31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: The Family Table

For years I have been wondering...what ever happened to the traditional family dinner? 

This has never been an issue in our home. When I was growing up, we all sat down at the table and ate dinner...EVERY NIGHT...as a family. Now that I am grown with a family of my own, we sit down...EVERY NIGHT...and eat dinner as a family. There is no television, no phone calls or texting, no taking your plate out into the family room to loaf on the couch. 

We even say prayer:)

I have to say, as an adult, dinner is my favorite time of the day.
I LOVE chatting with my husband and kids.
We talk about our day...
Funny things that happened, bad things that happened, school, work, friends...
Sometimes we sit past the time our plates are empty (or we are full), and just talk.

I understand that schedules are packed...

But while growing up, my brothers and I were all in sports, and participated in several after school activities. We still always ate at home, at the dinner table.

Why is family time not a priority anymore?

  It also disturbs me when I go into someone's home and see a mile-high pile of junk on what is supposed to be a dining room table. Where do they eat? I always wonder...

In front of the television...

In their cars...

In their bedrooms???

All of the above.

And this thing with busting out the TV trays and eating in front of the television set (which I just saw demonstrated on a popular sitcom the other night)...Ridiculous!

I am sure I am offending a number of people, but...

Did you know...

When you eat in front of the television you consume between 20 and 50 percent more food!
 

This is our dining room table...

It looks like this 99% of the time.
I refuse to let things accumulate on the table (a tad OCD;))
(I know...I need tapers...and some fillers for my milk glass...)


Isn't it time to revive the family dinner...
At the family table?




And...
Here's some dining room eye candy!

Pottery Barn






oversstock.com

 Pottery Barn

 overstock.com

Pottery Barn


Doesn't it make you want to break out the good plates and have your own hearty, healthy family dinner?



Jessie

31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: A Healthy Snack Recipe

This weekend I found a yummy looking (and healthy) recipe while perusing some tweets. I altered it a bit to suit our tastes...and here you have it!

Pumpkin Yogurt Cups

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin (solid pack)
• 2 packets Stevia in the Raw
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• Pecans and organic graham cracker (crumbled) for topping (a maple granola would be awesome in this as well!)

Combine all ingredients, except toppings...

 Stir until smooth and well blended...

Pour into 2 small dishes...

Top with yummies...

 ENJOY ♥

Gabe is very serious about his after school treats:)

Thinking about whether or not he likes it...

 

We have a WINNER!!!

 And...

I knew this one liked it...

This was her second bowl today!!!

 And...

Just because I almost never show pics of myself...

My favorite little (well...not so little anymore) guy ♥

 Me and Lily ♥

We were having fun using Picnik (which I LOVE). 

I let them each chose the "effect" they wanted for their pic with mommy:)

I was a wonderfall evening!

See you tomorrow for another happy-healthy idea:) 

Jessie

 

31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family: EASY, Healthy Snacks

Snacks are an important part of our diets. Most people can not (and should not) eat only 3 times per day. Your body needs fuel to keep it running.  If you are not providing that fuel, your blood sugar drops, your metabolism slows down, and you will feel tired and sluggish. Children who are hungry become inattentive and crabby (sometimes I do too;)) But...you don't want to fill your body up with garbage! You need a good, healthy shot of protein and carbs.

I like to eat two or three snacks per day...depending on how late we eat dinner.

Here are some examples of quick, healthy convenience snacks...

 I just recently discovered the LARABAR...

I have been missing out!

There are literally only 3 or 4 ingredients per bar! NO sugar and NO Preservatives.

They consist of dates, nuts and fruit, and some have fair trade certified chocolate.

Rock on!

These are my son's favorite snack to pack in his lunch!

He has autism, so finding something he likes, that provides nourishment, is a monumental task;)

I always add a handful of almonds or walnuts if I use the Twisted Fruit as a snack for my kiddos!

I LOVE the Cliff offers these organic options that are free of  artificial preservatives:)

Some more, not prepackaged, ideas...

• 2 cups of popcorn, either air popped, or popped in a small amount of canola or olive oil, and topped with a little sea salt...and an apple.
• A banana, spread with some organic peanut butter.
• Veggies and hummus (did ya think I wasn't gonna throw my beloved hummus in there).
• A glass of organic milk and a piece of fruit.
• Mozzarella cheese stick and a handful of organic blueberries.
• A small bowl of fresh, sweet pineapple and some freshly shaved Parmesan (a yummy combo!).
• Almonds or walnut and an orange.
• A small veggie salad with a homemade vinaigrette.
• Greek yogurt (I ♥ Chobani), mixed with some milled organic flax seed.

I hope this has helped give you some new, quick snack ideas!

Tomorrow I will be back with a healthy snack recipe:)

Jessie

31 Day to a Happy, Healthy Family: Pantry/Cupboard/Fridge OVERHAUL!

Hello, and welcome to the first day of 31 Days to a Happy, Healthy Family!
 

I thought that I would start the series by showing you what we eat.

I opened my pantry, cupboards and fridge and clicked away.

I know that I am the nosy sort, and LOVE when fellow bloggers show me what they eat (or wear, or the beauty products they use...)

So...

ENJOY...

(Then we'll talk about the changes YOU need to make to your stockpile.)



My fridge:)

I keep my grains refrigerated for freshness...especially organic ones, because they contain NO preservatives.

The produce drawer...washed lettuce and cauliflower, ready to eat!

 Cheeses...YUM!

My favorite organic chicken.

I always keep citrus fruit separate from other produce...it will cause it to ripen and rot faster.

My favorite cupboard ♥ 

Lots of spices and seasonings are essential for cooking and baking from scratch:)





Yes, those are blue sprinkles...I do occasionally make the kiddos some less than healthy treats.
 AND that is okay...OCCASIONALLY!






 The pantry.

Behind the first row you see are more oils and vinegars...
coconut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, organic balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar and white balsamic vinegar.

Canned goods...store bought and home canned:)

 Pastas and bread crumbs (which I can't remember the last time I used...better check the expiration date;))

My wellness shelf...soy protein, flax and green tea.

And...yes,  I use 3 different kinds of peanut butter (one is in the fridge)!

One for baking, one for eating, and one unsweetened all natural for sandwiches w/ jelly to cut the sugar content of the whole sandwich.

I buy tuna in the pouch to eliminate our exposure to BPA in the cans.

Also, I prefer albacore (for omega-3's), but because of the high mercury content, it should only be consumed by women and children 1 or 2 times per month.

Snack bar stash;)

Onions (from our garden) and garlic.

Beans, lentil and rice...cheap and super healthy!

And finally our huge pile o' apples.


I usually have more fruits and veggies on hand, but I  have to go to the farm market today and get some fresh:) I ♥ farm markets:)



If you go to this, this and this post, you will understand the basics of eating better.

As a first step to a happy, healthy family...

I want you to go through your cupboards, pantry and fridge...

Eliminate anything that contains artificial coloring, flavors and sweeteners!

Eliminate anything that contains "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients!

Eliminate everything that contains MSG or sodium nitrate or nitrite!

You have just made the first step to cleaning up your diet:)



I hope you will come back tomorrow to see how I make healthy snacks easy and convenient:)

Please feel free to grab a button from my sidebar and share the health!




Jessie

31 Day to a Happy, Healthy Family

I have decided to do something super fun! 

I am joining The Nester for the 31 Days Series! 

 I will blog for ALL 31 days of October on...

 

I am so excited!

If anyone has any suggestions for posts...or questions you want answered...Let me know!

I hope that you will follow along.

Jessie

Attention A&E

Every morning I walk into my daughter's bedroom, gently rouse her by giving her a kiss on her soft little cheek, pull back the covers, and find this...

Or at least some version of this!

The toys are always a bit different...

But the collection is ALWAYS there!

Totally random things...

a doll house toilet...

a mini Etch-a-Sketch...

a plastic hotdog...

her Bible...

a Jibit

a glass gem she found on the floor at preschool (yum)...

I have finally come to the realization...

My daughter is a HOARDER.

Jessie

My Weight Loss Vlog

I finally finished my video blog!!!

This was one of the hardest posts that I have done.

I try not to look at pictures of myself when I was overweight.

They bring back a whole lot of insecurities for me...

And it has taken me FOREVER to see myself as something other than the girl in these pictures.

But someone recently told me I have to "own it" (thanks Kim!).

So...

Here it is...

I know it is a little rough...with the chair squeaking and blurry focus...

But I'll get better:)

Thank you for watching!

Jessie