In a grain of sand...

It has been a while since I've had a blog post about my sugar-free (which in practice has turned into a sugar-reduced) diet.  Since I've been looking for new and inventive ways to eliminate sugar from our diet, I've also run across more information on other ways to eat healthier. 

I am a major foodie.  I love a good meal.  And it isn't just about the meal, either.  It is the whole experience.  Lily and Ernie will both tell you that I am rather obsessed with having a sit-down dinner when I cook.  That means the television gets turned off, the table gets cleared and set, I light some candles and play some relaxing music.  We all sit down together and talk about our day while we enjoy good food.  I thought that changing the way we eat would hinder my ability to enjoy the whole food experience as much.  But, to my surprise and utter delight, I've found that it is possible to have meals that are tasty, satisfying, rich, and - most importantly - healthy.

I've never been a terribly unhealthy eater, but I also have never made a concerted effort to eat healthy.  As I said, I always assumed doing so would hinder my food experiences.  But while eating healthier does require more effort, and there is quite a bit of trial and error involved, I've built quite an eclectic recipe collection of really good, healthy and vitamin-packed meals that my family will actually eat.

The trick I've found to getting my daughter to at least try these healthier meals is to make sure everything looks pretty.  She is very visual, and if something looks strange to her, she's less likely to try it.  But if I make it with an eye toward aesthetic presentation, then she'll at the very least try it.  And if I present her with a dish often enough, she usually learns to enjoy it.  In fact, in the five months I've been doing this, she has transformed her eating habits.  Now, more often than not, if she is given something fried or processed or without bright fruits and veggies, she won't eat it.  It is amazing.

I'll go ahead and share a few of my favorite meals with you.  I'll add to this down the road, but for now I'll just give you some recipes that are indicative of a typical day's meals for us.

Breakfast:

Oat Bran Blueberry Muffins (sugar-free)

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. oat bran
1/3 c. agave syrup
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. blueberries
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Stir together dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg whites and applesauce. Add to dry ingredients.  Don't overmix, as your muffins will turn out too dense. Stir in blueberries.

Grease muffin tin and fill the holes about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes. If you cook them too long, they'll also be too dense, so be careful.

When I make these, I serve them with plain yogurt sweetened with honey, along with some kind of fresh fruit.  Lily likes strawberries and bananas.  She also gets to choose between milk and water.  I used to give her orange juice in the mornings, but my sister told me that a glass of orange juice, even fresh squeezed, is the equivalent of a bag of oranges.  I'd rather just give her an orange.

Lunch:

Pita Sandwiches

1 slice of whole wheat pita bread
1 slice of cheese
1 slice of lean sliced turkey
Sweet baby tomatoes
Lettuce
Alfalfa sprouts
Cucumber slices

Lunches are easy, since I don't have to "cook".   I just make sure I make it fun.  Like for pita sandwiches, I'll put all the makings of the sandwich into a tupperware box and give it to her to assemble herself.  If she made it, she's much more likely to eat it.  If I use a condiment, it is usually greek yogurt.  As long as I slice all the veggies thin and don't overload the sandwich, she loves it.  I would pair this with carrots cutout in the shape of fire and make celery filled with peanut butter and raisins.  I set it all up on a plate, with the celery surrounding the "fire" carrots on top of the sandwich and tell her it is a campfire.

Lily and I are very fond of having picnics for lunch, and I find that making the meal an adventure by eating somewhere other than at home will inspire her to try new things.

Dinner:

Mac & Cheese with Sweet Peppers

8 ounces whole wheat macaroni
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
Two sweet peppers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9x9 baking pan.

Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain.

Bring milk and mustard to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Whisk in cheddar until melted. Remove from heat and add yogurt.

Toss the macaroni with the cheese sauce. Add cayenne pepper to taste.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for about ten minutes.  I serve up everyone's portion and put several slices of the sweet peppers on top.  For Lily, I dice her sweet peppers up and mix it in with the mac & cheese.  The first couple of times, she asked what the red things were.  I just told her they were part of the mac & cheese.  She seemed fine with that and ate them.

I'll serve either corn (Lily's favorite) or a parsnip and sweet potato puree with this.  It takes a bit longer, but it is a healthier option than Kraft mac & cheese.  And it doesn't really take THAT long.

For dessert I like to serve fruit kabobs or a "green" smoothie or ice cream.  (recipes can be found here)

For snacks, I give her things like grapes with plain yogurt, sweetened with honey, or carrot and celery sticks with cheese.  I'm not a nazi about it, and I do give her things that aren't necessarily healthy.  Especially if we are traveling or out and about for much of the day.  I try to always pack healthy snacks to take with us, but sometimes, especially when it is just me and Lily traveling or on vacation, it is just too much effort to maintain the healthy eating on-the-go.  And there are days when I just don't have the time or energy to spend on elaborate meals.  But I figure that as long as we are eating this way *most* of the time, I'm doing pretty good.