not in the budget right now. Well, I take that back. Some of my veggies are. I am nearly out of eggs, and I'm thinking of buying a small package of free-range organics. The problem is that we eat a LOT of eggs here, and there's no way we could go all out on those.

 

LizzyBee, I'd say that counts, although I've become weird about deli meats lately. It seems I've suddenly noticed that many come in...shall we say...unnatural shapes. If I'm eating shaved meat, it needs to be roughly the same shape as the hunks of meat in the meat department, kwim? I've never seen a perfectly circular ham or turkey! :lol: It would probably be better for me if I ditched the deli meats altogether, but I'm not there yet.

 

Baby steps. Baby steps.

[LibraryLover]

I don't always use organics, especially in winter. I get what I can get, but lots of things are not to be found. I have never found organic clementines, for instance, although they must exist. We don't drink juice, and organic strawberries are insanely $$, so I don't often buy them. $ Clementines are a way to get Vit C into them in winter, and they go further than a bag of frozen strawberries. I went for a time trying to eat only locally (besides coffee, wine, cheese, and olive oil ;)), but it's so difficult in winter. Plus, my dancer needs bananas (which I can find organic). I do what I can. I have certain discount/value warehouse (not BJs or Costco- I mean stripped down places where you need stamina to pick through it all. That's where I found cans and cans of organic pumpkin for .55 each) stores here where some organics are not costly; mostly canned and boxed things like tomatoes, pasta etc. I've also found canned organic beans for cheap, although nothing is as cheap as buying this all in bulk.

 

I recently bought cases of frozen organic spinach & broccoli from the small health food store here. It was not super cheap, but I did get 15% off for buying the case. I am also fast going through items from my garden that I froze, and am down to about 4 or so butternut squash. I can't wait until summer. I can't wait until March, when I can put in my lettuce and peas.

 

And thanks for wanting to eat with us. I do like to cook for people. My dd gave me the sweetest compliment the other day after I plated her supper (which I enjoy doing). "Mom, you should get a job at a resturant. You would be the person who makes the food look pretty on the plate before it goes to the customer." I thought that was very sweet. I've been trying to find a place to post this, so thanks. lol It's tangentially related, right? :D

 

Library Lover, I think I'm going to come live at your house! Yum!

 

My foods aren't organic or free-range; I'd love it if they were, but that's not in the budget right now. Well, I take that back. Some of my veggies are. I am nearly out of eggs, and I'm thinking of buying a small package of free-range organics. The problem is that we eat a LOT of eggs here, and there's no way we could go all out on those.

 

LizzyBee, I'd say that counts, although I've become weird about deli meats lately. It seems I've suddenly noticed that many come in...shall we say...unnatural shapes. If I'm eating shaved meat, it needs to be roughly the same shape as the hunks of meat in the meat department, kwim? I've never seen a perfectly circular ham or turkey! :lol: It would probably be better for me if I ditched the deli meats altogether, but I'm not there yet.

 

Baby steps. Baby steps.

Edited February 1, 2012 by LibraryLover

[ravinlunachick]

And thanks for wanting to eat with us. I do like to cook for people. My dd gave me the sweetest compliment the other day after I plated her supper (which I enjoy doing). "Mom, you should get a job at a resturant. You would be the person who makes the food look pretty on the plate before it goes to the customer." I thought that was very sweet. I've been trying to find a place to post this, so thanks. lol It's tangentially related, right? :D

 

Presentation is everything. I'm okay at it, when it comes to adults, but I'm still figuring out how to make it work for my kids. Bug is incredibly picky, and has reached a point where she doesn't want to try anything new at all. It's very frustrating (esp. when my 3yo is watching her!), and I blame it all on her godfather offering her some very stinky soft cheese at Thanksgiving. Grr. She used to at least try a single bite before that. Now, she'd rather cause a scene. The Boy has his quirks, too. I swear, if he could, he would survive entirely on chips and hot dogs. It's terrible. Generally speaking, he will at least try one bite of things, and he's finally willing to put meat in his mouth that has not been ground. Woot! Maybe by the time he's 7 or 8, he'll be eating real food, LOL. He won't eat anything that even appears soupy or saucy, either.

 

My youngest? She won't eat anything that you cutesiefy. Dh once made a face on her plate with food, and she refused to even touch it. She even refused to eat some star fruit once because she didn't believe it was food.

 

One thing they all have in common, though? I can add spinach to pretty much anything, even big leaves of it, and they'll eat it.

[LibraryLover]

It can be so frustrating, I know. My youngest was my pickest. I often had to stuff down my urge to scream. She liked things plain, not touching etc. So, cut up pieces of chicken in one area of the plate, a few cooked carrot 'coins' , raw baby carrots, or cubes of sweet potato in one area, some cut up strawberries in another etc. I gave up on great variety for her for a bit. Spinach is great, so you got that. Keep it simple for now.

 

My pickiest is the one who gave the compliment, so there is hope! At 12, she will try anything, pretty much. Touching no longer matters. ;) I think some hot dogs are fine. Buy the best ones you can afford (Applegate ones are really $, but maybe worth it if he's that picky?) As for chips, try the baked ones, or try making baked fries in the oven. They are very tasty. If he can help salt and oil them, maybe he will try and come to like them?

 

If there are certain healthier things they like (apples, oranges etc), I'd try to have as much of that around as possible.

 

Btw, if they will eat scrambled eggs, spinach works well there. Sort of like a quiche without the crust. :)

 

Presentation is everything. I'm okay at it, when it comes to adults, but I'm still figuring out how to make it work for my kids. Bug is incredibly picky, and has reached a point where she doesn't want to try anything new at all. It's very frustrating (esp. when my 3yo is watching her!), and I blame it all on her godfather offering her some very stinky soft cheese at Thanksgiving. Grr. She used to at least try a single bite before that. Now, she'd rather cause a scene. The Boy has his quirks, too. I swear, if he could, he would survive entirely on chips and hot dogs. It's terrible. Generally speaking, he will at least try one bite of things, and he's finally willing to put meat in his mouth that has not been ground. Woot! Maybe by the time he's 7 or 8, he'll be eating real food, LOL. He won't eat anything that even appears soupy or saucy, either.

 

My youngest? She won't eat anything that you cutesiefy. Dh once made a face on her plate with food, and she refused to even touch it. She even refused to eat some star fruit once because she didn't believe it was food.

 

One thing they all have in common, though? I can add spinach to pretty much anything, even big leaves of it, and they'll eat it.

Edited February 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Annie Laurie]

I've been doing this for a week, because going on a gf and dairy free diet for the baby has really forced me to make healthy choices, and I do feel good!

 

Breakfast has been free range eggs, steel cut oats, fruit (organic honeycrisp apples, clementines, grapefruit, banana) or granola. We tried hot quinoa cereal and I thought it was not good.

 

Lunch I've had a salad of mixed greens and veggies every day this week, sometimes with some grilled chicken in it. Other days baby and I had hummus and crackers and odds and ends, like leftovers from dinner. Or almond butter and apples or carrots.

 

Dinner last night was this. The photo does not do it justice, all of those roasted veggies in the dijon sauce were so good. I did add a little smoked sausage so my kids would try it, but the sausage was more a garnish and the main part was all of the veggies- a huge roasting pan full. My kids ate seconds and thirds and I was thrilled.

 

For snacks I've been feeding baby fruit, gluten free Annie bunnie crackers, sliced hard boiled egg, or dry cereal (like gorilla munch that someone on here had mentioned to me previously), and I usually eat a handful of nuts or a clementine myself.

 

I do miss cheese though, we have some goat cheese that is sooo good in the fridge and I'm going to have the kids eat it for lunch tomorrow so I can stop looking at it and feeling tempted.

 

I've ended up cutting my sugar consumption a lot, which I needed to do, because there's not much around here that is sweet and gluten and dairy free. I'm making a gf apple crisp tonight though.

[ravinlunachick]

LibraryLover, my ds LOVES to cook! It's our one "bonding time" thing to do that really breaks through the autism wall. In fact, if he's hungry and left alone in the kitchen, he'll get out a pan and some eggs and start trying to scramble them up! He's not very good at making sure there's no shell in the pan, though. ;) He enjoys helping me chop and stir and just basically wants to do whatever I'm doing in the kitchen. It's wonderful, although it can be frustrating at times.

 

I will look into those hot dogs. We've been refusing to buy any for a while, which has meant that he gets no protein at dinnertime. :/ Our house rule is that if you will at least take one bite of the entree, you can have a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat before bedtime, so no one goes to bed hungry. He's ok with that.

 

attachedto4, you have my sympathies. I had to go df when The Boy was nursing, and we did it again when he tested positive for a milk allergy for about 6 months. Go figure, after that time (peanut, dairy, corn, and banana free), he passed them all with flying colors. I have no idea what was going on. We have been toying with the idea of going gluten-free for a while, to see if it makes any difference for ds, but haven't taken the leap yet.

 

I spent last month cutting WAY back on carbs, too. I'm amazed at how much less I want anything sweet. I found this recipe on pinterest for quinoa bites, so maybe I'll give them a go this week.

 

Dinner tonight is going to be chicken tikka masala with navratan korma, vegetable biryani, and palak paneer. Plenty of naan too, since the kids love it.

[LibraryLover]

That sounds wonderful! I already ate dinner, but you have me hungry again!

 

I've found that children will often eat what they have planted, grown, and/or cooked/helped make.

 

Do you have any of the SOTW activity books? There are some recipes in those guides my children enjoyed when they were younger.

Edited February 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[stacycatherine]

I've found that children will often eat what they have planted, grown, and/or cooked/helped make.

 

Same here! The only way I can get my kids to eat salad.

[DaffodilDreams]

Wish i would have seen this earlier. Is it too late to join?

[LibraryLover]

Wish i would have seen this earlier. Is it too late to join?

 

 

I think it's ongoing. :)

 

Instead of soup, I did baked baked/broiled fish tonight (hake) with red pepper 'paste' (the kind you get at Asian food markets. Ours makes it there, but I get mine from a family member who makes it in ginormous bulk), onions (2 large), garlic (4 cloves), salt, pepper, and quite a good amount of olive oil. I sauteed all of that together, and poured it into a baking dish & set the fish on top. (I had lightly basted the fish with olive oil first and sprinkled a bit of salt & pepper over it.) Then-- into the oven, covered with foil, at 350 until it looked pretty done. (20 minutes? It depends on the size and thickness of the cuts). Removed foil and turned the broiler to low to brown (we like crispier skins) for a few minutes. I served with green beans (steamed in chicken broth and lightly salted), and brown rice. I did add a bit of butter to the rice. ;) Not low fat, but not huge portions, either. And no HFCS, empty carbs, etc.

 

Pretty traditional. Flesh protein, (whole) carb, lots of veggies.

 

Chicken soup is Saturday, because Friday night is Chinese take -out. You could never get my kids to give up that tradition! The take-out guy manning the phone knows our order as soon as he hears dh's voice. So... 10 days, minus Friday nights. Six days at a time for us. :)

Edited February 3, 2012 by LibraryLover

[ravinlunachick]

Sorry I flaked yesterday on posting! Sick kids + no sleep the night before + dh being off work meant everything was all screwy and off routine.

 

Anyway, we had:

 

Breakfast--scrambled eggs and a slice of canteloupe. Kids had a slice of bacon too.

 

Lunch--leftover Indian food

 

Dinner--homemade veggie pizza

 

Today's breakfast was steel cut oats with blueberries and a splash of cream. Youngest dd balked and refused to eat it because it didn't taste like the instant stuff she's used to. She ate a whole wheat mini-bagel with natural peanut butter instead. I have no idea what we'll do for lunch, but dinner will be turkey meatballs and pasta with "special" sauce (as many veggies as I can hide inside).