I come to you from the perspective of a parent with twins. I have lots of friends and family who have had one baby at a time, but I cannot speak specifically to their demands. There are many similarities and some differences.
Life with small children is demanding!
This is why I think it is so difficult to consistently feed kids real, nutrient dense food everyday. It is not easy to prep food everyday! It starts out easy when babies first start eating because you can prep a batch of purees and freeze them. Their meals are pretty simple and they eat what you give them. Then, as babies turn into toddlers and toddlers turn into young kids, it gets much more difficult. Their needs increase, they don’t take naps and they have a lot more activities to attend to. All of those things take time! I may have the most amazingly organized daily schedule planned, but the kids may have other plans. I always count on my tasks being interrupted several times to field an argument, take someone to the potty, clean something up or feed someone. As a mom of young kids, there is no such thing as a 30-minute meal prep, at least in my house! Where can you find the motivation? What can you use to encourage you to keep choosing real, nutrient-dense food over pizza delivery or Chick-Fil-A?
Finding motivation:
My motivation is rooted selfishly. I want to have great energy every day! I want to sleep well and have a great stress tolerance. The best way that I know to make sure that happens is by choosing real, nutrient-dense food every day and of course exercise… every day, in some way. And, do you know what? It works, really well!
I want the same outcomes for my kids! I want them to know that they are in charge of their health. I want them to know that they can choose to put awesome food in their bodies and move a lot of them every day forever. That is empowering!!
Here are some recent creations from our real food life:
It all starts in the garden! When they grow it and pick it… they eat it!
You can grow amazing greens and herbs in a simple pot. They will not get as big, but they will supply you with amazing nutrients!
Plant herbs as a part of your landscape plan! Sage and rosemary are beautiful additions to our front yard. Just be careful about mint, it will take over your whole yard, I always keep that contained in a pot!
Using the garden to inspire real food recipes every day!
Avoid overly complicated dishes. Keep it simple!
Smoothies:
Take simple ingredients and combine them with the nutrient density of fresh herbs and greens.
Steamed beets
Banana
Naval orange
Frozen blueberries
Gelatin hydrolyzate
Spinach
Red Russian kale
Mint
Combine all in a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, add a bit of water, and feed it to yourself and your kids! Once they enjoy the whole glass, tell them what they drank and what it does to build their bodies!
Lunch or dinner
Take a great quality protein like venison, and combine it with simple veggies sautéed in coconut oil. Then add fresh greens and lots of herbs.
Fresh asparagus
Bell peppers
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Purple cabbage
Kale
Rosemary
Mint
Sage
Your kids will appreciate the amazing flavor and color. You are building their palate and boosting their nutrients!
Dinner Salad
One way to throw together a simple, nutrient-dense dinner salad is to use a combination of steamed and raw veggies from the grocery store or farmer’s market along with fresh greens and herbs from your garden.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Bell pepper
Avocado
Mint
Fennel
Red Russian kale
Chop up your greens and herbs very small and toss them with the veggies. Your kids will get a small taste with every bite!
Maintaining a real food plan is possible!
Find your motivation to make it happen every day. You and your kids will reap the rewards for the rest of your lives!
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