Clean livin'

So the Copelands are eating "clean". Ya know, lotsa fruits and veggies, no processed stuff, limited carbs and dairy...yeah, super fun, right? Let the envy sink in before reading....Oh, and soda is out of the question *gasp*. Tell me again why I agreed to try this?!

It's actually been ok...mind you, it's day two. Ask me in a week or so. Also mind you, I'm drinking a glass of wine as I type. Not sure that's on the meal plan. Stickly Stickerson I am not.

I'll tell ya what's dirty about eating clean...the grocery bill. Hence our country being the most obese in the world. Not even those crazy couponers can eat clean and save money. I have yet to see a "50% off Kale" in my paper. Just sayin. It's hard to be healthy minded when we have the dollar menu at McDonald's as an option. On every friggin corner. Sometimes those fries just make everything right with the world. I get it. That would be my choice too but then I had these little humans I'm responsible for (and the gut to prove it) that made  me more conscious about my own health during pregnancy, beyond and now their little lives. I want to encourage good eating habits to A: teach them early to eat well as I believe you carry this with you in life and B: being told by Caleb's Oncologist that environmental factors (IE: processed foods, hormones etc) are largely contributing to the increase in childhood cancers.

I'm a busy mom. I work and have two small kids with finicky appetites. Sometimes quick and easy is my go to. But quick and easy usually translates to processed and fattening, loaded with sodium and God knows what dyes and artificial crud. So....what is an on-a-major-budget, busy Mamma to do? Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan. If I prepare AHEAD of time and buy in bulk, I seem to do so much better. It's also nice to have internet crack Pinterest and friends as a great resource for creative recipes! Again, two days in. Ask me again in a week, after a glass or two of wine. ;)

It all started with breakfast. I decided to use my handy-dandy (and frequently used cupcake pan) to make little mini egg/kale/tomato/turkey sausage (and whatever veggie may be laying around) "cupcakes" that we can grab and quickly heat up on the go. They're some kinda delish. I added quinoa to this week's (making these for the week) for added protein!

I also made my first spaghetti squash "pasta" dish. Yeah, the pics are deceiving. Maddie was "meh" about it (after an initial thumbs up) but Gavin wanted no part of it after a few bites. Ugh. I knew these two would be tricky!

 I did make stuffed peppers with quinoa, spicy turkey sausage, organic stewed tomatoes and they were amazeballs! So good! The kids really couldn't eat them cause of the spiciness....ugh. So....task at hand? Find kid friendly clean recipes. Trying Kale and cauliflower "mashed potatoes" tonight....let's hope there's not an uprising.