Healthy Eating

This is something that has bothered me for a long time now. People seem to think that since we are a lower income family, then we must be ignorant when it comes to healthy eating. Well, we aren't! I have taken women's health classes in college (yes, I have a college degree and we are still "poor"!), I read books, magazines, and online articles all the time, and because both kids are enrolled in WIC we have mandatory health classes. I feel that I am pretty much up to speed on what my family needs to eat. I also cook every single day. I rarely get a day off, whether that be Adam takes on the cooking, we go to someone else's house for dinner, or friends and family take us out to eat. Let's face it, that just doesn't happen often.

Am I a bad mom because I feed my family the occasional can of vegetables that we were given for free from the food pantry? Not if the choice is no veggies versus canned veggies. Canned veggies will win every time. Yes, I prefer fresh or frozen veggies. Can we always afford them, or do we get them from the food pantry? No. And yes, some of you have a problem with the food that the food pantry gives out. Well then donate the food you would like to see handed out, or contact your local food bank and found out how you can help!

We rarely eat organic. We have a very small budget when it comes to food for the family, and unless the organic stuff is on sale crazy cheap or it's on the clearance rack because the box is damaged, then we can't afford it. How well would you do on $100 every 2 weeks to feed a family of 4, and that includes toilet paper, bathroom goods, and other random things around the house. At least now that the kids are potty trained, the money set aside for diapers can go toward food items. I shop where I can, I meal plan around the things I have in the house and what is on sale, I cut coupons, and yes, get things at the dollar store. We have WIC and get food from a local food pantry. We have also planted a garden so that we can have fresh veggies this summer out of our own backyard.

I do whatever I can to make sure that my family eats healthy and gets plenty of exercise, but sometimes things don't work out to the ideal. So we deal with it. I just hope that the next time someone starts to judge me about the food I give my family, you will keep your comments to yourself. Thanks!

Cookie of the Week!-Burt's Oatmeal Blueberry bars

I wanted to do something in honor of Sesame Street's 40th anniversary, so I tried to come up with something along those lines. Well then I remembered this really neat kids cookbook that I got free from WIC last month. It's called "C is for Cooking" and is a kids Sesame Street cookbook. I threw it open to find Burt's Best Blueberry Oatmeal Bars. What could be better. Plus I had everything in the house already. Score! So here it is:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 13 x9 baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter until fluffy. Beat in the oil, eggs, and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, mix in the flour mixture until blended. Stir in the oats and blueberries.
4. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.
5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 min. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Lift by the foil from the pan and cut into 24 bar cookie.

Veggie Brown Rice Casserole

If you are on WIC like me, then you too probably have tons of dried beans and not sure what to do with them. I can only cook so much with beans. I have never been a fan of them myself, and my kids seem to be following in my footsteps. Well, this is one that seems to go over well. It is vegetarian if you either leave the cheese off or get a substitute. I love to make this because I typically have everything in the house already and it's super easy to put together. I call it my hippie dinner, but I think that you could really impress anyone with it.

INGREDIENTS:
2 quarts water
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown
rice
1 cup dry split peas
1 cup chopped fresh
mushrooms (you could probably use canned)
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced
tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar
cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, bring water, rice and peas to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. In a skillet, saute the mushrooms, celery, carrots, onion and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender. Combine the vegetables, rice mixture, tomatoes and seasonings.
3. Transfer to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

The carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic being sauted.

I add the seasonings and tomatoes to the veggie mix to make it easier.

The rice and peas before being mixed. Yes, you do see some white rice. I ran out of brown and still needed a 1/2 cup.

All mixed in the casserole dish and ready for the oven.

The finished product. Look at that cheesy goodness!

Please let me know if you try it and like it! Thanks!