Making Wholesome Food Accessible

As I was chopping apples and carrots this morning, I thought of you all. If you're like me, endless food preparation can feel tedious at times. But let me encourage you that making wholesome food accessible by keeping up with preparations IS WORTH IT!

I have been setting aside a block of time on Monday morning to do some basic food preparation for the week. With great music playing, my children involved in other duties, and Tickle "keeping me company," I prepare apple slices and carrot sticks; I wash and trim other fruits and vegetables for convenient additions to meals; I boil a dozen eggs; I make a couple of quarts of yogurt; I stir up the peanut butter... and so on. Yes, it is tedious, but IT IS WORTH IT!

All week long I am recurrently thankful for this time that I invested in preparing. If Monday morning is not doable for you, perhaps you could set aside some on Sunday evening to make these preparations. I know from experience (and you probably do too): if wholesome food is not convenient, you'll grab something else that is!

Here are a few more ideas:

• Make pancakes over the weekend, but triple the recipe so that you have leftovers for a while. Pancakes are the perfect answer to "I'm still hungry. What else can I eat?" My kids love them straight out of the fridge, but it is nearly as quick to stick them in the toaster and spread them with PB or jam (fruit sweetened, of course!).
• Pop a few batches of popcorn to have as a handy snack. Aren't your kids ALWAYS looking for something else to eat?
• Have an evening set aside for baking. I do this on a night that my husband and son are out. We girls postpone the supper cleanup until we have mixed up some granola, made some power bars, baked bread or muffins... not all at once though. My "secret" is to always triple recipes. I make one batch for now and two to freeze. This way, I only have to bake one or two things a week.
• Gather a few things that your kids love to eat like peanuts, raisins, cereal bites, dried apples, dates, other nuts, even a few pretzels. Baggie it all up so that it is handy for the-grab-a-snack-while-you-head-out-to-ballet-or-karate days.

I hope to post my pancake, granola and power bar recipes soon. And I also plan to give you my thoughts on why an egg a day is so valuable for our children. So thanks for coming back to check on my blog! And, seriously consider taking time each week to do your food prep. You'll be so glad you did, even if you're not while you're working. If we moms don't make wholesome food convenient, we will find it so much harder to be healthy for the long haul.

"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27