Hi, Alouette
I'll take a stab at your list...and I don't think they're excuses at all. You sound like a busy woman who's trying to juggle a job & kids and do the best she can for both.
1. I hate to show my age here, but when I was a child, I had to eat the good, healthy, nutricious food my mother (single mom who worked her butt off) put on my plate, or I went to bed hungry. Sorry to be blunt, but do you want your kids to be battling with a weight problem (or other health problems related to junk foods) all of their lives? I wish I had never deviated from my mom's cooking after I left home and started eating junky foods.
2. I was bored of my menu, too. Hit the web for new recipes. I'd be happy to share some good ones I've found with you, and I'm sure others on this board would, too.
3. You shouldn't have to make two meals for dinner. If it's a meal with too many cals or fat for you, take a smaller portion and grab one of those fruits before it goes bad. Otherwise, make a healthy dinner and see No. 1
4. Try thinking outside of the box with fruits and veggies. Make a bread with a vegetable or a fruit over the weekend (zucchini bread is out of this world). Most recipes out there will make two breads in one shot. Freeze one for eating later in the week. Try some berries over frozen yogurt with a *touch* of fat-free chocolate syrup. Dunk peices of an apple in some low-fat flavored yogurt. The Mediterraneans have really done wonders with fruits and veggies in their recipes. WW has an Italian cookbook I would highly recommend with all sorts of ways to include fruits & veggies in your diet in new ways.
5. There are many recipes out there for chocoholics. I've found a fat-free brownie recipe that's fantastic made with applesauce instead of oil. ButterBusters has some good recipes for chocoholics.
6. Your schedule sounds hectic, but I'm a nighttime eater, too. I find if I get 20 minutes of cardio (just a quick walk) in after dinner and cleanup, I'm not hungry during the 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. munchie attack period.
7. Here's where those fruits and veggies come into play. Grab an apple or a handful of berries or cherries if you just can't stand it. A large glass of water or an herbal tea can help you feel full, too. I make jugs of iced herbal teas during the summer months.
8. I don't think you need to buy "health foods", just "healthier foods". How much is a couple pizzas for you and your kids delivered to your door? With a tip, 15 bucks? How about a wheat Boboli, low-fat cheese, veggies, ground turkey or turkey sausage chunks, a side salad and the company of your kids helping to make it? All of that might cost $15, but now you'll have leftover veggies and probably some meat for the next day's meal, too. The first thing I noticed when I stopped eating processed foods was how much money I was saving at the store. I do not shop at a health food store, either, ever.
Good luck to you!
Lysne
