Lessons from the Kitchen

Everyone probably has at least one picky eater in the family and sometimes when we're on the go as moms, it's easy to get stuck making less than healthy meal and snack choices.  

My goal of this post is encourage you and share some valuable lessons we have learned in our home for saving money while making healthy choices as well as teaching our children to make healthy choices too. 

One benefits of being a stay-at-home mom is that you get to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. (I realize this may not seem like a benefit to some people, but I enjoy being in the kitchen during nap-time so I can escape my toddler pushing me away from the counter demanding my attention. 

The older two kids enjoy helping sometimes. Other times, I have to shoo them out of the kitchen as if they are little vultures hoovering atop their step stools, seeking anything to devour. I also have to rid the kitchen of the over-sized dog who can easily reach the counter-tops with her snout.
 So, after the stars have aligned and the mood is set, 

I enjoy being in the kitchen. 

 I try to make most things from scratch so I know just what goes into what we are eating.  I keep it  simple with simple ingredients and simple instructions.   I try to avoid the snacks foods at the grocery store. I try to steer my cart away the middle section of the store with the exception of the baking aisle and occasionally the <ahem> ice cream freezer. Anyway, we usually stick to produce, meats, dairy and breads/grains. 

I grocery shopped this week with no coupons and got what we needed for about $75.00. 

What we Buy

 I buy certain foods that are organic like  milk, butter, yogurt, eggs, bacon and beef. I think we save money simply by making things from scratch and having a good stockpile in our pantry. I buy bulk grains like oats, rice, pasta and wheat berries. I also buy large quantities of oils and honey for baking so I don't replace those weekly. We started a garden this year so I'm hoping to cut our grocery bill back even more. I also buy bulk frozen veggies and fruits for certain recipes.

I know I still have a lot to learn about healthy eating and there are others that have a lot more knowledge than me. I still haven't jumped on the bandwagon of drinking raw milk. We don't drink much milk, but cheese, yogurt and butter are favorites around our house.  I would love to have these things made from raw milk or pet milk.  Raw cheese is so expensive at the grocery store if you can even find it. I've considered making my own cheeses, butter and yogurt from raw milk. I just haven't gotten that far yet.

I have learned so much about food since Mae was born. I regret that I didn't know what I do now about healthy foods when she was a baby and toddler, or even when I was pregnant. 

Thankfully, she still turned out to make better food choices most days than me. Mae has always been a healthy eating machine. She even turned her nose up at baby food and never finished a jar, ever. She started eating “table foods” at 6 months old. I didn't take much caution with introducing new foods and just let her eat whatever we were eating.  Maybe this helped her in some way to enjoy a variety of foods.

Teaching Healthy Eating at Home

Remember, I'm the homeschool author for  Freshly Chewed and teaching at home lends itself naturally to teaching about healthy eating habits.                 

 For preschool, we have a unit on healthy foods where we sort out all of our toy foods from the play kitchen into different food groups. We talk about how much we should eat each day of which group and then make a place mat using some clip art of their favorite foods. I also use this time to show them how to properly set a place setting at the table for mealtime. Here is a picture of Mae's place-mat she made when she was two.  We made this during November, hence the Thanksgiving theme.

 We made this nearly six years ago so the food pyramid may have changed. I don't stress about the food pyramid so much now to know it's current recommendations. Diets vary so much between different cultures and countries that I don't feel any certain guide can be reliable.

We just try to eat lots of fresh, whole foods.

Our family doesn't need to cut out any certain food groups at this point so we eat everything from grains to dairy, but we eat those things sparingly (once or twice a day). A good rule of thumb is to fill up half of your plate (and your child's plate) with fruits and veggies.

Basically, we just minimize our choices. 

 When I was growing up we had Little Debbie snack cakes and cookies constantly in the pantry. There was always sugary cereal, eggos or poptarts for breakfast. If that stuff gets in my kitchen now, I will eat. it. all. in. one. hour. I can't handle it. I am home all day with no accountability except hiding from the kids while I eat it. So, if we are hungry, we have fruits, veggies and a few homemade treats to enjoy. 

A Great Snack for Lactose Sensitivity
I struggle with my toddler helping himself to snacks. He sneaks in the kitchen to find raisins, pretzels and cheese. It's to the point that I've threatened to put a lock on the pantry and fridge doors. Jake, my youngest, is by far my pickiest eater. He loves to eat dairy, but his tummy revolts at too much lactose. He won't eat meat unless I put it in a pasta sauce. He loves carbs and sugar.  I mean, who doesn't right?? I'm sure I will have a more difficult time raising him to enjoy “all things in moderation.”

One of the recipes I use often for a snack or dessert is from a friend who is much more knowledgeable about healthy foods than me. It's a granola bar recipe and all my kids devour it. We had friends over yesterday and their kids attacked this granola bar like it was manna from heaven. Jake, however, is notorious for just picking off the chocolate chips. I wanted to share with you this scrumdidliuptious recipe:

 
We are in a detox mode right now, trying to stay away from refined sugars. The kids were beginning to expect dessert after each meal! I've discovered that this expectation was keeping them from going back for seconds of the “real food” when they were still hungry. So, no more desserts for a while....unless they eat so well during the day that I reward them with a special bedtime snack.

Their favorites right now are raspberries with a chocolate chip pressed into the hull or Nutella® stuffed inside a hollow strawberry. 

Favorite Dinner Recipe
I also want to share one of our favorite recipes for dinner. I love it because it is easy, calls for simple ingredients, uses only one dish (seriously) and everyone eats it without complaints. It's also my favorite dish to take to a family after the birth of a baby, but I usually leave out the onion. I try to keep the menu as bland as possible (while keeping it as yummy as possible) when delivering food to new mommies who are breastfeeding. It's adapted from Trisha Yearwood's 

pork chops and rice recipe.

 

 
I found that recipe in January and have made it countless times since then. It is so good, easy and as you can see uses items that you probably already have in your fridge and pantry.

Teaching in the Kitchen

I can't seem to link this post to a teachable moment or a stick and sand approach to teaching your children. Except to say that

you can teach your kids through ordinary moments-

 moments that happen in the kitchen or while setting a table. 

Enjoying good-for-you food and conversation together, knowing that you are nourishing their bodies as well as their minds, hearts and soul. 

 There are lots of lessons to be had in the kitchen. We learn about chemistry, math,  home-making, manners, hygiene, reading and following directions. Even my toddler is able to work on those motor skills as he scoops and pours the ingredients and attempts to stir the spoon in a circular motion without the ingredients landing all over the counter, floor or ceiling. Cracking eggs with a two year old is about as fun as it gets, folks.

A teachable moment arose yesterday in our kitchen. We needed to mix up more taco seasoning and we tripled the recipe.  I did most of the math involved except a little bit of skip counting done by the kids. We were able to review our teaspoon and tablespoon equivalents.  Since we were making such a large amount, we needed to convert the teaspoons to tablespoons to make quick work of our chore.  My middle son enjoyed the smells of all the different spices we were using.  He loves to help me cook just to be able to smell all the different ingredients.  This is a learning and calming experience for him.  Our taco seasoning recipe calls for Rosemary so we discussed some of the spices that are ordinarily in certain types of foods.  I showed them how we needed to clean the measuring spoon after each spice addition since we usually don't mix cumin (a spice used in most Mexican dishes) with the rosemary (a spice normally used in Italian dishes).  Mae enjoyed reading the recipe and finding each herb and spice we would need.  Here is a picture of her organizing the spice drawer after we finished.

  Once upon a time, my spices and herbs were alphabetized.  But I've let that go.  Getting that back in order might be a good phonics project for Mae and Nate this summer.  

Most days we are teaching our kids without even realizing it.  Everyone is homeschooling their kids if they are spending time in meaningful conversation with them and involving them in ordinary tasks.  I don't often take time to dissect every moment I spend with my kids like I did with the moment in the kitchen yesterday. 

 But if we take a closer look, we can see how we are educating our children without textbooks and worksheets.  
 

You are able to pass down things that are important in your family, faith and culture by simply spending quality time conversing with them and sharing everyday tasks together.

You are teaching them so much more through these everyday, ordinary teachable moments.  These moments are deepened when you can incorporate things learned in "school" like we did with the math and measurements, but this occurs naturally throughout the day.  Notice those moments with your kids.  Savor them.  Thank God for them.    

Nate just informed me that Jake is eating from a bag of veggie chips.  Need to find that lock and key for the pantry. Stat.