Don’t forget to check out the info on our Real Food Journey if you’d like the details of what we strive for in our home. There are links to each day and a printable PDF of the week as a whole.
Breakfast
Oatmeal with raisins and finely chopped raw mixed nuts
Lunch
Turkey rolls, crackers
Chopped peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and celery with hummus (I chop up all I have so I can use them tonight!)
Dinner
Tonight is an ordering pizza night! (Pictured above, on this lucky night, we were able to bring a partially baked Happy Joe’s Taco Pizza home with us after some travels! Normally we order from a local pizza shop we love called Detellos) Here are a few of my ways I keep the fun of ordering pizza healthy! (My older son loves when we order pizza, “Can we have the guy come to our house and bring it here?!”)
I order the pizza when I know it’s a little past ‘hungry time’. Once I order I set out a bunch of snacks/salad while we wait. Chopped up veggies from earlier with hummus or guac. I also plate a salad. They are usually so hungry that most of those good veggies are gone by the time the pizza comes.
As far as our pizza ordering goes, we never really order a plain pizza. We ask the kids questions like, do you want meat or just cheese? Do you want peppers, olives or mushrooms? Not an open-ended what do you want? We often talk about how your body needs the fuel from your meal to grow and be fast and strong. They have learned that vegetables are always a part of our meals, so questions like this go over pretty well here. But if you are working on this aspect I encourage you to just keep trying. Give them veggie options for their pizza that may seem weird to others but are their favorite to eat normally, or have plain pizza but then add some veggies on the side. Also, saying light cheese still gets you a good pizza with a little less dairy inflammation in the system, and many pizza places have gluten-free, organic and lots of other options – sometimes you just have to ask.
Never underestimate the power of teaching a child about their body, nutrition, and what food is for. They really catch on at a young age, and almost every kid wants to grow big and strong, so they’re usually up for it!
Notes
Our family mostly drinks water. You’ll notice these menus are usually a little lighter on dairy based on the government recommendations, but if you add in a glass of milk you should meet those requirements if they are important to you.
You’ll notice the menus are light on fruit as well, and that’s because grabbing a piece of fruit, especially apples, is a common snack occurrence in our household. My kids would snack all day if allowed, but at least twice a day is normal. Typical snacks for the kids include: salami, cheese sticks, fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, berries), veggies (carrots, peppers, cucumbers, celery) and hummus or guacamole, crackers/pretzels/popcorn, Lara Bars, applesauce, raisins, greek yogurt & berries, or trail mix.
I am working on using The Wahls Protocol, along with other research, to follow an anti-inflammatory and nutrient enriching diet for someone diagnosed with MS. I am not a doctor and am in no way providing this as anything other than a documentation of what I am eating and how I eat this way alongside my children. Typical snack items for me include Suja green juice, kombucha, tea, raw nuts/trail mixes, popcorn, tortilla chips/veggies and guac. You can also find my husband with an old fashioned, and me with a glass of red wine or a Glutenburg with lime later on in the evening.
My Breakfast
Hot Water with Lemon and Cayenne
Smoothie – blueberries, greens, avocado, almond milk, water, chia seeds, collagen powder, lions mane powder
My Lunch
Same as the kids – turkey, veggies, hummus
My Dinner
Large Salad – 3 cups of greens, avocado, tangerine, raw nuts, oil and vinegar
This way, by the time pizza gets here I am seriously stuffed with goodness! Sometimes I pass the temptation, but when I am in need of indulging I definitely allow myself. I usually order a gluten free crust, spinach, onions, mushrooms and very light cheese.
