It's hard to constantly have fresh food and quality meat & fish in the house. It's tough to manage the stresses of demanding jobs, relationships and family and still bring quality food to the table. I get it. It's tough. Sometimes you just don't have the energy to spend anymore of your life in the kitchen and you definitely don't want TO CHOP UP ANY MORE DARN VEGETABLES. BUT . . . it's worth it! When we eat well, we have more energy, we feel better, we look better, the list goes on. It's like we're constantly wearing rose-tinted glasses, and that's what I remind myself when I want to go out to eat or sleep for twenty extra minutes in the morning instead of get up and scramble some eggs for breakfast. |
1. DOES IT TASTE GOOD AND WILL THEY EAT IT?
Let's face it, if the food tastes like dry cardboard no one is going to want to eat it and it's not going to be any fun trying to get your family to eat it. You don't need the extra stress! I'm also not about to make anyone a special meal because they don't like whatever it is I've made. I spend enough time in the kitchen as it is. It's got to taste good. You are also a lot less likely to stick to eating well if you don't enjoy your food.
2. IS IT SIMPLE/DOABLE TO MAKE?
Like I said, I spend more than enough time in the kitchen. I'm not interested in anything that requires hours of my time to prepare. There are 6 of us in our family and that requires enough time in itself. If it takes more than 1/2 hour of hands-on time, I usually steer clear unless it's something I am dying to make or I have extra time - Ha, wait, extra time? Just kidding - that never happens. You don't need to spend hours in the kitchen to make great tasting, quality, healthy food. Again, you are a lot less likely to stick to eating well if cooking is too complicated and time consuming.
3. DOES IT FIT WITH WHAT I KNOW WILL BRING US HEALTH?
If the answer to this one is "no", then we are really back to the start. You may as well make something you really want if it's not going to help you eat well anyway.
For us, this means it needs to be quality protein with lots of vegetables and healthy fats. No grains or sugar and VERY little dairy.
Getting these three criteria to intersect and come out tasty is a beautiful thing but it can take time to search out recipes and try them to find what you are happy with. Lucky for you, I've been doing this very thing for many years and below you will find a few of my family's favourites.
One of my favourite tools for cooking is the crockpot. It has been key in managing our household's diet. I can make dinner in the morning or early afternoon and forget about it. I can cook in bigger batches and have leftovers for lunches or other dinners during the week. The crockpot really is one thing that my kitchen will never be without!
Below are a few crockpot meals I use on a regular basis. Don't be afraid to browse through and try some of the other recipes on these websites as well.
I hope you enjoy and that this makes Eating Well just a little bit easier!
Slow Cooker Ribs
Paleo Pot Roast
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Thai Stew
Lamb Stew
Coconut Ginger Chicken And Vegetables
Chicken thighs with Mushrooms
Hamburger Soup
Chicken "Tortilla" Soup