what we’re eating…

since many of you seem to share an interest in all natural eating, i figured i’d pop in really quick to show you a little of what we’ve been eating lately, in hopes that you’ll recognize, like we are beginning to, that this all natural eating thing feels very normal!

this is what i came home with after my last trip to the grocery store:

a few things to note:

* the potato chips are made with potatoes, salt and oil, classifying it as an all natural food. they were on sale, so i bought them as a fun treat. but just because something is classified as all natural does not mean it is necessarily healthy for us. but in moderation, we will enjoy treats like potato chips!!

* i was pumped to find brown rice cakes in the organic section of our grocery store. my kids LOVE rice cakes with peanut butter, but all the rice cakes we have bought in the past are made with enriched rice or have sugar in them. but now we can add rice cakes back into our diet with this brown rice option.

* the Shredded Wheat is one of the few cereals that we buy because it is one of the few that has zero sugar. it amazes me how much sugar you find in cereal!! and i’m not just talking Lucky Charms. when you begin checking labels, you’ll see that refined sugar is everywhere! my kids are serious cereal eaters, but haven’t complained about the cereal changes. we will often drizzle a little honey over the shredded wheat, and they think its quite a treat!

* i really wish i could buy all of our dairy products organic. but we can’t right now. its just too expensive! but i have noticed that pre shredded cheese has things added in that i don’t recognize, so i’ve been buying blocks of cheese and shredding it myself in my food processor. takes me 30 seconds, and the quality of taste is incredible!!! i’m telling you…the taste is hugely different!!

i’ll show you a few meals below. i will come back with recipes later!!

here are some lunches i’ve made for the crazies lately:

(Ezekiel bread with all natural PB, banana and apple slices, and raisins, sugar snap peas, apples)

100% whole wheat pasta with butter and parm cheese, sugar snap peas, strawberries)

(triscuits, hummus, carrots, unsweetened applesauce, and strawberries)

(homemade mac n cheese=seriously SO good, and takes just about the same amount of time to make as that blue box of Kraft, broccoli from our garden, strawberries)

and some snacks:

(popcorn popped on the stove in Olive oil = SO GOOD! sprinkled with a little popcorn salt)

(triscuits, popcorn, cheese, nuts, sugar snap peas)

we also eat alot of muffins and cookies made with whole wheat flour for snacks.

dinners:

(spinach and swiss quiche with homemade whole wheat crust)

(spicy thai noodles, recipe here, with vegetable oil eliminated, and only 1 tsp of red pepper flakes)

(asiago pasta, recipe here, minus the chicken, and fried zucchini chips breaded with whole wheat breadcrumbs)

(spinach and cheese pizza with homemade whole wheat crust)

(homemade crock pot refried beans…)

(added to nachos…)

(served with a side of cilantro lime quinoa)

(refried beans served as leftovers the next day in quesadillas)

Desserts:

along with the Peanut Butter Cups, we’ve enjoyed:

(berry smoothies with flax and wheat germ, topped with homemade honey vanilla whipped cream)

(and the yummiest, healthy apple crisp, also topped with homemade whipped cream)

i will come back and share these recipes with you when i’ve got some time. hope this is inspiring in one way or another!

and…i must note…i realize that none of these meals have meat. to clarify…we are not vegetarians. we like meat. we eat meat. i cook meat. but we are trying to only buy organic meat, and its expensive, so we don’t cook with it all that often. and on this particular week, i happened to not cook any.

on that note, does anyone know where i can find good organic lunchmeat? any specific brands you know of? we have great grocery stores here, but the deli counters don’t have any organic options. my family likes to have ham and turkey sandwiches, but i have been unable to find any lunchmeat without sugar, additives or preservatives, and we’d prefer to only buy organic meat if possible. any tips would be appreciated!!