Food as of late...

One happy change this summer has been the way Andy and I have been eating. The beginning's of this change comes about a year ago when we decided to cut back on meat to save on our grocery budget. That change was having a meatless meal or two a week and using meat more like the side-kick to the meal rather than the star. We realized we didn't even need that much meat. As our budget increased we decided to keep  on keeping on with our smaller carnivore portions. 

Also, we have been trying to eat more whole foods. I want my peanut butter to have peanuts, and not peanuts and 50 other things I can't pronounce. Not that our cupboards are entirely legible, but just wanting to keep it in moderation. 

Then about a month ago I read this book. Totally random and not very pertinent considering our lack of eaters let alone picky eaters. However, it caught my eye for one reason or another and I continued to perused it during various Barnsey trips while consuming way too many iced beverages. 

The biggest take-away: I want to enjoy food and I want my family to enjoy food. I want to enjoy good food.

Changes for us:

Spending more time at the dinner table - not rushing through dinner every night. (something Andy loves but takes effort for me)

Eating more slowly to enjoy it. (So hard! We are fast eaters. In Tucson we would try and pretend our Nun neighbor was at the table with us so we would eat accordingly.)

Eating more "real" food", more variety, and more fruits and veggies. (We realized when we started slowing down to eat we noticed a difference. There is a reason fast food should be eaten fast, it's not very good if you try and savor it.) 

The British and French both have an afternoon tea/goutier which is pretty much a fourth meal or snack. The French don't snack, even the kids. They have their four meals a day and that's it. 

I was all over this idea and adding it to our day. Usually I am starving by 4:30 and then we have dinner with the Senior Citizens. Now we have a snack around 4:30 and eat dinner at 7. Love it!  Our snacks are pretty simple, fruit, bread, or chips and hummus.

Some how this change came hand in hand with the challenge of doing a week of meatless meals. (And if you can believe it was Andy who was pushing for it!) A veg week  had always seemed impossible before, but thanks to Pinterest it was kind of fun searching for recipes that I never would have looked twice at. I usually turn down recipes if they have too many ingredients I would have to buy, or use a lot of something that is expensive, or is just plain too much work, but for one week I decided to pick what sounded good and give it a try.

1. Curry noodles (not pictured) 
2. Baked Falafel (one of my top picks, surprisingly easy and so yummy, even if you don't like greek food)
3. Quinoa salad with avacodo (Andy's top pick)
4. Easy Chile Rellenos (Andy's other top pick :))
5. Red beans and rice
6. Creamy Mushroom Pasta (better than Olive Garden, seriously. A lot of work too, but so worth it.)
7. Potato and onion soup (made from our very own potato and onions!!!)
8. Sweet Potato burgers (absolutely awful, mush-in-a-bun) (not pictured)

                 





The results: We loved it! I only started to crave meat after the 5th or 6th day. :)

Now variety is our goal. Instead chicken gracing the table most nights, we try and do variety. If we have beef for one meal I try and make other things that week, same for chicken and fish.

But ultimately, we want to enjoy our food. Food should be fun. We are not following any strict rules, or completely cutting out anything; just eating our way through. :) Enjoy!