Healthy Eating with a Family and HUGE News!

First off, I want to share the HUGE news.

•  Lisa Rogers's launch party for her debut novel, Angelina's Secret, has started TODAY!!! 
•  Despite some nail-biting and freaking out, I made my deadline for FAE! It is now with my editor! Now I can freak out for a whole different reason... :o (see below)
• While I wait to get my first round of edits back, I'll be working on a completely different novel! It's a YA Paranormal that I finished in one week a little over a year ago (still proud of that little milestone :) ). Unfortunately, I've only done some very minor edits here and there on it because I've been so focused on ELEMENTAL. But a few writer friends of mine and I have started a critique group and I was the lucky first pawn to submit my WIP! I've renamed the book to DISENCHANTED and am SOOOO excited about taking all their suggestions and making it something spectacular.

So, yay!!!

Now that I've gotten the HUGE news out, I want to talk about Healthy Eating with a Family. Yes, it's hard. I distinctly remember my hubs telling me I wasn't going to be dragging him into any crazy diet. And if you have kids, dieting is even harder. 

Sure, you feel like you HAVE to buy those yummy snacks for them. I mean, come on! We all grew up on yummy delicious goodness. We certainly can't deprive our kids. Except maybe depriving our kids of fake food that could ultimately make them ill is a good thing... :o

But there are alternatives! 

In fact, Connie Keller left a comment last week with a WONDERFUL recipe for healthy, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies (see comment section).

My husband's birthday was last week and I made him a gluten-free chocolate cake. Oh my goodness. This thing was THE BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten. And I know what you're thinking (assuming you looked at the recipe). The butter! The eggs! The sugar! This isn't healthy!

But it is. You know why? Because you should NEVER sit down and eat a whole cake by yourself, for one. And two, this cake is made with real food. Remember what I said last week? Real food is jam-packed with nutrients and doesn't come in a box or get processed by scientists and companies that are more interested in making sure you eat as much as possible so you have to keep buying more.

Also, treats are just that--they're treats. As in, it is a treat to be having something like this from time to time. Snacks are what you munch on several times a day.

And speaking of snacks, here are some good ones:

Home-made Banana and Strawberry Chips

I don't know about you, but I think the banana chips you buy in a store are TOO hard. And you know what? You don't even need a dehydrator to make these. If you have a cookie cooling wrack and an oven that has a "keep warm" setting (or can get to 145 degrees or lower), you can dehydrate your own food.

And these are delicious! I love to eat them with almonds or use them the same way I would a cracker, and put cheese on top.

Well, what about dinner?

Here's a great solution for picky eaters:

Rice and Cheese

Every kid loves mac and cheese, but let's face it, mac and cheese is bad for you. Instead, make your own cheese sauce and cook it in the oven with rice (instead of pasta). You can also use cauliflower as a substitute if you're little eaters are a little more adventurous. 

Rice:

4 Cups Water

2 Cups Rice (try finding jasmine rice in the asian section of your grocery store. It really is a lot better)

Salt to taste

Combine water, rice, and salt in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. Once timer goes off, take pan off heat (still covered) and let sit for 5 minutes.

Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce:

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons corn starch

3-4 Cups milk (I eyeballed it, but this was about how much I used)

3 Cups shredded cheddar

Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Add Corn starch, stirring constantly. When mixture comes to a bubble, slowly add milk while stirring. Continue to stir frequently until thickened slightly. Add cheese and stir until melted thoroughly.

         *Note: It is key that you wait until the last minute to add cheese. If you cook cheese too long, it gets grainy.

Now combine rice and cheese sauce in a large casserole dish and put in preheated (400 degree) oven. Cook for 35-40 minutes. You can add broccoli during the last 10-15 minutes to add a bit more nutrition.

Enjoy!

What healthy alternatives do you make for your family?