What I Ate Wednesday

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My children are looking forward to home leave as much or more than I am.  But as I recently found out, our eager anticipation is focussed quite differently.

Theda: “I can’t wait to get to the U.S.!”

Sara: “I know!!  Because Pa has GOLDFISH!!”

Tommy: “And Cheetos!!!”

Theda: “And Toaster Strudels!!!”

Yes folks.  These are the kids of  a dietitian, and I won’t fault you for the secret satisfaction that you must feel from knowing that they crave junk food just like normal people’s children.  My kids are not in fact blending up kale smoothies as I might have wishfully suggested in my previous post.  This summer they will be just as likely to pour themselves a bowl of Frosted Flakes…

Am I ok with this?

That’s a difficult question.  Of course I want them to choose the healthy thing, and it’s one of my fondest wishes that things like Cheetos and soda didn’t exist.  But they do exist, and people like them, so we have to learn to manage (and teach our children to as well.)  My general philosophy is that when you fill yourself up with good, fresh, nourishing, delicious, REAL food, you lose your taste for non-food edibles like Spam and Flame Retardant Doritos (is that a flavor?)  You also become more sensitive to the way processed food saps your energy and vitality while real food pours it back in.

So as I make food decisions for my family, I really really try not to preach, even though I slip sometimes…  But I do try to provide delicious and healthy things for them to eat, and as much as possible, set a good example myself.

Coz the apple never falls far from the tree…

So, wanna see what I set an example with today?

Breakfast was this smoothie made with frozen mixed berries, homemade almond milk, half a beet, a handful of spinach, and a frozen banana.  The kids had this too (though they did not know the beet was in there.)  I also had an almond meal carrot apple muffin that unfortunately did not make the photo shoot.

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My post-workout snack was a fresh buko and this lovely mango that one of my best friends brought me from her over-abundant tree.  Philippine mangoes are the most delicious (and beautiful!) mangoes IN THE WORLD!!!

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I also had some Greek yogurt with chia seeds, unsweetened coconut, and muesli.

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I was still hungry after that, and craving salt, so while we made sandwiches for Grade 4 Water Fun day, I had some tuna and crackers.  This was not the best choice, because normally I don’t eat mayo… but the smell enticed me, so I had some.  It was of course way too mayonnaise-y for me, so I didn’t finish it.  I ate the crackers though, and that satisfied my salt craving.

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Then I was full for hours! But I ate this “salad” before Water Fun day started because I knew I would be out on the field until school ended.  My salad had everything: quinoa, roasted sweet potato, Asian coleslaw, tofu, & curried citrus tahini dressing that I’ve seriously gotta give you the recipe for.  It melds everything together, including my salad.  I also had these crispy sweet purple grapes.

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After spending hours on the 43C (110 F) field helping supervise 120 kids in what was basically a giant water fight, I was exhausted and dehydrated.  I drank close to a liter of water and ate sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes with the rest of the tahini dressing, and a couple of Finn Crisp rye crackers.

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Did I mention I’m ahead in the Tupperware Elimination game?  4-0, me.

The last thing I felt like doing after coming home from Water Fun Day this afternoon was making dinner.  But I did it anyway, because I’m a mom, and that’s what we do.  I did keep it simple though: pita topped with roasted red pepper white bean dip (it takes longer to write it than it did to make it!), roasted broccoli, and feta.  And a glass of sauvignon blanc, because it was that kind of a day.

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To satisfy my sweet craving, I had 2 cocoa date almond bites.  Yes, I confess these are the ones from last week.  I guess my family was too busy with the volcano cake to bother with these guys.  They are not quite as fresh as they were last week, but good enough to send me to bed happy.

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