As mentioned in my previous post, having a plan is my key to being successful with feeding my family healthful meals and snacks.
1 - Have an ongoing grocery list somewhere that makes it easy to add stuff to it anytime. Mine is in my 'notes' section of my phone. There are apps available but I've found it easier to have a "To Do" note which includes my grocery list, sometimes split up by store (farmers market vs Whole Foods vs Trader Joe's, etc).
2 - Along those lines, have an always evolving weekly menu somewhere easily accessible. I can look ahead a few days (or a week if I'm that organized) and see that I have a meeting or sports practice or something that I need to plan around. Plan meals around those evening events. Also, having theme days helps narrow down some choices. It doesn't seem as overwhelming to think "I need to come up with a mexican meal on Taco Tuesdays" or "I'll grab some fish for Meatless Monday!"
3 - Always have staples on hand. Check the pantry, fridge, and freezer for your staples while you make your grocery list. (Confession: I'm not the most successful at this because I always seem to be heading out to the store in a hurry!)
4 - Have "go-to" meals in mind and have the ingredients on hand. For me, there are two (hot) meals that are go-tos for the kids when my husband works late and we are in a hurry.
5 - Have a starting off point for your weekly menu. I often start my weekly menu planning for the upcoming week based on what will be in the box! Look into a local farm delivery service or CSA. (We have been using Nature's Garden Express and have been very happy with the service. I love being able to substitute products, add eggs/grass-fed beef, and all of the local and true seasonal options that I don't always find in my grocery stores. Knowing what will be delivered the same day every week helps me plan ahead. Try it out! Get $10 off your first box - full disclosure - I also get $10 off when you sign up using the code. https://www.naturesgardenexpress.com/ Promo code: 46e96)
6 - Set goals of the number of times you want to go out to eat. It's pretty much unrealistic to never, ever go out, at least for us. But we have cut it down a lot. Have some
Alright, ready, set, start planning! Get into a habit of thinking about the next week's activities and menu late the week before. I'll start posting meal plans on Fridays to give some inspiration. I generally don't come up with my own recipes because there are so many food bloggers who do such a great job at it. But I will be linking to different blogs and websites that do that! Happy planning!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
We take your privacy seriously. This policy describes what personal information we collect and how we use it. (This privacy policy is applicable to websites falling under the primary holder Ninety Ten Nutrition.)
Routine Information Collection
All web servers track basic information about their visitors. This information includes, but is not limited to, IP addresses, browser details, timestamps and referring pages. None of this information can personally identify specific visitors to this site. The information is tracked for routine administration and maintenance purposes, and lets me know what pages and information are useful and helpful to visitors.
Cookies and Web Beacons
Where necessary, this site uses cookies to store information about a visitor's preferences and history in order to better serve the visitor and/or present the visitor with customized content.
Advertising partners and other third parties may also use cookies, scripts and/or web beacons to track visitors to our site in order to display advertisements and other useful information. Such tracking is done directly by the third parties through their own servers and is subject to their own privacy policies.
Controlling Your Privacy
Note that you can change your browser settings to disable cookies if you have privacy concerns. Disabling cookies for all sites is not recommended as it may interfere with your use of some sites. The best option is to disable or enable cookies on a per-site basis. Consult your browser documentation for instructions on how to block cookies and other tracking mechanisms.
Special Note About Google Advertising
Any advertisements served by Google, Inc., and affiliated companies may be controlled using cookies. These cookies allow Google to display ads based on your visits to this site and other sites that use Google advertising services. Learn how to opt out of Google's cookie usage. As mentioned above, any tracking done by Google through cookies and other mechanisms is subject to Google's own privacy policies.
About Google advertising: What is the DoubleClick DART cookie? The DoubleClick DART cookie is used by Google in the ads served on publisher websites displaying AdSense for content ads. When users visit an AdSense publisher’s website and either view or click on an ad, a cookie may be dropped on that end user’s browser. The data gathered from these cookies will be used to help AdSense publishers better serve and manage the ads on their site(s) and across the web. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy.
Contact Information
Concerns or questions about this privacy policy can be directed to ninetytennutrition@gmail.com for further clarification.
We take your privacy seriously. This policy describes what personal information we collect and how we use it. (This privacy policy is applicable to websites falling under the primary holder Ninety Ten Nutrition.)
Routine Information Collection
All web servers track basic information about their visitors. This information includes, but is not limited to, IP addresses, browser details, timestamps and referring pages. None of this information can personally identify specific visitors to this site. The information is tracked for routine administration and maintenance purposes, and lets me know what pages and information are useful and helpful to visitors.
Cookies and Web Beacons
Where necessary, this site uses cookies to store information about a visitor's preferences and history in order to better serve the visitor and/or present the visitor with customized content.
Advertising partners and other third parties may also use cookies, scripts and/or web beacons to track visitors to our site in order to display advertisements and other useful information. Such tracking is done directly by the third parties through their own servers and is subject to their own privacy policies.
Controlling Your Privacy
Note that you can change your browser settings to disable cookies if you have privacy concerns. Disabling cookies for all sites is not recommended as it may interfere with your use of some sites. The best option is to disable or enable cookies on a per-site basis. Consult your browser documentation for instructions on how to block cookies and other tracking mechanisms.
Special Note About Google Advertising
Any advertisements served by Google, Inc., and affiliated companies may be controlled using cookies. These cookies allow Google to display ads based on your visits to this site and other sites that use Google advertising services. Learn how to opt out of Google's cookie usage. As mentioned above, any tracking done by Google through cookies and other mechanisms is subject to Google's own privacy policies.
About Google advertising: What is the DoubleClick DART cookie? The DoubleClick DART cookie is used by Google in the ads served on publisher websites displaying AdSense for content ads. When users visit an AdSense publisher’s website and either view or click on an ad, a cookie may be dropped on that end user’s browser. The data gathered from these cookies will be used to help AdSense publishers better serve and manage the ads on their site(s) and across the web. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy.
Contact Information
Concerns or questions about this privacy policy can be directed to ninetytennutrition@gmail.com for further clarification.
The Basics
Why the name? Ninety Ten Nutrition represents the reality of eating healthfully for us. The large majority of our meals and snacks are healthy (and yes, I realize that the word "healthy" in and of itself can be confusing as to what exactly it means). But we do leave some room for moderation. Honestly, in a perfect world, the timing and types of the "junk" would be something we decide on together. But frequently, that is not what happens. Our society sees junk food as a symbol of a good time. Somehow, many people think that if there's no junk food provided, the event/activity/whatever just won't be fun. More on that in a separate post.
So…where to begin? By far the biggest predictor of whether or not we will eat good food in any given time period is planning. That includes meal planning, snack planning, planning for sports and activities, planning for trips, and planning to be flexible when I just don't have a plan!
The next step is preparation. After you have plans in place, take steps to make it easy during the week, especially during evenings when you know you don't have time to cook.
Lastly, be realistic. It's not always possible to have fresh fruits and vegetables on hand for every single meal. It's not always (ever?) realistic to have gourmet meals that take 2+ hours to make. Keep it simple and don't put too much pressure on yourself.
More to come!
So…where to begin? By far the biggest predictor of whether or not we will eat good food in any given time period is planning. That includes meal planning, snack planning, planning for sports and activities, planning for trips, and planning to be flexible when I just don't have a plan!
The next step is preparation. After you have plans in place, take steps to make it easy during the week, especially during evenings when you know you don't have time to cook.
Lastly, be realistic. It's not always possible to have fresh fruits and vegetables on hand for every single meal. It's not always (ever?) realistic to have gourmet meals that take 2+ hours to make. Keep it simple and don't put too much pressure on yourself.
More to come!
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Welcome!
Welcome! At the urging of a couple of friends who are looking for a place for basics of feeding families in a balanced and healthy way while still indulging in the occasional sweet or junky snack, I have started this blog. I make no promises. I will simply share what has worked for us, frustrations that we come across, snack and meal ideas, weekly menus and planning, etc. If there's a specific topic you'd like to see covered, feel free to comment below!
My goals for my family include the above. I want to teach my two daughters, aged 6 and 4, how to nourish their bodies. We talk about balance, and that most of our food needs to be healthy - veggies, fruits, whole grains, dairy - and very little can be junky. We call junk "junk" vs treat. We don't reward or punish with food. (There will be a post about that later!) We talk about how much sugar is in certain foods, that is not good for you to eat too much sugar, and how it affects your teeth too! My 6 year old reads ingredient lists and loves to help out in the kitchen. She has made some dishes for us and was so proud of herself. And she has asked to cook more often.
My goals for my family include the above. I want to teach my two daughters, aged 6 and 4, how to nourish their bodies. We talk about balance, and that most of our food needs to be healthy - veggies, fruits, whole grains, dairy - and very little can be junky. We call junk "junk" vs treat. We don't reward or punish with food. (There will be a post about that later!) We talk about how much sugar is in certain foods, that is not good for you to eat too much sugar, and how it affects your teeth too! My 6 year old reads ingredient lists and loves to help out in the kitchen. She has made some dishes for us and was so proud of herself. And she has asked to cook more often.
We aim to live by the "variety, balance, and moderation" rule of thumb. It's not always easy. Life gets in the way. But we try hard. And have learned some important lessons along the way!
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