For Pizza Lovers Everywhere..

My dear friend, Mallori, sent me a pretty hefty request, so I'm breaking up her specific needs into a couple of different posts. Here is what she said:


" I want to cut out processed food for health and budget reasons. The challenge is, I don't 


know what I like. I only intend to feed 2 (just me and max), and the little bugger is 


incredibly picky. He pretty much only likes pizza and garlic bread. Also if you could 


enlighten me on how to increase his appetite, itd be very much appreciated"

Okay! Let's just dive right in. :) 

I'm going to be briefly touching on how to cut out processed foods in an easy way to begin with, and mostly focusing on little Max in this post. The main thing is: Work with what you've got. 

You say he only likes pizza? Let me show you how to make it healthy, unprocessed, and fun for him to encourage eating more, and trying something new. My plan for you is to make your own pizza, and get Max involved in the process. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-pizza-sauce-iii/

I am no chef, and therefor do not write my own recipes from scratch, but here are a couple for both an easy pizza crust, and sauce. By making your own, you're cutting out preservatives, and the likelihood that something silly like High Fructose Corn Syrup will end up in your dinner. Yuck. Also, I have a feeling that these recipes are much lower in fat and calories than your average frozen or take-out pizza will be. This website conveniently lists both of these facts at the bottom of the recipe. :) 

So! You start with your homemade dough and sauce, and sprinkle on some low-fat cheese. Then, set out a few different kinds of veggies, a couple that Max has had, and maybe one or two that he hasn't. You can even give the option of adding a lean meat such as grilled chicken, cut into strips. Next, you let Max pick out what he wants on his pizza, so you're giving him the choice, but he's still choosing between only healthy items, and hopefully he will be brave enough to even try something new. And, you said you're not sure of what you like, so this is a great opportunity for you to find out something about yourself, as well. 

Make sure he's excited about the fact that not only are you having pizza for dinner (his favorite) BUT he's being ssoooo helpful and getting help mommy in the kitchen! Kids love to get involved in the cooking process, and at this stage after you cut everything up, he can easily apply the toppings to the pizza. He will be so proud to know he helped, and more excited about actually eating the dinner he helped to create. 

Plus, by trying to incorporate new veggies (and letting him decide which ones it is), you're helping Max to expand his palette. Remember this, though: It takes 8 to 10 exposures to something for a child to truly know whether they like it or not. If he tries spinach once and says ew, don't give up! 7 more times times could be what it takes for him to find a new favorite vegetable. 

xoxo

Megan

Ideas! Ideas everywhere!

I have a class project coming due (a little too soon, actually.. I should have been doing this stuff a looong time ago. haha) for a portfolio. I don't have a lot of things to put in my portfolio, yet.. so I'm trying to come up with things that are relevant to a Dietetic Technician student.
Then I had a great idea! I'll get my friends to ask me questions about menus, recipes, picky eaters, whatever.. And do a series of blog posts addressing their concerns.

Of course, I only have about 4 days left to do this.. well, not in the long run, but for my specific project, but I'm also excited because I've never done anything with this blog, so this is giving me a great jumping off point, and something tangible to be able to add to my portfolio. :)

I'll have the first post up this evening.
xoxo
Megan

The App You Should Have..

I think pretty much everyone has some sort of smart phone these days. Yes, you can do a lot of fun things with them.. productive things.. there's an app for everything. Did you realize you can use them to help you eat better? Along with restaurant calorie givers, fitness and workout apps, and the yoga pose of the day.. There's a ridiculously helpful app I ran across the other day called Fooducate. A lot of problems that people have with eating healthy actually happens in the grocery store. What does this word mean? How many calories from fat or grams of sugar is okay? Even though this box says on the outside that it's good for me, what's really hiding in there that I probably shouldn't be putting into my body?

That's where Fooducate comes in. It's really user-friendly and works by just scanning a bar code. That's it. You use your phone's camera, scan the barcode of whatever product you're unsure about, and all the good and bad points about the food product will come up, right there on your phone. Is there an ingredient that sounds more like something out of chemistry class? Fooducate will break it down for you, tell you what it really is, and why it's in there.




















Using it when I went shopping the other day really surprised me with some of the things I learned just from scanning some of my favorite products. I love green tea, but did you know that bottled green tea looses most of its antioxidants before you ever even open the bottle? (Plus it's usually packed with sugar) So it was suggested that I buy the tea leaf bags and brew it myself.. which I normally do, anyway.

I'm just really glad I discovered this, and I think it could be of MAJOR help to everyone on any shopping trip, check it out! :]

http://www.fooducate.com/blog/

Numero Uno.

Hey there. :]
Well, let me just start out by telling you a little about myself, and why I've decided to embark on this blogging adventure.


About me:
My name is Megan, and I am nobody. Right now. I am 24 years old and just started school (first semester, Freshman year) to become a Registered Dietetic Technician. I will graduate in a couple of years with my Associates of Applied Science, and I plan on continuing my undergrad work at a 4 year university to become a Registered Dietitian. The reason I'm breaking it up like I am is because I am impatient, and unhappy in my current job situation. (I'm a server in a restaurant, which doesn't really mesh well with the fact that I'm wanting to tell people how to eat healthy and the most popular thing on the menu is fried and covered in sugary sauce. Sheesh) So, I hope to find a different job in a couple of years, before continuing my move up the ranks.


About the blog:
Basically.. I want to share what I know, I want to write about my life, I want to interact with other health nuts and foodies. :) Also, I'm hoping this blog will be able to help me out as I get through school. I'll be able to keep track of things I am learning, and one of the best ways for me to remember something is to write it down, or tell someone else. I'm killing two birds with one blog, here.

As far as the name I chose? I eat a plant based diet.. sometimes seafood.. and very very rarely maybe a piece of chicken or something. So, I am not a strict vegan/vegetarian in least bit. I do feel awful about how animals are treated and I think we have no right to be eating them.. but I chose my eating habits as a way to be healthy, not for my own moral reasons. Also... I talk a lot, and sometimes over explain things, as you can probably tell from this very first post. haha. So I thought the name was a good fit. :)

Long-Term:
As far as long-term blog goals, I'm also unsure at the moment. I hope that this is something I will be able to keep with me all the way through school and into my career and beyond. It would be nice for this to somehow take off, and bring fulfillment. But either way, I just want to share what I know, and hopefully at least one person will learn something from me, and I'll know that I was able to help them be just a little bit healthier. That is my ultimate goal.

Thank you for reading, and please enjoy! :]