1st week of the challenge: A recap and lessons learned...so far

This first week of the 4-week eating at home challenge went by fast and furious. There's always so much to do at home and with the children, it can get a little crazy at times. So, some of you may be wondering why I seem to be complicating my life even more by adding this new goal of no eating out for a whole month? There's the most obvious answer, for our health, to try to eliminate some of the preservatives that fast-foods and some restaurants serve. But I also did it to show my children that we do not need to have a frozen yogurt or fro-yo as a reward and more importantly, to feel happy and satisfied. We have still have plenty of treats at home, but they are more of a dessert, not a reward for a job well done or as a I'm sorry you had a bad day, let's go have a milk shake type of thing.

I'm also learning that I cannot see food or cooking as something that I do alone--it has to become a family affair. The kids have been helping fix pancakes and cookies for a couple of years now. Mostly mixing and of course, licking the spoon and bowl clean! But now, I think they're ready for helping pick out fruits and veggies from the store and farmer's market and helping with dinner. I want it to become part of their life. I never really took an interest in cooking when I was a kid. My father loves cooking, but boy, he does keep a tight kitchen. He had so many rules and places where things HAD to be placed, that I think, I quickly became turned off by the whole thing. It wasn't until a few years ago, that I really started getting interested in cooking. More recently, a close family member, stayed with us and really sparked an interest for cooking. I want the children to understand why veggies are important and that they are good by themselves, you don't always have to smear them in sauce, but once in a while it's OK!

So one big change to my cooking plan is to fix 3 to 4 meals on Sundays, with all family members, except baby, involved. Sounds like a big challenge, and at first I'm sure it will be. I had hoped that we would be able to do this on Sunday, but unfortunately, Allen was sick with a cold. Instead, I cooked on my own. The goal is to fix a soup; casserole and one meal to freeze as well as Sunday dinner. The other two meals will be Monday and Tuesday dinners, alleviating some of the cooking I do on the weekend. Wednesday can be an easy meat and veggie meal and Thursdays will be a crock-pot meal. Fridays, I will try to fix fish and a salad or a vegetable and Saturdays, the hubby will do the cooking--I do need a day off from the kitchen.

Here's some pictures recapping the dinners we had for the week.

4-weeks of homemade meals: Day 2

Yesterday was Day 2 of my 4 weeks of homemade meals challenge. Although a big part of my energy goes into fixing flavorful, healthy dinners, I have to also make sure we have breakfast, lunch and snacks that are homemade as well. Yesterday was a busy day of hospital appointments and errands. In my rush to get to our appointment on time, I forgot to take snacks with me for my 1-year old daughter. Of course, Starbuck's is conveniently located inside the hospital. It was very difficult not to cave in and buy a small snack for my daughter to keep her happy as we waited, and waited, and waited for our medicine. But I managed to keep her entertained long enough and then made a rush back home. Note to self--always have snacks handy, no matter how short or long your trip away from home will be. Once back home, I

proceeded to get dinner ready. It was fairly simple, since I dedicated part of Monday to meal prep--cutting vegetables and making sure I had all the other ingredients for all of the weeknight meals. I roasted a chicken with garlic and lemon and some fennel seeds and then took my chopped bell peppers and zuchinni to the grill and cooked those for about 10-12 minutes, enough so that they weren't charred but were soft. I cheated a little and used frozen tortellinis as part of my pasta salad. You could easily use plain pasta or couscous with the veggies and toss in some shredded parmessan for extra flavor. I tossed the tortellini and vegetable salad with a homemade lemon and garlic vinaigrette that was super delicious. Want to give this meal a try? Just go to www.foodnetwork.com for Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken recipe. I got the idea of a tortellini and veggie salad from Southern Living magazine--the October 2014 issue.

Buen provecho,
Gaby

The 4 week challenge- Day 1

Day 1 of the 4-week challenge came and went with a bang and of course, lots of learning on how to improve cooking healthy meals for 4 weeks straight. I decided to make cauliflower crust pizza. I had fixed the recipe before and the kids seemed to have liked it so I gave it another shot. I ended up making two pizzas, a large one with hams and mushrooms and a homemade spaghetti sauce. I made a smaller "white" pizza for my son who does not like tomatoes in any shape or form. No big surprise: the mushroom and ham was much more flavorful than the white. As my older daughter said: Mom I like the pizza, but I wouldn't eat it everyday. She then said the top was much better than the bottom. So this will not be a staple at our household, but I would definitely make this tasty pizza again. My thoughts for next time are to try to boost the flavor of the cauliflower crust with a little more garlic in the egg, cheese and cauliflower mix. The crust itself held up pretty nicely, much better than on my first try. Just make sure you strain the water from the cauliflower after cooking it in the microwave. If you're interested, you can find this recipe at www.theironyou.com .

Buen provecho,
Gaby