Before After
photo credit: bing.com/images photo credit: bing.com/images
This is week 2 of our 2 week makeover and we are surviving. One thing I will say is that we are eating more fruits and vegetables. My grocery bill for the first week was about $140. Now this is more than a typical weekly shopping trip however it included less sugary snacks and more fruit(apples, oranges, bananas), unsweetened applesauce (less sugar than the standard), pistachios, plain low fat yogurt, 100 calorie cookies. I was able to buy ingredients to do a make ahead meal. On Saturday, I made beef tacos which we had leftovers and then I prepped all the lasagna ingredients for Sunday dinner. Week 2 I spent over $100 for groceries but it included a crockpot and groceries for a make ahead pulled pork recipe in the crockpot and items for lunch for the week.
I bought whole wheat flour for whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes and banana whole wheat muffins. My issues with whole wheat flour is the dense texture of the baked good so I am not a fan of whole wheat flour. The kids loved the whole wheat pancakes. I will stick to my usual from scratch buttermilk pancakes. I did freeze the muffins and they were good for a quick breakfast. It took this makeover for me to realize how much sugar was packed in the kid’s lunches each week with no nutritional value. I did a makeover with lunch and my DD insisted on bringing baby carrots with ranch dressing for dipping. My teen loves the Smucker’s Uncrustables. The snacks are now yogurt covered raisins, unsweetened applesauce, pretzels, tortilla chips, string cheese, 100 calorie cookies and gluten free popcorn.
The first dessert we tried was the strawberry shake, which was a nice chilled shake but no sugar or sweetness was an issue for me. This weekend my teen tried my frittata with spinach, low fat cheese and tomatoes. He enjoyed two slices. This was a win for me because my teen never eats vegetables. My DD only wanted scrambled eggs so she did not try the frittata. Dawn provided additional dessert recipes for us to try and one that was a winner with the kids was the chocolate brownie in coffee mug.
Frittata with sauteed spinach with garlic, reduced fat mild cheddar cheese, tomato
Dessert-Coffee Mug Brownie
Mug Cake: Chocolate Brownie
The makeover had me invest in buying a crockpot. These are great for make ahead meals as they conserve energy and save lots of time. I used my crock pot to prepare a pulled pork recipe which was very good. Side dishes were cole slaw and corn.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
It is a true saying that old habits are hard to break but in our case we adjusted pretty well. For two weeks we were able to make healthier choices and I made a conscious effort to read labels. I am committed to maintaining a workout regime, selecting healthier snacks, eating more fruits and vegetables as well as meal planning to save valuable time on the weekend.
Thanks so much to Dawn and All You magazine for allowing us to participate in the 2 week makeover.