Quick Food for a Vacation

Sandwich ingredients

Here we are on a mini-vacation.  Didn't know if we'd make it, but we are at the beach.  We have a double challenge with our food.  We are still participating in the No Takeout Challenge.  Now, we have to keep it going while on vacation!!!

Anyone who has gone on vacation knows what it's like to figure out what to eat and/or prepare in the way of meals.  It's a struggle to come up with quick snacks and meals.  It's a struggle to come up with something that everyone will enjoy.

The easiest thing to make is a sandwich.  Each family member can customize their own sandwich.  I brought sliced turkey breast, bologna, cheese slices, mayonnaise, and mustard.

Dinner meal ingredients

Then, there are pre-packaged items.  Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, Wolf Brand Chili, and Ranch Style Beans are among the items we brought with us.  My hope is that we can buy some meat at the local grocery at the beach.  We made sure to rent a room with a kitchenette so we can cook some of our own meals.

Easy pastas

For something a little more quick, we brought macaroni and cheese and soups in cups.  The room, fortunately, has a microwave.

Healthier meal alternatives

Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and spinach can be dipped in the ranch dressing I brought with us.  Mott's Healthy Harvest apple sauce comes in handy, too.  All we need to do is make sure to provide some plastic spoons.   Strawberries, green grapes, and red grapes are perfect fruits to go.  All we did was to containerize the fruits and veggies with either baggies or plastic reusable Rubbermaid containers.

Snacks in bag

Finally, we had portioned out a few snacks.  Among the choices were cereal, chocolate animal crackers, and raw almonds and walnuts.  I love Cheerios and so do the kids.  I eat the walnuts because they are filling and good for you.

Well, thanks for reading about our quick foods for a vacation.  I hope you got some ideas for your vacations.

 

What about you, my readers? Do you like salads? Do you like grapes?  What about chili or Cheerios?  I encourage you to get creative with quick meals.  Don't shy away from allowing your family members to eat what they want to eat, as long as they are eating from the recommended food groups, too.

May God bless you with His peace and wisdom, my beloveds.

This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads. I hope you enjoyed it!

Snacking is My Downfall

Snacking is bad for me.

Snacking is a downfall.

I had lost two pounds last week.  I gained one pound back.  I know why.  It's my snacking.  This is good and bad.

It's bad that I gained weight, of course.  No one wants to regain weight.  I didn't want to regain any weight.  I worked to take the weight off.  I am disappointed.

There is good news.  I have found out that the snacking makes me gain the weight back.  It feels great to learn what has been sabotaging me.  If I snack the right way, I will keep it off.  If I snack without discipline, I will gain weight.

A positive move happened this weekend. 

My hubby embraced buying more fresh fruit.  My youngest daughter loves strawberries.  My youngest son liked blueberries.  Hubby bought both this past Saturday.  We also bought raspberries and blackberries.

We also bought two large batches of spinach.  My teen daughter has wrapped chicken nuggets with spinach.  She's used either ketchup or ranch dressing as a spread.  I like eating spinach in a taco or in a salad.  My youngest son likes to chew them on its own.

I also like tomatoes.  Youngest daughter can eat them on their own, too.  I think she likes anything red but can't handle cherries.  Tomatoes are slowly coming in from our garden.  We bring them in green, and I ripen them inside.

My plan is to move the snacks out of my room.  Having them in my room allows me to snack too much.  I need to put them back in the pantry.  I need to put them in a high shelf.  The snacks need to be out of reach to my kids and ME.

Thanks for reading this entry. I appreciate it.

By posting this update, I am jotting down what's working for me.  I would also hope this information helps someone else.  Please pray for me, if you have a chance.  Weight loss is not the ultimate reason for changing food choices and exercising.  I want to feel, and be, healthier.

How about you, my readers?  Have you struggled to lose weight?  Have you struggled to eat right?  Are you snacking too much?  I encourage you to consider bite-size changes in your life, gradually accumulating the better habits in your life.  If you need to improve your health, search your heart and ask God to help you.

This is an entry for Medical Mondays.  For past entries, click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints that I discussed here are just my opinions.  Please consult your physician before altering anything relating to your health.  I am only suggesting here to take charge of your health.  Don't just leave your health in the hands of your doctors; become your own advocate.  You know best how your body is doing.

No Takeout Challenge Update #3

Goldfish--a family favorite

We are chugging along in our No Takeout Challenge.  It hasn't been easy.  I've been craving brisket and potato salad from Bill Miller's.  I will have to buy some brisket and place it in the slow cooker.  I've heard one can also make barbacoa with brisket; I could make several meals with such a large portion of meat. 

Baggies labeled for reuse

Our portioning out of snacks is working greatly.  The snacks are lasting longer.  I still have one of two boxes of Goldfish in my cabinet.  Of course, the cabinet is in my room!  I have been holding onto snacks in my room for a few years so my kids won't overeat them.

Last night, I put beans in the slow cooker.  I then made some flour tortillas this morning.  I wanted these two ingredients for some good meals over the weekend.  I can make refried bean tacos.  We can also make potato and egg tacos.

I can't make tortillas all the time.  Hubby asked me to make the tortillas for the weekend; the tortillas are too fattening.  I just wanted to change things up a bit as I have been craving tacos.  I know that making the tortillas is labor intensive.  I do think, though, that my arms get some good exercise.

We keep running out of milk.  We already buy 3 to 4 gallons.  That isn't enough.  I'm gonna have to buy the powdered milk again.  It worked in the past, but it takes time to make.

Lastly, I hope to create a unit study about cooking and health.  I have some notes that I had written up months ago.  It might be time for me to put it together.  It would be fun to start the new "school year" this August with a family fun-packed study about how to put a nutritious meal together.  It goes without saying that I would love to share it with you, my dear readers.

Thanks for reading this update.  I appreciate all your tips and prayers.  I hope to share more tips next week to aid others in this challenge of going without takeout.  Stay tuned!

I've accepted this no-takeout challenge, which began Friday, July 1st to December 31st.  It is not easy, but I know it is worth it.  I want the many benefits that can come from not eating out.  If you want to know more about this challenge, you can visit the SIX Month Money Challenge Facebook page.  If you would like to join, please "like" the page and join the yahoo group that accompanies it, as well.

How about you, my readers?  How often do you buy takeout?  Have you ever tried not buying takeout?  What's the longest you've gone without takeout?  I encourage you to see how you can cut out takeout.  I think it's worth a try.  The benefits are endless.

 

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry has been part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

Healthy Snack Alternatives

Hubby bought me this cake for Mother's Day.

Before I start on today's blog entry, I want to say a little bit about my health condition.  When I am struck with inflammation, I become limited in my mobility.  That leads me to not be able to exercise as I would like.  That's why I am having to discontinue my exercising for the duration that my pain exists.  I will pick up the exercising again as soon as my heath gets better.

The cake I love so much is processed food--not good.

Now that my update has been given, I want to tell you about some plans.  I will start a fast of sorts beginning this Wednesday.  I am hoping to stay away from soda and salty snacks like potato chips.  I am wanting to detox from all the chemicals of processed foods.  I am also wanting to sacrifice the cravings to draw closer to God.

To that end, I present a few healthier snacks that have worked for me.  I hope to keep incorporating these kind of healthy snacks into my life.  My children need me to eat healthier.  I want to be around for them for as long as possible.  They also need these better alternatives.

These cereals can be put into snack bags and eaten without guilt.

I am a big fan of snack bags.  I measure a cup of healthy cereal, like Kashi Cinnamon Harvest and/or plain Cheerios.  I pour the cup into the baggie.  The amount is just right as a single serving.  Once I've eaten all of the cereal in the bag, I am full and do not overeat.

This is a great combo of fruit and cereal.

Here's a wonderful alternative.  I should have included the milk in this picture.  Anyway, you can eat bran cereal and real strawberries with milk.  You can also use bananas.  Bran cereal is a healthier alternative to the sugar-laden cereals and adding the fruit can give you the sweetness you still crave.

A healthy snack to take along in a trip.

Finally, here is a pre-packaged alternative to the sugary snacks-Mott's fruit sauces.  I personally like the Granny Smith apple variety.  My children like the blueberry-flavored sauce.  It says on the label that no sugar has been added to these.  I like that these are individually wrapped and that I can reuse the cups for other projects like seed planting.

Well, I hope that you will continue to pray for me as I work on my health.  I remain optimistic that I can regain my good health.  I will keep praying to God.  I am trusting Him to help me with my health.  I will keep you all updated as to what can be done to squelch the inflammation because I know that many suffer with it, often unknowingly.

How about you, my readers?  Do you snack?  Are you selecting the right snacks?  I hope so.  I pray that you seek out the best snacks for the sake of your health.  The children in your life are also depending on you to choose the best snacks for them, too.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.  

This is an entry for Medical Mondays.  For past entries, click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints that I discussed here are just my opinions.  Please consult your physician before altering anything relating to your health.  I am only suggesting here to take charge of your health.  Don't just leave your health in the hands of your doctors; become your own advocate.  You know best how your body is doing.