The Real Food Challenge Results

So a week ago, I set out to meet a goal.  I wanted our family (especially our boys) to eat at least 2 fruits or vegetables at every meal.  I also made a chart for James to help him try some new fruits and vegetables that he may not ordinarily eat.  Here is how it went!

I started adding fruit to his breakfasts…this was a challenge.  He is never really hungry in the morning, so I had to make sure he had some in his morning snack as well.  For lunches he is always provided two at school- one fruit and one veggie.  I cannot keep tabs to make sure he ‘really’ ate those at lunch, but I know he always at the fruit! I tried to emphasize the importance of having a healthy treat with a sugary treat!  -Sure, have a cookie, but also eat a veggie or fruit with it!

I would let him have a snack after school that had at least one fruit or on veggie with it.  We did banana and yogurt, peaches and pretzels, cucumber and string cheese, etc.  He loves cucumbers so that helped out a lot!  I even got him to eat some ‘banana’ ice cream!  It’s frozen bananas processed with cocoa powder- 2 ingredients and ONE fruit!!

 

For dinners I always put a plate of veggies in the center of the table in addition to the veggies on his plate!  The boys loved picking at the veggie plate and would often eat more just because it was there!!!  That was a great bonus! 

I am going to continue to make sure he eats at least 5 a day of his fruits and veggies, by continuing a fridge chart.  This chart will be the ‘I ate a Rainbow” like I had shown before.  It will not be as intimidating as the last chart!

All in all, I think it really did boost his intake and got him used to having those extra fruits and veggies with his meal.  It was easy for the rest of us, and I am glad it made a difference with James!!!

Next goal will be announced tomorrow!!

The cycle of life- stress, anxiety, calm, stress…

So I attempted to bust out a Vlog today…but, my internet is too slow and it is just not letting me upload it!  Instead I will quickly (or not quickly) write about all of the fun details of stresses which have been plaguing me…the same stresses I come to every few months!  Sometimes it just takes a lecture, some ranting, some relating, and then some reasoning to get through it and back on the path to happyland!

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After moving across the world, living out of a suitcase for nearly 3 months and now getting settled into our new home, I reached my breaking point.  The breaking point that you see when there is a mom in a shopping center in near tears as her kids are going nuts….that was me last Friday.    Between Gavin being sick, Eric being gone 14 hours a day, us being in a new area with no English and nothing nearby (unless you drive), rain that kept us trapped in the house, it was all just a little too much.  I had my days organized, a routine set loosely that we followed pretty well, and some ideas up my sleeve to keep the boys entertained.  It just was not enough to keep me in a place where I could relax AND enjoy the new experiences.  I was overloading myself with lists of things I needed to get done, workouts I wanted to complete, pounds I wanted to lose, vocabulary I needed to learn (German), baking that needed to be done…the list(s) just went on and on.  I was giving myself anxiety attacks just from looking at the lists, or even just from trying to keep calm and easy breezy when I was really feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

Sometimes, I think I am a superhero! As a mom, I am...but that does not mean I have the ability to stretch myself thin and get away with it!

It helped me to talk to a friend and get that affirmation that it is okay to have my kids watch some tv, if it means we are all happy and calm…their brains will NOT rot out of their heads.  Besides, my son chooses Magic School Bus, and the only things Gavin will enjoy are Baby Einstein and Baby Signing Time videos.  I was able to relate to someone in a similar situation and it helped me not feel crazy or worse, like a bad mother.  I know my kids are good kids, they are kind and caring….they just need a little more attention than others.  They like being involved with whatever I am doing, and I need to appreciate that rather than worry it will slow me down.  I was able to see the fun in Gavin playing with all of my baking supplies, rather than worry I would need to re-wash everything.  I could laugh at them playing loudly and over the top, because that was making them happy and really, noise is OKAY!!  I won’t feel badly that I want to shut the door and read while they are resting so I can rest instead of rushing to complete more chores on my list.  I have never been a SAHM to two kids, only one, so this is new to me.  It is also new to me to not be near the parks, stores, play areas, etc that come from living in a larger community.  HOWEVER, I live in a nice country side where I plan to find walking areas for us to enjoy, berry patches for us to pick, a play ground of our own that we can create in our large backyard, cardboard play houses we can make with moving boxes and paint.  There are more things available than I could realize in the throes of my stress! 

My boys just need me to be at my best, everything else comes together from there!

Thanks to my amazing Canadian friends (plus the Cdn living in Aussie) for once again letting me vent, stress, appear crazy, and just feel what I needed to feel in order to move on!  These are vicious cycles my friends (trying to care for everyone else, except yourself and then how that ultimately cancels out all of the hard work that exhausted you in the first place because you end up a tired hot mess), so let’s get through them together!  What cycles do you suffer from?  What leaves you a hot mess in public (work, school, with kids)?  How do you get through it?

…. please, share your cycles and solutions 🙂

A day to celebrate my family!!!

This day was a day that really gave me a moment to see first hand what ways I can motivate and lead my children.  I want my sons to feel active, healthy and supported.  I want to show them, through my own actions, how important it is to take care of yourself, lead a healthy lifestyle, and take care of your family members.  Today really helped that message shine through!!

Our Family Fun Run today....James' first race!

We went together as a team and even had a little friend of James running with us!  We only did the mile since James is not much of a runner, yet.  We wanted to make sure he didn’t feel overwhelmed for his first race! 

Before the race

James and Charlie 🙂

James did really well.  He kept taking off at a sprint, so I was trying to show him how to slow down and pace himself a bit (a lesson I am STILL working on).  I had him holding my hand a few times along the way just to keep him at a slow, easy pace.

Hard to tell, but I am giving my "Rock On" pose...tongue out like a rock star 😉

I think James preferred holding Charlie’s hand while running!!  That and stopping for water!

Gotta love having a running buddy!

Speaking of running buddy, I had my awesome Hub!!  This poor guy came out and pushed the (non)running stroller even though he has a broken toe and busted knee!!  He was hurting bad, and I think it hurt him even more that he has been setting PR’s for the last month, and then got stopped by a handle on a man-hole during a night run!  He came out and gave Gavin some fun in the stroller, and showed how much this family run meant to him!

Small strides = less pain???? Not really, but he took one for the team!

We had a great time overall!  When we came around after our first loop (2 loops to get 1 mile) James was thinking he was done….I felt bad telling him he had another 1/2 mile loop to go!

He was sprinting to finish......the first lap 😉

We kept going strong for the 2nd loop.  I made him stick by me and continue to run/jog slowly so he could make the full loop without walking!!  We were so proud of him!!  We made sure to all finish together as a family in order to show him that we are a TEAM, we stick together and finish as one!

Yay, Groffs!!

Now come the medals and the REAL look of pure joy on James’ face.  He loved getting that medal and hearing people cheer him on…he loves the attention (not sure where he gets it….ahem….me)!

Loving that medal!

The Running Groffs post race

Our little team...Gavin was not interested in the photo op 😉

 It was a great day!!!  It was rewarding to see James accomplish a goal and I am hoping he gets the ‘running bug’ so we can do this more often!  We enjoyed some rest for the day, a trip to the grocery store to get my Clean Eating staples and then it was off to Eric’s ‘Hail and Farewell’…pictures will be posted tomorrow.  He received a nice little speech, a super cool plaque and the gift of knowing we will soon be on our next adventure together as a family.  I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for putting up with the crazy hours and work my husband has been doing for the past three years!  It is nice to get a pat on the back sometimes, military life can be tough on spouses, and just having someone acknowledge it really makes you feel better 🙂  So proud of my husband and all the hard work he did here!  In the military it is pretty well-known that the mission comes first and the family next….my husband always makes sure we feel like we are the ONLY priority, even when we can’t be!  He truly is a hero!

Proud of my Hub and all he does!

 To finish up my night of celebrating my family, I brought the kids home so Eric could enjoy/celebrate his last Beer Pong Battle with the ‘Cryo Boys’.  James and I kicked back and watched some “Jumanji”, I guzzled water and he munched on popcorn.  Gavin passed out and drooled so much I had to change my shirt (love it)!! 

Love cuddles with my boys!

Ending note: I am proud of myself tonight because there were so many yummy foods at this party, so many treats and things I would normally go over board with!  Tonight, however, I stuck to the veggie tray (no dip for me) the fruit tray (lots of fresh pineapple, berries and grapes) and the grilled chicken (no sauce).  I even had cake in reaching distance but instead of eating  the 1 inch by 1 inch pieces of cake, I took one bite only 🙂  I feel good, not weighed down and heavy, so that makes me feel good about passing on the treats!!

How do you celebrate your family?  What new things have you tried (as a family, alone, or with someone else)?  How do you feel after you stick to your healthy plan and not give into the treats?

Dark Chocolate Cherry Date Balls and Obbligatos

Saturday was a day for being a super busy mom, making some new date balls, having a playdate, enjoying some treats and indulgent Mexican food (which I never eat) and having a movie night with the Hub…

 

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This whole post keeps getting deleted and I am not sure what is going on, but this is my third time writing…grrr!  Now it is quick and easy!  Started the morning with the Shred followed by a yummy and satisfying breakfast for one (Eric is working all weekend and 12’s all week, the story of our lives here on Oki)

GF pancakes with berries, bananas and dark choco, egg beater omelet and a bowl of fruit

We went to James’ last football game (pics hopefully coming from another mom, since my camera died).  He did a great job!  He told me he wants to play basketball next!!  So glad he is happy to be active and I am sure that he gets a lot of that from seeing his mommy and daddy maintain an active lifestyle.  He is our number one fan, and we are his!!  Next we went bowling with some friends, and had a great time!  James loves playing with these lovely little ladies, they have been around for a while and I know it will be hard when we are gone and he doesn’t get to see them anymore!  It is part of being a military family…you are always saying goodbye to someone who has been your support and second family while you are so far from home!

Gavin (the Youngin') with some Canadian Biscuit excitement!

James and Annabelle

L'il Austin

 

The kids did their bowling while the mama’s did their positive conversing venting and catching up!  There may have been a few numerous fries eaten (which has been a very long time for me)!  We then ventured home to decide what to do for dinner….and also for me to make my new date balls and second attempt at guacamole!  Both turned out awesome!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Date Balls

Makes 18 balls (I made 12 balls and 2 bars)

• 3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean
• 2 Tbsp slivered almonds
• 5oz dates
• 2 oz Cherry flavored Dried Plums
• 1Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa
• 1 oz dark chocolate
• 1 Tbsp chocolate PB2 (optional)
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla

Blend the dry ingredients together, getting them into a powder like consistency.  I used my new “magic bullet” thing.

I added the cocoa after I blended the Go Lean and Almonds

Process the dates, dried plums, and vanilla seperatly until they are crumbly

They are ready to go!

I tried to mix the dry with the wet and then blend them all together with the bullet, but that was not happening, so I whipped out my half-dead food processor.  It was happy it didn’t have to chop whole almond or tough dates!!

Ready to be balled up!

I whipped out the dark chocolate and then chopped it up into chunks so I could add it to the balls and bars….this chocolate is so yummy and rich!!

Love, love love!!

It was so hard not to just munch this all up!

I rolled a couple of balls in the PB2 powder for a nice mixed up taste…it was really good!  All in all I was able to make 12 balls (Tbsp sized) and 2 bars (the bars are the same amount as 3 balls).  They turned out great!!!

Rolled in PB2

Done and done!

Next I made up the guacamole…for some reason my pictures did not turn out (I really want a  new camera)!  The taste test made me randomly crave Mexican food….those who know me, know that I cannot eat spicy food.  It literally rips my guts apart, but this guacamole had me in a rare state and so we decided to go to ‘Obbligatos’ a Mexican restaurant out here!

We wanted to get some of their homemade nachos (made from their homemade tortillas)…so amazing!!!  I ordered the guacamole, but I think mine was better because I like the twist of cilantro I add 🙂  Either way, this place is still VERY yummy!

Sooooo good!!

 I ordered the taco meal (I was REALLY feeling brave).  It came with 3 tacos, spanish rice, chili and a salad.  I knew I would not be touching the chili, but that is okay!

"This is going to kill me later" At least I only ate half!

The boys were all happy they got their tortillas and made sure to fill their bellies!  Even Gavin got in on the tortilla action!!

My lovely boys!!!

After this we all came home (I was ready to self-implode) to relax and enjoy our Saturday night!  Eric and I watched “Jonah Hex” while I forced myself to stay awake on the sofa!  I chugged as much water as I could because I knew I would be hurting for the early morning run if I was full of sodium 😉  So, off to bed and hopefully tomorrow will be a great run….aiming for the full 3 miles with no stopping (have only done 2 straight so far)!  Hope everyone is having a great Saturday night!!!

What indulgences do you enjoy even though you know you will pay for it later?  How do you like to spend time with your family?