After one my recent posts (I’m a Crunchy Mom Who Cares What My Kids Eat), I received a plethora of responses and messages requesting information and guidance around how a busy mom can actually provide healthful, clean foods to their children on a regular basis. Ask and you shall receive!
This will be the first in a number of posts I will write around clean eating, meal planning, and non-toxic living for busy families. I feel in order to do this topic justice, however, it needs to be broken down and cannot be covered in a 500-1,000 word piece. (You can always follow me on social, as well, where I share more tips and tricks and helpful info.)
Clean living is possible for all families. I’m not a unicorn; I’m just like every other busy mom. It doesn’t need to cost much or be difficult. With a little mindful change and planning, you can make a huge impact on the well-being of you and your family.
Have a Plan
First things first: you need a plan. I know, this sounds like a cliche, and I’m bracing myself for the eye-rolls coming at me right now. However, doing anything a certain way is never accomplished without a plan. If you want to lose weight, start a business, renovate your kitchen, go on a vacation…you name it…there’s a plan associated with it. Nothing just magically happens.
Start with a weekly meal plan, and make this a habit. You’ll want to have as many whole foods on this menu as possible, leaving out processed items and frozen meals. Here’s an example:
Sunday: Roasted Turkey Tenderloin, Baked Potatoes, and Roasted Asparagus
Monday: Zoodles with Turkey Bolognese and Whole Grain Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday! Taco Meat, Wheat Tortilla Shells, Guacamole, Fresh Salsa, etc.
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Grilled Salmon Caesar Salads
Friday: Pizza Party! Homemade individual pizzas on Naan bread with assorted toppings
Saturday: Burgers on Whole Grain Buns, Corn on the Cob, and Tomato + Cucumber Salad
Now maybe you have a night or two that you simply cannot make dinner because you’re driving 2.5 kids to 6.5 places! I get it. Schedule that night for leftovers or take out. By take out, I don’t mean Taco Bell (not that I don’t love Cheesy Gordita Crunch here and there!). Instead, plan on a good take out…maybe Panera or something along those lines?
To Buy or Not To Buy
Once you have your meal plan set, make your shopping list based on what you have and what you need. Here are some tips on what to buy:
- Stick with lean cuts of meats. Preferably natural or organic, grass fed, or free range. I always swap ground beef for ground turkey, as well.
- Watch pasta sauces, pizza sauces, dressings, etc. These items tend to have a lot of added sugar if you aren’t careful. (Even ketchup can have a ton of added sugar!).
- If your budget doesn’t allow for all organic produce, try to at least stick to the Dirty Dozen.
- Never ever purchase white breads or grains. These foods are highly processed and offer no nutritional value. Stick with items you can find in the bakery area as opposed to the bread aisle as they are more processed. Sprouted Grains are the best options, and you can find hamburger buns, sliced bread, and most everything else in a sprouted grain variety now. Tortilla shells and Naan bread are also available in either whole grain or wheat.
Look for Inspiration
Now, I understand that I am a trained chef and nutritionist, but I do not have a super creative “foodie” mind (I leave that to my husband). Truthfully, I garner most of my inspiration for weekly menus from Pinterest! I’ve created boards on my page that I can go back and reference if I’m stuck on ideas. I even save recipes I see online to these boards. Clean Eating and Simple Truth magazines are great for clean and flavorful recipes, too.
To help get you started, we’ve created this Pinterest board, so be sure to follow for tips and inspiration!
I also want to leave you with some guidance and references citing the effects of poor diets on our long-term health:
- Nine Ways That Processed Foods Are Harming People
- Pesticides 101
- Why The Western Diet Keeps Making Us Sick
In Part Two, I’ll still have some food suggestions but will also add in ways to make changes to your home environment for you and your family. If you have any other topics or specific things you want answered, please leave a comment!
