Kimber's Navy Family

As a larger family, our grocery budget can be a little intense, especially as we have really tried to cut the crap out of our diet. I've written before about how we cut out hydrogenated oils and aspartame (" The first step ") and how we really try to eat at home (" Dinnertime "). Over two years has passed since I wrote those blog posts and I wanted to do a follow up. How are we doing now that we have two busy toddlers, a homeschooling preschooler, and another on the way? And, since I wrote those original posts, we've moved twice (" Across town move " and " PCS to South Carolina ") and my hubby started power school--a lot has changed since we decided to undertake a new family diet! I'm happy to report that our family diet is going even better than we had anticipated! Not only have we cut out hydrogenated oils and aspartame, but we've also cut out food coloring and fast food. We stick to foods that have ingredients we can prono...

I went to my twin group meeting the other day and there were lots of questions about feeding toddlers, not to mention all the posts on mommy boards and discussions with my girlfriends. We are all asking, "How do you get toddlers to eat?" Short answer: I don't know. Toddlers are fickle. We jokingly call one of my boys a fruitarian, stolen from the movie "Notting Hill." Hugh Grant goes on a series of blind dates and one of the women turns down food because she is a "fuitarian." When Hugh Grant asks what that is, she explains, "We believe that fruits and vegetables have feeling so we think cooking is cruel. We only eat things that have actually fallen off a tree or bush-- that are, in fact, dead already." We think O wants to eat more, but he isn't certain of the origins of his food. Did the milk fall on its own accord from the cow's udder? Did these apples fall willingly off an organic apple tree? So many questions need to be an...

"Three Boys" by Pamela Ellis I've been reading through some of my old blogs and it made me want to do a follow-up on our family schedules and dinner plans . Things were a little intense there for a little while. I'm not sure at the time I realized how busy we actually were. Now, with one-year olds , I can see how much our schedule has relaxed, and-- I must say-- I like it. Around October of last year, I became fed-up with our drive-thru diet and quick, high calorie food solutions. We went through our freezer and made a commitment to eat better . Well, I made a commitment for us to eat better. My husband was still a little shell-shocked that I had thrown out an entire wholesale box of Chips Ahoy... After six months, we are eating even better than I originally intended. At first I was just going to remove hydrogenated oils from our family diet. Taking away that preservative naturally lead to healthier choices and I made it a habit to actually cook dinner, even ...

Of all the meals in the day, dinnertime is my favorite. The savory foods, the whole day is past and we have lots to talk about sitting around the table, the end of the day is near and a warm bed in sight... but why, dinnertime, must you fall at the hardest time of day? Screaming babies, a wild pupzilla, and a three-year old who thinks couches are Buzz Lightyear Space Portals, not to mention a husband who is rarely home to help hold down the fort so I could--possibly-- cook a wholesome meal. Not for nothing, we fell back on the easy choice: frozen pre-made dinners (poke a hole in the plastic wrap and bake) or take-out (served on our "nice" plates). I recently wrote a blog about going through our freezer and starting to actually cook. I am happy to say that we have stuck to the plan and here we are 21 days later (see "The First Step" posted on October 1st) and I am still cooking! No fast food, no take out, no frozen dinners, and over 2 pounds lighter! However, I do...