Changing up the way we eat

I feel really good about how today went.  I was mindful of everything I ate and did a double hitter for Zumba.  This morning I ate a mix of cottage cheese with applesauce, cinnamon, chia seeds, and a few tablespoons of granola.  While the kids were busying themselves playing in separate rooms I decided to take advantage of the situation and I washed the towels and cleaned all the mirrors in the bathrooms.  By the time I finished that I had to get the kids dressed and fed breakfast so we could get to Zumba Toning at the gym on time.  It snowed here all weekend so the roads were pretty snow packed and I actually called ahead to make sure that they were still having class.  I guess everyone  had cabin fever from the storm this weekend because the gym was packed!  I just started going to the Zumba toning class and I really like it.  I went to a different instructor's class several months ago and I didn't like it as much as this one.  Risa's class alternates toning songs with cardio songs.  The cardio songs are geared towards toning so there are a lot more lunges and squats in them than regular Zumba songs and the last toning song we did killed my legs but I still had a great time.  I even decided to stay for regular Zumba class right afterwards!  So I managed to get in two hours of Zumba today.  I think I will make it a Monday regular, I really enjoyed it.  Before class I ate a Chia Seed Kashi Granola Bar to give me an energy boost because I knew I would probably go to both classes.  Afterwards I picked up the kids and we went home for lunch.  I'm trying to get the kids to eat a little healthier since I feel like all they want to eat is snacks and mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.  So they had to eat a yogurt and some fruit before they ate anything else.  Chloe had an avocado, Lily ate the yogurt.  Then Lily had mac and cheese and Chloe had chicken nuggets.  Typical.  I really need to change this up.  My husband and I were talking about how frustrated we were that Lily especially won't eat any vegetables, even the ones she likes and he decided we should take away sugar.  The kids eat way too much candy and treats and it's mostly my fault.  I think I have been giving them a lot because I feel upset I can't have it so I am living vicariously through them.  But no more!  Lily's behavior has been very defiant lately, and the kids fight like cats and dogs.  I know you aren't really supposed to reward kids with treats but we are kind of doing the opposite of that, we are taking them away.  They can have one treat a week if they behave.  We want to see if getting the sugar out of their system and getting them to eat better affects their behavior.

On that line, my goal for the rest of the week is to make green smoothies for the rest of the week.  That way the kids have a healthy lunch and get their vegetables in, of course they will be allowed solid foods too, but I want them (and mostly me) to have the drink at lunchtime.  This house need a major overhaul of what we eat on a daily basis.  I need to plan more vegetable side dishes.  The kids do pretty well with fruit.  Lily will eat apples, oranges, grapes, and strawberries.  She is such a picky eater, I often get frustrated with her.  Matt says it's because of her personality.  Chloe on the other hand east pretty much everything, even eggplant! I don't worry as much about her, I just need to make sure she has healthy options.  I think I am going to look for grilled chicken at Costco this time instead of chicken nuggets which are much less healthy.  So that is one of my major projects I need to tackle: fixing the food problem around the house.

The rest of the day went pretty well.  I was shot by the time we got home so after getting the kids fed, I put Chloe to bed and Lily and I played Mario Kart on the Wii for the next hour or so.  I ate a yogurt and two Mandarin oranges for snack and managed to not eat anything else for dinner.  Victory for me!  We ate the left over whole wheat artichoke pasta for dinner (with Zucchini strips in it) with Broccoli on the side, which Lily and Chloe both refused to eat (interesting because Chloe ate it really well last night and the kids usually love Broccoli).  I might start limiting their milk consumption as well and start giving them more water.  Most days Lily will drink 4-5 cup fulls of milk in a day and then not eat much else. 

We spent the evening together as a family since it was one of the rare nights that Matt was actually home and put the kids to bed by 7:30.  Now I am going to go relax.