About Food

I seem to discuss eating and food quite a bit with family and friends.  

It seems that everyone wants to eat healthier and more frugally.  

I'm writing this stuff out because I want to share it with you and family and friends.  

This is a compilation of things I have learned over the years and have implemented into our life.  

There is a LOT of information out there, but I've tried to sift through it and find facts and focus on what we believe.  

We tend to believe that whole food and real stuff is better than processed or low-fat.  

I've also spent a lot of time figuring out how to make the most of our dollar.  We live on a single income and we feed a family of four and try to do it as healthy as possible.

I'm not writing this to make myself sound great or like such a good mother.  Or even to tell you that you should do these things.  

I just want to share what we are doing and maybe you can get some ideas for your family.

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What we are doing to eat healthier-

• We are eating more whole foods.  Now, we are by no means going paleo, I love my breads and pastas! We are eating lots of fruits and vegetables.  Right now, because it is summer, there are a lot of our favorites "in season."  During the winter months, we eat a lot of fresh broccoli and carrots and many frozen veggies.  
• We cook at home most of the time.  I like to know what is in my food and what I'm eating.  I've done a lot of research over the past several years about food, and it can be alarming what you read.  I've tried to make changes here and there to eat as healthy as we possible can.
• Not only do we cook at home most of the time, I make more things from scratch.  This goes back to knowing what is in my food and knowing that it is healthier.  Also, most times, it tastes better!
• I worry about processed foods, but I also worry about chemicals/pesticides on my fruits and hormones and antibiotics in my meat.  
• I still buy commercial fruit, but I wash it very thoroughly.
• I try to incorporate vegetarian meals into our weekly plan.  Some of ours are: purple hull peas and cornbread, tortellini and white sauce, bean burritos, pasta primavera, and vegetable soup.
•  We eat very little beef these days.  We usually only buy ground beef when we are making burgers.  We do buy steak on occasion to grill.  For most recipes that call for ground beef, we use ground pork.  We had used ground turkey in the past for lower fat content, but I found the difference was not very substantial.  Also, growth hormones are not permitted to be used in pork.  Hallelujah! I know when I buy ground pork that it at least does not have the extra hormones in it.  The same can not be said for most chicken/beef that you buy.
• When buying chicken, I look for packages that specifically say "no antibiotics or growth hormones."
• We eat a lot of tilapia.  I try to have fish on the menu once a week.  Between fish and vegetarian meals, it reduces our dependence on meals with meat in them.  I buy a big bag of frozen tilapia from Walmart.  I'm not 100% sure of it's origin and what chemicals may be in it, so that is one thing I need to do some research on.  Other fish choices we do are: meals with shrimp, salmon cakes, pan fried salmon or a meal with tuna in it.
• When buying deli meat, I have began buying Hormel Natural Choice deli meat.  It does not contain preservatives, no nitrates or nitrites added(these are thought to be cancer"ish"), no artificial ingredients, minimally processed, no msg added, raised withough added hormones, gluten free, AND I think it tastes better than the other deli meat!
• We do have some processed foods in our pantry, but I have noticed that they sit in there for a pretty long time! We just do not eat them as much anymore!  With all the fruits we have for snacks, we rarely eat the crackers and such.
• I also stay away from food dyes and high fructose corn syrup.  I know there is conflicting studies about whether food dye is harmful or not, but I am trying to limit the amount of chemicals that my children ingest.  So, I will err on the side of my preference.  My kids always want cereal that is sugary and has food dye, but I rarely buy it.  They usually get Honey Nut Spins, which is Walmart's version of Honey Nut Cheerios.  As far as high fructose corn syrup, that stuff is in so many things!  Thankfully, many companies are realizing that we don't want to eat that kind of stuff.  I have noticed a lot of products are now touting "no HFCS" and this makes me very happy.  I'll eat sugar all day long, but I don't want HFCS. 
• We buy whole milk these days.  This article explains our reasons why.  Also, I was buying our milk at Braums so I could get milk without artificial growth hormones.  I'm happy to say that Walmart's Great Value milk now states that they have pledged not treat their cows with rBST, so now, I am buying milk from there again.
• We eat full fat products like butter and mayo.  We do eat them in moderation.  I just believe that they are better for you.  They have less ingredients than the low fat versions.
• We eat eggs.  I eat a lot of eggs for breakfast.  They are chock full of good things for your body. I'm also one of those people that cannot tolerate sweet things for breakfast. It raises my blood sugar too much.  The protein in the egg levels me out and I feel so much better.
• I try to buy breads and pasta that are made with whole grains.  And to get the best effect, I buy 100% whole grain bread and pasta.

I'm gonna stop there a minute and say, I'm not a 100%, full-fledged health nut.  I still make cakes and cookies with white flour.  I have switched to unbleached flour, but it is definitely not whole wheat flour.  I did try it for a while, but it is definitely something that is hard to get used to when you have baked with regular flour all of your life.  I sometimes do a 3:1 ratio with white flour to whole wheat flour.

I also love white sugar.  I don't buy many sweetened drinks, but I do make my own sweet tea and lemonade and yes, I use white sugar!

What we are doing to eat more frugally-
I have spent a lot of time over the years trying to figure out how best to stretch our dollars.  

• I make a monthly menu for our family and then I make my grocery list from that.  I find that this helps me to not be distracted at the store to just "stock up" on unnecessary items. It helps to even make a weekly menu if a monthly one is too ambitious for you.

With that said, I do try new products, but not all the time. 

• I only use coupons if it is for a product that I already use.  I find that generic brands are often cheaper than a brand name product with a coupon.  

With that said, we buy mostly generic products.  Walmart's brand, in my opinion, is just a good, if not better than major brand products.  This has saved us TONS of money. 

• I ad match at Walmart.  I love using the Aldi ad for waaaay cheap produce prices.  You don't even have to have the ad with you to use for ad matching!

This has really helped us save money AND eat healthier!

• By cooking more at home and more whole and simple, we have saved a lot of money.
• I use the "envelope" system for our groceries and it works so well for us.  We make a family budget and have a section for groceries.  Each time we get paid, that amount goes in the envelope.  We rarely go over because I have a good idea of how much we need to eat well for our family.  AND if we have money left over at the end of the pay period, I set it aside for family fun stuff like bowling or something!

What I'm eating to help with my IBS- 

I still have a lot of trouble with stomach pain, but I am trying so hard to battle it!  There are few things that I have found that do help:

• I eat less.  If I eat large meals, I am in severe pain.  So, I just eat less.  At restaurants, Tim and I will share and entree, or I will order from the kids menu.  At home,  I just give myself very small portions.
• I have stopped drinking soda.  I have quit cold turkey because I was always bloated with a capital B.  It was so uncomfortable and painful and made me hate the way I looked.  I did not stop because of caffeine or sugar.  I still drink coffee and sweet tea for those things! I truly feel TONS better since quitting the carbonation!

How I stay organized-
I know that as busy moms, it is so easy to get off track.  These are a few things that really help me to stay organized:

• Menu planning.  I can't tell you how much this helps.  Go, do it NOW! I love having my menu planned and having shopped for the ingredients!  It makes dinner time go so much smoother!  I'm one of those people that used to start thinking about dinner right before it was time and it was so stressful.  Plus, I didn't always have on hand what I needed!
• Always have sides like frozen veggies and russet potatoes on hand.  Or even a box of instant mashed potatoes.  If I have things like this on hand, I can usually come up with a meal at the spur of the moment that is yummy and healthy and quick!
• Prep for dinner at least a few hours early if you can.  Or prep certain things on Sunday for the whole week.  If you know breakfast will be hairy, cook a bunch of pancakes up and throw them in the freezer for a quick go-to breakfast.  If you know you will need chicken for meals during the week, cook it on Sunday.  And then you can shred it and divide it up for the meals.  Cut up fruits and veggies so they are easily accessible and ready for a snack or meal.

I really like the word really {a post about the past few days}

Thank you friends for the nice comments yesterday, they really make my day!


The past 4 days, I've really been having IBS issues.  It really kinda ruins a day when I don't feel like doing much.  Thankfully, we haven't had too much going on.


B Boy did have a tee ball tournament game on Saturday.  His team won, so they play again tonight!  


We went to church Sunday, but after church I was feeling really bad and was basically in the bed all afternoon. Sad panda.


Yesterday, my issues were not much better, but I actually had places to be. The kiddos started swimming lessons, so I had to get everyone ready and get them there.  We also had a fish fry last night at the home of one of Tim's co-workers.  He lives on a lake in Bella Vista.  It was so nice there.  The food was great and we even were taken on a boat ride. 


I'll tell you right now, I could do that every day.  It was fabulous. It was the perfect time of day and the sun was setting and it was peaceful and I really felt so connected to God and nature while we were out on the water.  If I didn't have to worry about the kids going over the side, I really would have had a moment!  I would have loved to have some pictures, but sometimes it's really nice to just be in the moment and not worry about snapping memories.


Ha! I'm laughing at myself right now. I just looked back over this post and noticed how many times that I used the word, "really!" Good grief! 


Anyways, I'm hoping that I begin to feel better today. I have a good week to look forward to.  It's always a good week when you look forward to seeing a best friend and family!

How did March get here so quickly?!

How indeed did March get here so quickly?! 


I have been a single parent this week, so life was a little more hectic.  By last night, I was tired. Tired down to my bones.


This was what I was going through last week.  Since then, things have gotten better with my braces, sort of.  I had to go back to Paris and get adjusted and we have a plan in place to hold my teeth for a longer period of time so that they don't move when we release pressure.


Last Thursday night, the kiddos wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese for a spirit night for C girl's school.

Saturday, we took the kiddos to a Dr. Seuss event at Target and then we had tickets to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie at the Arts Center of the Ozarks. This was so fun.  The actors and stage were great and the kids and us adults really enjoyed the show!

I got to see this little man on Monday!

Both the kiddos had spring pictures recently and they turned out great! I can't wait to share them.

Other happenings this week- we cancelled our Directv.  Yes, no TV anymore. We were getting some Refer a friend discounts, but now our bill is back up to normal and we just do not watch enough TV to warrant paying for it.  I saw a new GYN doctor who I'm hoping can help get me to feeling better all around. C girl has been doing great in ballet and both kids are doing awesome in AWANA and learning so much!  We are heading out of town tomorrow. They hubs and I are very excited to be going to see the Zac Brown Band in concert tomorrow night! Sunday is my mom's birthday, so we will be picking up the kiddos and having lunch with her and getting to see baby Parker again!!!

I have to share this with you-- Oh my gosh, the heavens have opened and glory has rained down!!! Thank you Tim for sending me a link to this!!!
THIS is a FREE service that takes your exported blog file and turns it into a PDF Blog Book!!!
I just did this and it was QUICK and EASY!!!!!!
I have been spending HOURS trying to back my blog up!!!! I'm now completely finished with that project. AND this service lets you choose dates so you can start from the last time you made one and created another one without having duplicates!


I also wanted to share two websites that I think will make a good replacement for Picnik- 
PicMonkey (it's not finished being created, but I heard it's going to be GREAT) and iPiccy.

My Faith and My Struggles {I am a Work in Progress}

Right now, I'm going through a period of growth and learning in my faith. Every week, I have lessons from Sunday school, church and Bible study rolling around in my mind. I want to discuss all of them and naturally, they are not all about the same thing.

In Sunday school, we have just began a study on Hebrews.  It's been really great so far.  And I'm actually learning a lot.  It is a book that also has references to the book of Leviticus.  Leviticus is a book that I have read in the past, but really know little about.  It has piqued my interest to learn more about Moses and the laws in the book of Leviticus.  I've also had wow moments learning about how things in the Bible really are real and they really happened.  As well as realizing that not many things in our world have persevered through the ages and times.  Empires, governments, and countries have all fallen, but Israel was created on Mt. Sinai by Moses and still continues on in this present day.

In worship service, our pastor has been doing a series on heaven.  Well, obviously, that has created a lot of thought for me.  Of course, I wonder about death and what will happen after I die, but he has also challenged us with what we are doing for God while we are alive.  Yesterday, they showed a memorial video of Whitney Houston.  He used the video to illustrate the point that our life will have a beginning and an end.  It's the moments in between those two points that people will remember us by.  How will people remember my life? Your life?

In Bible study we are discussing The Resolution by Priscilla Shirer.  It has been such a good book for me in this time of my life.  I want to write more about it in depth.  The chapter we read for this week is called Loving my Children.  
She writes, "when our primary goal as mothers is teaching our children God's truth, the whole focus of our parenting changes."
   The resolution for this section is, I will demonstrate to my children how to love God with all their hearts, minds, and strength, and will train them to respect authority and live responsibly.  
What a challenge.  And it puts great responsibility on me as a mother.  I have such an important task for shaping my children.  This is something I have been in prayer about, because I definitely do not always feel adequate for the job.  I just do not want to fail my two precious children.  

Something I struggle with on a regular basis is my health.  I don't discuss it much because I don't like to complain and it is a chronic issue that will go on and on.  
Sometimes, I will have a new issue thrown into the mix and I will start to Google things.  Have you ever done that?  I always end up convincing myself that I have cancer of some sort!  I've been trying so hard to just let it go and have faith that my health will continue the way it is or maybe even get better!

Another struggle I have been experiencing is being a "distracted mom" at times.  I have been a little too, shall we even say, "addicted" to social media at times.  I'm working on not allowing myself to check things at certain times of the day.  I'm working on becoming more focused on taking care of my home, exercising, praying, and spending time with my husband and kiddos.  It's not that I wasn't already doing these things, it's that I was sort of distracted at times while doing them.  I don't want to be distracted, I want to be present.

This is Monday

<---This is exciting


However, it was so sad hearing about the death of one of our players yesterday.  His family and the team have been in my prayers.


We play LSU on Friday and I love this quote from one of our players-->










I read this article yesterday about being a mommy blogger.  It was a good read, I recommend checking it out.

I'm going to be do a 25 Days of Holiday Cheer.  

From December 1-25, I will be posting things that we do or traditions we have that bring us Holiday cheer! 

I probably won't do this everyday, but I will do like the days of Thanksgiving and add missed days on top of the current day.  I'll probably do it every other day for sure.  

I would love to have any of you join me!  You can link up, post a comment with a link or just put the picture and a post on your blog!

IBS has still been causing me grief.


But, Thanksgiving is in 3 days!


What are you thankful for?

21.  Braces. So, yeah, I'm nearly 4 years down the road with my braces, but I know my teeth are gonna look awesome and ::fingers crossed:: I may have them off early next year!
20. C girl's and B boy's teachers at school and church.  Gah, they deserve a special place in heaven.  They are amazing and they take time out of their lives to teach little ones and to me, that makes a very special person.
19. My camera.  I am so thankful that I finally bought a DSLR! I love photography so much and it has been awesome learning how to use my camera.
18. My blog.  I love writing this blog and having these entries be chronicled to look back on.  I love the lovely people I have met through blogging!
17.Thursdays! Thursdays are the only day during the M-F week that I don't have a morning activity. I get to be lazy and not put makeup on and not go anywhere until it is time to pick up C girl from school. So nice!
16. Books. I am a fanatical reader. I always have been. Books are awesome. Right now I am reading the Hunger Games trilogy. And let me say, I am STOKED for when the movie comes out! We rarely go to the movies, but make a movie about a book I love, and I'm there!

15. Babies. I am in LOVE with my two new precious nephews. I cannot wait to get to hold them and kiss them again soon!
14. AWANA. This is a program at our church that teaches young kids about God. My kiddos have been learning so much and memorizing scripture. I am so proud of all they are learning!
13. Space heaters. Y'all, it's starting to get cold here in the mornings! It was 27 degrees this morning. I want fall to stick around a little longer!!!
12. Coffee. I could write a whole post on my love for coffee, but I will spare you. Just know that I love coffee very much ;-)
11. Freedom. This means so much more to me now that I have family members in the military. I value what they and their families do for our country. Not only do they serve, but their families as well. We are so lucky to have such freedom and I am thankful for it.
10. PNO(Parent's Night Out). So, what's not to love about 4 kid free hours with your hubby?!
9. Ladies Bible study. this has been so great for me. I have learned so much and met some great ladies!
8. Good Job. I am so thankful that Tim has a good job with good job security. These economic times are scary and I feel so deeply for people who have lost their jobs or are afraid they may lose their jobs.
7. Health. I know most 30 year olds don't consider their health that much, but I had a rough time from 25-30 and I am so glad that I am not having any "issues" currently. I still deal with my IBS, but now that I have a diagnosis, things are much better!
6. Church. When we moved to Bentonville, I was so worried about finding a good church home. It took us trying out a few churches, but we found one. Now that we are becoming more involved, I definitely know we made the right decision. I love our church.
5. Family. I have gained a lot of family in the last 8 years. They mean so much to me and I love em so much.
4. My friends. I love em. They are great.
3. My kiddos. They bring so much joy to me and I am so proud of them!
2. My husband. He is so much to me. He has been such a helper in every area of my life. I could go on and on.
1. My salvation. I am so, so thankful for my salvation.

IBS, you are not my friend

  I'm having another bad bout with my IBS. 
Usually it just affects me for a day or two, but this has been going on for almost a week.
 :-(
 I just haven't been feeling good. 
When I don't feel good, my mood is not as good. 
I also fall behind on my to do list and household chores. 
 I haven't had much of an appetite.
I lose time I could be spending with my family. 
The evenings lately, I have been spending in the bathroom or just laying around.
 It's just been a miserable time for me.
I really hope I begin to feel better soon because I really want to enjoy the holidays!






image credit

Living with IBS

::::::::WARNING::::::::::  There will be talk of bodily functions!

I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome back in February.  I know that I have had it for many years, but had always thought it was other things or just pain and diarrhea. 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is defined as a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating gas, diarrhea and constipation. 

Sounds like lots of fun, huh?!

I feel so much relief now that I have a diagnosis.  There is nothing worse than feeling bad and not knowing what is wrong with yourself.

Since the diagnosis, I have learned some foods, drinks and situations that make me feel worse.  I try to avoid these at all costs!  I would say that I'm able to manage some of it.  It definitely does not control it 100%. 

There are days when it just hits me.   I will have severe pain and/or diarrhea and just feel like laying down and doing nothing.  This is the part that I hate the most.  It basically steals time away from me.

For instance, this past Friday, I had a great day.  We had our last day of swimming lessons and then we went and met Tim for lunch at a great local BBQ place (Smokin Joe's Ribhouse.)
Afterwards, we came home and the kids swam in the pool and we did some things online together.  A little while later, I had to go to the bathroom and I started feeling awful.  It happened 2 or 3 more times over the afternoon.

We had planned on going to an outdoor concert after dinner, but I was feeling so bad that we didn't even cook dinner!  We just made the kids PB&J sandwiches and I ate my old standby that always makes me feel better- Ramen noodles.   I always have some stocked up in the pantry and now C girl loves them too!

I started to feel a little better and then Tim had some ice cream, which I can't have because it is one of my taboo foods.  That made me start craving something sweet.  There was nothing sweet in the house that I wanted, there was only ice cream and chocolate.

So, being the awesome hubby that he is, Tim ran to Walmart to pick up a package of sugar cookie mix to whip up real quick.  Normally, I'm a very homemade cookie kinda girl, but desperate times call for desperate measures!!!  The cookies were delish and I finally started feeling better around 7:30 in the evening.  So, it took up about 4 or 5 hours of my Friday since I didn't feel well or I was in the bathroom.

Sometimes, this will happen a couple of times a week and sometimes I will have a really good week where I feel well.  The times when it is really bad, it is awful.  I will have a LOT of pain.  That is what happened in February.  The pain was so bad, that I thought something was terribly wrong with me.  Looking back, the pain stemmed from eating too much and eating something too greasy.  So it's not just what I eat, but how much I eat as well.

I'm still learning about IBS and I still do lots of research on it.  I try to find what works best for me to deal with it the best I can.

I'd like to know if there are any of you out there who also suffer from IBS.  What ways do you deal with IBS everyday?  Feel free to share comments or ask questions, I'd love to hear from you!

Answers!!!

I had a follow up appointment with my PCP this morning.  For the past 2-3 weeks we have been trying to find out what is ailing me.  I have had bloodwork, urinalysis, x-rays, ultrasound and a hepatobilliary test.  We have conclusively ruled out many things.  This weekend I began to do some research on intestinal problems since that was about the only thing left that it could be.  As I read through different types, I came to IBS- Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  As I read the symptoms for it, I realized that I had ALL of them.  I started going over all of this with the doctor and telling him how I've experienced this stuff for years, but just thought it was an ulcer or stomach pain. Now, looking back, it all makes sense.  We I have more high-stress or high-anxiety times in my life, the IBS flares up and then I feel just awful. 

 

It is so good to finally know why I feel this way and to know where to begin to start feeling better.

The kiddos are ready for me to be well again also.  During the 2nd trip to the ER, B said to me, "momma you've been sick for daaays!"  It made my heart constrict in my chest.  I don't want them to always remember me as being sick.  I'm ready to feel good and run around and play again!

My dear friend Kelly has ulcerative colitis which is in the same family of ailments.  I'm so thankful to have her to be able to call and talk to about all of this.  She totally understands the stress and pain of it.  Although I wish neither of us had to deal with this stuff in the first place!

I'd love to hear from any of you who have IBS or know someone who does.  IBS support here I come!

*****I had no idea I was going to be featured on FTLOB today!  I normally don't write about my health so much, but I'm so glad to finally have a diagnosis!  Thanks for stopping by!!!*****