Monday Motivation: Kitchen Help!

Health and cheerfulness 

naturally beget each other. 

~Joseph Addison

I have stumbled upon some successful food methods for my household. I am not brilliant, I am not a genius and yes many of you have been doing this kind of stuff since forever, but here is a little of what has worked for us and plea for your fabulous ideas

Make large batches and refrigerate for easy use throughout the week.

• Steamed cubed sweet potatoes: great for a side dish or addition to our smoothies
• Baby spinach: great for sauteing into omelets, add to home made pizza or smoothies
• Couscous: great side dish, yummy made breakfast style
• Quinoa: great side dish, yummy made breakfast style
• Fruit: We always have apples and bananas, but we also have a seasonal fruit of the week that we can buy in bulk at an affordable price. So far this year we have had weeks featuring- Bartlette Pears, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Strawberries, Blueberries, Kiwis, Papaya, Pineapple, Mangoes... I can't remember them all, but with apples and bananas to mix up the daily serving of fruit, these feature fruits have been great for our budget while giving our kids much needed variety.
• Eggs: we boil 6-12 eggs and use them throughout the week for breakfast, snacks and sandwiches.
• Nuts: Cashews and Almonds are always in the house.
• Raisins: plain and yogurt covered. We use the plain raisins not only in oatmeal, but to make rice dishes more dynamic.
• Veges: We're boring. We are heavy broccoli, carrot and asparagus people. It is why we use spinach so much... to fill the green void. I personally love Brussel sprouts, beets and squashes, but my family doesn't. Any easy staples out there? 

So what do you do? 

I am looking for ideas. We are not great crock pot people, we have a few meat recipes we like, but it is not really a good fit for us. How do you cook and use beans or lentils? What planning methods do you employee? Any kid friendly tips?

The Big Picture: Healthy living is science, but not rocket science. Every good choice keeps us on a good path and every bad choice is nothing to dwell upon.

Why I Kick A$$: When I account for my actions, current waistline aside, I am not doing so bad. In fact I make plenty of good food and exercise choices for me and my family. I am proud of this.

Thankful Three:

1. For getting some rest this past weekend.
2. For my beautiful family.
3. For feeling refocused (again).