Food Revolution Fridays - Week 4

My schedule this week has been really, really hellish.  Very little cooking was done and no meal planning. I didn't make any new recipes though I did order & receive this:

I opened it right away and looked through all the recipes.  I can't wait to try some of them....especially the curry recipes.  I love a good curry!  Even though this week has been a bit of a right off, we didn't eat too horribly.  One night we had grilled steaks, roasted potatoes and grilled broccoli "tenders" (they look like a cross between broccoli and asparagus) and tonight I made Evan a peanut butter & agave nectar tortilla roll up served with a side of steamed carrots.  I ate frozen leftovers from a meal I made a few months ago.  I really wanted to wimp out and heat up a can of soup but I was able to resist.

I had a bit of writers block thinking about this post.  I decided to write about some things that I personally feel are important when thinking about food & your family. 

• It is important for families to eat together as much as possible.  Turn off the TV, come in from outside, put down the computer & sit at the table to eat.  We make an effort to do this as often as possible.  Normally it is at least 5 days our of the 7 day week.  We also always eat breakfast together on the weekends.  My stepkids have mentioned that they love our tradition of eating breakfast together.
• Don't make food the focus of your life.  I mean this in two ways....don't eat everything in sight but also don't deprive yourself to the extent that food is all you think about.  Yes, food is wonderful & I love to eat BUT I also make sure to keep everything in balance.  I would love to be thinner but I know that would take a focus that would lead to an obsession around food for me.  It's just not worth it to me.
• Remember that everything is okay in moderation.  Sugar is not evil and neither is fat.  Making cookies for your kids is not a bad thing & it won't make them fat!  I make treats for my family all the time.  I try to make them healthier by using whole wheat flour, agave nectar, etc but I still make them.  I don't want Evan growing up without sweets so that the first time he goes to a friend's house he eats everything in sight!
• Invite friends over for dinner instead of always going out to eat.  Nothing is more satisfying (to me at least) than having friends over to share a meal.  It doesn't have to be fancy....we often barbeque steaks, burgers, etc.  It is much more intimate and usually much less expensive.  Plus you can bring the kids & everyone can spend time together as a family.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  I know that everyone will not agree with me but I think the "social" aspects around food are just as important as the food itself. 

Please hop on over to Notes from the Cookie Jar to check out other Food Revolution Friday posts!  You can also check out the lovely interview that Karen (aka ScatteredMom) did with the Globe and Mail.

Also just in....One of my favorite blogs, Sweetnicks, has a recipe posted for homemade fruit rollups.  Yum!

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