For the love of Bacon!

I asked Jonathan last night what I should write about next.  He jokingly said "ME!"  Then when he realized that wasn't the answer I was looking for he said I should write about Bacon.  Little does he know that's exactly what I'm going to do.  Write about my sweet hubby... and bacon.

Knowing that we have made changes in our diet and lifestyle in general, so many people have been asking me lately about what we eat.  Some are looking for ideas for their own family, some are just curious, and some want a magic cure all diet (I know that's what I always hoped for.)  I can't even tell you how many people have said "I want to know your secret!"  Well, I've got some possibly disappointing news.  There is no secret.  We really do just eat healthy and exercise.  I do know though, that switching from the all american diet of highly processed foods to fresh, whole foods can seem way too overwhelming.  So much so that it's easy to just give up before you even begin.  Like I said in my previous post we took things in baby steps and in a way still are.  As I would learn something new, we would change that part of our diet.  Before I go any further in this post I have to reiterate that we ARE NOT experts.  I am a nurse, but not your doctor.  We don't follow any specific diet.  We don't always eat Paleo, or gluten free, or dairy free.  I do, however use some recipes that fit into these categories. We "cheat" fairly often depending on what's available, if we're eating out or at someone's house, or if we just have a craving that has to be satisfied.  I know if some real fitness people read this there's a possibility that they would be mortified and tell me we're doing everything wrong.  Needless to say, I feel way under qualified to tell any of you about eating healthy.  You've been asking though and I can honestly say that we're putting in every effort to be as healthy as possible.

So that brings me to the question "what do you eat?"  In my last post I did a broad overview of changes that we have made, but I think a lot of you are wanting more specifics.  I'm going to break this into a few different post and today's going to be about breakfast.  You always hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but really how many of us act like this is true?  I am still working on that myself because like it or not, it really is so very important.  I'm going to make a list of what we most frequently eat for breakfast.  I'm also going to add in things that I would like to start doing.

• Eggs - This is the number one thing our whole family eats for breakfast.  We usually just eat them scrambled.  Jonathan and I both really like them with diced veggies (onions, peppers, spinach) cooked in with them, but honestly don't do this as much as we should.  Eggs have gotten a bad rap for so long because of cholesterol, but recent studies are saying that eggs are actually really good for you and one of the best sources of protein.  I usually try to shoot for 20 grams of protein at breakfast.  Another note, this is something that we always buy organic.  Just compare an organic egg to conventional and you'll know why.

• Smoothies - This is Kadynce's absolute favorite and she's really not very picky about flavor.  We try to have frozen bananas on hand because they make the smoothies super creamy and sweet. One of my personal favorites is frozen banana, plain greek yogurt, a little milk of choice, peanut butter, and cocoa powder.  I use different ratios every time and it's always delicious.  There are so many yummy recipes out there.  Just remember fruit is already sweet so there's usually no reason for added sugar, even honey.  We are trying to also start adding more greens such as spinach and kale to our smoothies.  

• BACON - I promised you bacon and here it is.  This is another food that is somewhat tabooed in the diet world.  Unless its Turkey bacon.  Not in our house.  We buy uncured, no nitrate bacon.  This is something that I really would like to buy organic or even straight from the farm someday.  Bacon is another great source of protein and let's be honest, everybody loves bacon.  Now, we don't go crazy and eat the whole pack, but we do eat it.  We just count the calories and enjoy every bite ;)

• Yogurt, Granola, and Berries - Lately this has been something I like to eat in the mornings.  Plain greek yogurt, organic granola, fresh berries, and a little local honey drizzled on top.  Yes, I know I said earlier that fruit is sweet enough without honey, but when it's not blended into the yogurt it's just a little tart for me.  Be careful with the granola.  Make sure that it's not highly processed.  If you have time to make it yourself that's even better.  Also watch portions because it is usually really high calorie.  Jonathan was actually joking last night that his bowl of granola at one time was probably 1200 calories, and he wasn't joking.  

• There are a few other things we make on occasion, such as banana pancakes that are just egg and banana and Paleo waffles (google eat like a dinosaur waffles), but these are our breakfast staples.

Last, but not least I want to touch on food and lifestyle.  A dear friend brought this up the other day as we were discussing what we feed our families.  We have to be sure our food choices fit within our budget and our schedule.  As a mommy and a wife I can't spend all day everyday in the kitchen making everything from scratch.  We need to make sure we aren't worshipping food by letting it consume all of our time.  Also, our budget just doesn't allow us to buy certain items every single week.  I would love to buy everything organic and from the local dairy, but I just can't at this time. This is where my darling husband comes into play... big time!  We have been able to make a lot of the changes we have because of his help.  He helps with grocery shopping, meal planning, and even cooking the meals.  This has been a 100% team effort.  I am so blessed that he is able to do this and it has therefore made this transition for our family much smoother.  The key really is figuring out what works for you personally.  I hope this answers some questions and I will update again soon with some lunch ideas.