I’m working on my resolutions for this new year. I know from many past failures that a diet won’t work for me. I never stick to them…not ever. Too many rules…too many restrictions. And really…I do not have time to read lables….getting in and out of the grocery store with four kids and remembering to pick up everything on my list…crazy enough! And sometimes the ingredients in healthy recipes are…different. Call me crazy or stubborn but I’ll never eat cinnamon on my chicken…not happening. This past couple of weeks I checked out several healthy cookbooks and only found two recipes that we might like to try…
I wanted to cry.
But maybe trying to change my family’s entire way of eating was too big a task to tackle at the moment. I did learn in the Made to Crave study that a goal needs to be broken down into small steps. Changing our entire diet is too overwhelming. So, instead I am going to work on making the meals we like a little healthier. Part of this goal will be to make as many dishes as possible homemade instead of store-bought. Starting with breakfast…
Homemade Granola
4&1/2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup sliced almonds (does the package say “slivered”?), 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, 1/2 cup pecans, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1/8 cup crushed flax-seed and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix all this up in a big bowl. Really you could mix in any nuts and seeds you like…this is just what I had on hand.
Simmer together 1/2 cup honey, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour this into the bowl of oats and work together. Try to get it all nice and moist then spread onto cookie sheets and bake until crisp and golden at 300F for about 45 minutes. You will need to stir it once or twice.
My kids liked it and ate it with milk. My husband ate it a handful at a time. WOW!
I like granola with yogurt and this week I am going to try my hand at making homemade yogurt…maybe greek yogurt. I did read some labels of the yogurt brands we like at the store the other day…not really as healthy as I thought yogurt should be…
I am also taking Elli’s advise over at her blog. Chewing my food slower and gradually increasing fiber in my diet. Small steps…
Linking up with Wellness Wednesday Blog Link-Up.
January 7, 2013 at 9:24 pm
Yes – small steps! Enjoy the journey. 🙂
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January 12, 2013 at 10:08 am
So sorry I haven’t kept up with your blog lately, this time of year I’m so busy, I apologize! I am very proud of the way you are taking such positive, practical, realistic steps to get healthier!! These are wonderful suggestions and I hope you know you are helping others through your posts. This is very Biblical due to its “Timothy” affect. Remember how Paul taught Timothy and Timothy taught others?
You’ll be so successful this year, keep it up! And if you need some more encouragement, I’ll be here for you, however I believe you are doing just fine with God’s whisper inside your ear.
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January 23, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Thank you Ellie!! You are an inspiration to me and your encouragement means more than I know how to express.
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January 19, 2013 at 1:01 pm
I’ve been a weight watcher for 10 years – it’s been so helpful and eye opening, and I incorporate other things I learn about food into the ww lifestyle.. it’s been very helpful for me – the small steps are definitely a huge part of it! As for the cinnamon on chicken – that’s a greek thing which I actually REALLY like if it’s done right, but not for my everyday meal. When you read it, it does sound kind of gross!
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January 19, 2013 at 9:00 pm
My husband was on WW for a year and since I did all the cooking I learned a ton about nutrition and portion sizes. WW does indeed work however, I about when crazy keeping up with point values and calculating the values of my recipes!! I am a Southern cook and had a hard time changing my cooking style…
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January 23, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Congratulations on taking those small steps. Just do something and start somewhere. The granola is something I’d like to make. Thanks for sharing!
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January 23, 2013 at 8:51 pm
Thank you for commenting! Granola is fun to make and really forgiving…you can really change around the ingridents to what your family likes.
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January 23, 2013 at 9:39 pm
It really is about small changes! I’ve made a LOT of small changes over the last few years in my family that have amounted to a major overhaul in how we eat. That’s one of the reason’s I’m doing a monthly focus this year on my blog to encourage people to just make one small change each month. Good luck as you continue to pursue health! Thank you for linking up with Wellness Wednesdays @ intoxicatedonlife.com
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January 23, 2013 at 10:40 pm
I always feel like we’re just taking baby steps and not getting anywhere. When I look back at where we came from it’s surprising at how well we do now compared to “then”. Keep up the great work and you will find success!
Visiting from Wordless Wednesday Link Up
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January 28, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Hey, when are you going to post another blog? I miss them but so thankful you always “like” mine. Appreciate you!
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January 29, 2013 at 9:20 pm
I’ve had a busy week Ellie but things are calming down a bit. however I just found out that some people who were at our home this weekend now have the flu…so now I am praying that we were not exposed…
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January 30, 2013 at 9:06 am
oooh, I’ll be praying your family doesn’t get it, poor thing! In the meantime, create a lot of garlic and onion recipes, consume low fat yogurt, cayenne pepper – build up your immune system and kill those germs. (Just wanted you to know we missed you.)
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January 30, 2013 at 7:41 pm
Thank you Friend. I made potato soup tonight with extra garlic and onions! So far everyone is still healthy but we stayed home tonight from church just in case. I made everyone drink extra water too in honor of you last post…
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March 3, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
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