Food for Thought

Given all the effort I continually put into exercise, it is now necessary for me to put more effort into paying attention to the food I put into my body.  Casey and I actually eat very well; I make just about everything from scratch and we barely ever purchase anything boxed, processed or pre-made aside from snacks for his lunches.  That being said, not everything I make is always healthy.  While we eat tons of fresh fruit and veggies on a daily basis, there is a lot of room for improvement for some of the dinners I whip up.  I used to be very conscientious about making healthy decisions but every since pregnancy I have had much more of a devil may care attitude.  The home made macaroni and cheese that used to be a once a month or so indulgence turned into a once a week staple because I wanted it; I was pregnant and I was going to have whatever I wanted.  Now that I am not pregnant, I don't necessarily have that same mentality anymore but the habits have kind of stuck around.  I am not saying I am going to give up eating anything I want, it's just going to be in moderation, a treat if you will.

To help me put healthy dinners on the table are few very special cookbooks.  What makes these cookbooks special is not that they are "diet" cookbooks in any way, shape, or form; their recipes are for the same kinds of delicious foods you would find in Rachel Ray or The Barefoot Contessa (two of my favs) but for all of their recipes, they provide the nutritional information.  Everyday Food from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart has two cookbooks out, Great Food Fast and Fresh Flavor Fast that I turn too often.  Not every recipe in these cookbooks are low calorie by any means but at least the nutrition info is provided  so that I can make an informed decision about portion size or whether or not I want to try and tweak the recipe to make it healthier.  Having the nutrition info is also a very helpful for my husband who also wants to eat healthy but needs to hit a much, much larger number of calories a day than I do since he not only has a super fast metabolism but he is very athletic as well.  He may need me to fatten up his portion of dinner or he may just need to eat 2-3 portions.  My other two go to cookbooks are Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave and So Easy.  Both of Ellie's cookbooks provide very nutritious recipes, as she is a nutritionist, with the nutritional info but they also include the vitamins and minerals that are found in that particular recipe.  I really like that her books aren't all broiled chicken and steamed broccoli.  She puts healthy spins on favorites such as mac and cheese and even French fries.

*It is my personal opinion that all cookbooks should provide this same convenience of containing nutritional info so that we as consumers have a better understanding of how much and what we are putting into our bodies, therefore allowing us to have a healthier, more satisfying, relationship with our food.*

Armed with the help of these four cookbooks, I am adding eating healthier to my mission to loose these last stubborn bits of baby weight (plus a little extra).  I will certainly not be outlawing any food I may want to eat, however I will be getting rid of the devil may care attitude and exercising control over what I put into my stomach, as well as exercising my stomach.