Feeding the Family: Battlefield in the Kitchen 2019 Edition
If you’re trying to make some basic improvements with feeding your family healthier options, it starts in your house! Check out Coach Sarah Walls revised family focused edition of the Battlefield in the Kitchen.
We did a couple posts back in 2014 called The Battlefield is in the Kitchen: Part 1 and The Battlefield is in the Kitchen: Part 2. I thought it would be nice to throwback to those and expand on them with more of a family focus.
If you’ve been visiting the blog lately, you’ll have noticed a new series I’ve been doing called Feeding the Family. Compared to 5-years ago when the first Battlefield posts went up and my kids were 2 and 4, their needs were not very aligned to the way I chose to eat. That was the applesauce and halved grapes stage.
But, we’ve now entered a different stage of their lives and our lives as a family and as I reread the Battlefield tips, through my mom lens, I felt like they really were not very helpful for applying to my family! I’m willing to bet that if you have a family with children, you would agree.
Here is the updated 2019 version:
Plan Ahead: the original recommendation was to plan on cooking in bulk 1 or 2 days per week. While adults intent on maximizing their time in the kitchen may be just fine with eating the same 2 or 3 meals for a whole week, kids are not!
Okay, so if you’ve seen many of the mommy-style food blogs, you’ll see elaborate meals prepared for children, that are (in my experience) not realistic. We’re approaching this battlefield-style, so we’re not going to have time to “plan ahead” and make turkey-cucumber pinwheels with homemade mayonnaise and black bean brownie animal cutouts. We’re going to get real. Real practical.
Planning ahead for family meals if you are working during the day and/or are a single parent is a super challenge. But here are some of the things I have found that work:
If you prepare food in bulk, do so judiciously. Pick things that keep well for several days. For example, a properly seasoned hamburger will stay delicious for a couple days. Just reheat it, and stick it on a fresh bun with some salad. The whole family will enjoy this.
Have staples on hand that hit your targeted family nutrition goals.
Draft a few meals to make during the week and shop for them ahead of time. I say “draft” because...
Be willing to be flexible and you’ll live to fight another day! My best plans for meals during the week - even with ingredients on hand - are often no match for our schedule! Sometimes, you’re going to need to pull that pizza out of the freezer.
Purge Your Pantry: again the original recommendation may be a bit too extreme for families. As much as I personally would never miss Oreos or potato chips in my pantry, the other 75% of my family definitely would!
I’ve tried to find a reasonable middle-ground here. I do adhere to the principle of “If it is in your house eventually you or someone you love will eventually eat it.”
Under that guideline I don’t want too much junk in the house. So, we generally keep only one dessert in the house at any given time. It might be ice cream OR cookies OR pie. But never all of those at one time. We also rarely ever have more than one type of chip. In terms of staples we keep plenty of (that the kids love) here’s what I always have on hand in the pantry or refrigerator:
High protein pasta: Barilla makes a delicious high protein pasta. My kids aren’t quite ready for meat sauce, so this gets them the protein and carbs they need. Again, pairing it with a salad makes for a quick, easy, and realistically healthy meal.
No sugar added Applesauce
Soup - I do not consider this healthy, but rather a somewhat neutral food. The main advantage is the kids love soup and it’s crazy fast.
Dried fruits (no sugar added, which is sadly limiting, but if you get the stuff with sugar you may as well just buy candy)
Nuts
Nut butters
Canned plain tomato sauce (no sugar added) & canned diced tomatoes - it’s shocking how often tomato can be used as a base for many meals
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese and tortillas (quesadillas)
Bread, yes, bread.
***With a proper stock of the basics, you can throw something quick together when the Plan Ahead technique occasionally falls apart!
Eat Real Food - this is a great principle, but I think being flexible and setting your mind on the 80/20 rule is best. Avoid overly processed foods 80% of the time. This will leave room for the desserts and chips I mentioned we have in our house!
Eat in Moderation - this is what parents need to live by! Eat to 80% full. For the kids, allow their natural appetites to guide them. When they are smashing food, let them! It means they are probably growing or about to. If they’re not hunger, don’t push the issue, get a few bites in and let them move on.
Make Small Changes - Yes! I wrote a post recently on this. Here’s the main key: you do not need to announce small changes! Just do them! I always cringe when I hear one or both adults in the family has decided everyone will now be eating Paleo. Please don’t, just don’t.
First of all, kids don’t need to eat that strictly.
Second of all, neither do you!!! Start slowing with reasonable, sustainable changes. Hey, read my 80% rule - seriously, this is life changing.
While you’re navigating this and trying to imagine a world where Twinkies don’t live in your pantry, please remember highly processed and prepackaged foods are literally engineered to be highly addictive. It’s worth it to break the cycle.
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Cleaning Up Holiday Faves, Part 2
In the last post, we cleaned up cranberry sauce, stuffing, and shepherd's pie. Today on the menu is chili, roasted vegetables, and sweet potatoes (or candied yams that seem to appear at most feasts). Chili, an excellent cold-weather food; hearty, warm, and very easy to make. If you have a slow cooker, awesome, just dump the following ingredients into the cookers, set it on low for 6-8 hours and enjoy! If you don't, I'm sad for you (and you really should get one. Life is much simpler with a slow cooker), but never fear! This can also be done on the stove in a big stock pot. The only difference is to saute the onions and garlic a bit before adding everything else. Once all the ingredients are in the pot, simmer on med-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes.
This recipe has pumpkin puree in it. I love using pumpkin as it adds extra "Umph!" to the chili by making it thicker. Pumpkin also has a decent amount of fiber, vitamins A and C, as well as a healthy dose of potassium. Make sure you use "pure" pumpkin puree, not the stuff for pies.
Also of note, this chili is absolutely loaded with vegetables (versus most chilis which are just meat and beans). The added bulk of the vegetables keep you full longer and you don't need to eat as much to reach satiety (thus saving a bit on calories).
Without further ado, I present, Pumpkin Chili!
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2-3 cups of diced rutabaga or potatoes (we use rutabega a lot, especailly in the winter since it's in season)
- 1-2 cans of beans of choice (we like black and pinto)
- 2-3 carrots, diced
- 1 each of red and green bell peppers, diced
- 3/4 cup frozen corn (or canned, but I think canned tastes funny)
-1 can of pumpkin puree
- 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- 1-2lbs of meat of choice (ground beef or turkey. I use 2-3 chicken breasts and just shred it after it's done cooking)
- A generous sprinkling of the following spice: chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, and a touch of cinnamon. You can add any "heat" spices you want, such as a jalapeño or two. My heat tolerance is -45, so chili powder is as hot as I can go.
Slow cooker- throw it in, cook for 6-8 hours on low.
Stock pot on stove-
1. sautee onions and garlic in a bit of oil for 3-5 minutes.
2. Toss in the meat and cook until brown on the outside.
3. Throw everything else in and simmer on med-low heat for 35-45 + minutes.
Moving on to roasted veggies. Winter is a perfect time to take advantage of the root vegetables that grow abundantly this time of year. It's fairly simple to make, choose the vegetable combination that appeals to you the most, throw all of it into a baking dish, and roast away. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in most of the vegetables so they're pretty flavorful. Since the flavors of the vegetables are brought out, there's no need for lots of oils or calorie bomb sauces saving your waistline. This is a great, healthy side for any meal this season.
Salt and pepper are always a go-to when it comes to seasoning, but experimenting with thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and balsamic vinegar is not out of line either. Garlic, carmalized onions (added either before or after the roasting) also add a flavor burst.
Roastable Vegetables:
- Parsnips: somewhat sweet, I think they taste like a "clean carrot," and are excellent complements to more bitter vegetables such as brussel sprouts.
- Brussel sprouts- you have to be careful not to over roast them as they will start to become bitter. Slice these little guys up and toss in with they're root compadres.
- Butternut squash- peel and dice up in smaller chunks. Butternut squash is pretty dense, so in order to have softer pieces (without blackening the rest of the vegetables to a crisp), ensure that the squash are in smaller pieces so they'll cook more evenly. Butternut is also a bit sweet.
- Potatoes- either white or sweet, both options are healthy and excellent addtions to any roasted vegetable combination.
- Rutabaga- similar to butternut squash, it's pretty dense so make sure it's in smaller pieces.
- Beets- also a sweeter, earthier taste (and it turns your pee pink!) These guys go very well with balsamic vinegar and goat cheese.
Dice up any combination that appeals to you, toss with desired spices (or vinegar), roast in the oven around 400-425 for 30-45 minutes (or whenever vegetables are tender). Serve and enjoy!
Candied yams, these were a staple of holiday meals when I was a kid, are well, not so great for you. The excessive amount of sugar negates the health benefits of yams (or sweet potatoes, depending on who makes them). Here's a way to still enjoy the delightful tuber without sending your body into sugar shock.
This is adapted from Tosca Reno (Clean Eating)
- 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chunked
- 1/2 to 1 tbs of olive oil or butter
- 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and cinnamon
- 1-2 Tbs of maple syrup or honey
- Salt as needed
1. Toss in potatoes and parsnips into stock pot, cover with water, and boil until soft.
2. Drain, and blend in a blender or mash by hand in a large bowl.
3. As potatoes and parsnips are mashed or blended, add in the nutmeg, cinnamon, and maple syrup/honey. Add the oil in as needed to make smooth (you may not need it).
4. Blend until smooth, taste testing as you go. Add, in small increments, salt and sweetener to achieve desired level of sweetness.
Come back next week, we'll tackle desserts!
