The contents of my grocery cart have changed dramatically... long gone are the boxes of pasta, cereal and dried grains.. no more breads stacked at the top (at least 6 loaves per visit to Redners).
So, how do I feel about this? How do I like living this way? What are the challenges of living wheat free? There's one BIG one.
CHALLENGE: Convenience removed! Seriously.
When you removed wheat from your diet, you remove convenience. As a busy mom of 4 hungry kids, eating in a pinch was a must. It STILL is. But in order to meet this task, I need to:
Have the right choices available.
Be thinking of the meals of the day first thing in the morning (ie planning meals)
See times where hungry can come up when out of the house and plan for it.
Easier said that done? Maybe... So far, we have been able to remove pretty much all wheat from the house. Every time I offer something with wheat, the kids ask "Isn't this wheat?" and "I bet I'll be hungry in an hour!" ha ha They are totally getting it.
I have used the crock pot a lot lately, something that I usually don't do. I don't make mixed dishes (a McFaddenland no-no), but I do cook the meats in there. It really does save me time to focus on the time in takes to slice and dice, and prepare the other parts of our meal.
Mmmmm..... BEEF!!!!
CHICKEN BREASTS
Gone are the quick grilled cheese dinners, pancakes, pbj's, mac and cheese, spaghetti, etc. Those things are QUICK, CHEAP and EASY. But they are also NUTRITIONALLY DEFICIENT.
The fact of the matter is this: I feel SO good about this decision that despite the extra time it takes to prepare and plan I consider this effort ESSENTIAL. So, when you look at it THAT way, you can't argue with it.
If you are NOT eating wheat-free, it's because you aren't really ready for what you think it the "fight of your life, when it comes to feeding your children". If you are NOT eating wheat-free, it's because you don't want to give up those "gifts of time" - the nutritionally deficient quick foods. If you are NOT eating wheat-free, it's because you are worried that you won't find things that are good to eat that everyone will enjoy.
So, what are we eating? What the heck is a crazy busy mother of four feeding those little athletes?
My trip to BJ's was totally different than past trips. It was quicker too.
Meats - purchased large quantities of turkey burgers, ground beef, ground chicken and one large pork. I divided this when home into meal portions and put them in the freezer. The pork loin was about 2 1/2 feet long! I cut up pork chops and bagged those and cut two longer pieces for a pork roast. The enormous pork was only $18.00. Thanks to my neighbor Linda for giving me the idea.
Fruits - Large containers of strawberries, blueberries, grapes and apples.
Veggies - 4 avocado's, carrots, organic spinach (in the big plastic box) (I had others at home)
Dairy - 2 gallons of milk, large box of Danimals smoothies for lunches, cheese sticks - 36.
Snacks - BJ's has an excellent selection of wheat free snacks that come in BIG bags! We got veggie chips, Fritto's corn chips *yum*, popcorn, popcorn chips, and a few other things that were great gluten free choices. Plus, they are crunchy and tasty and not terribly fattening.
Buying in bulk can be tricky, but you can do it. Get the freezer bags that you like and portion lots of things. Did you know liquid egg white cartons are FREEZER FRIENDLY? I had no idea! The bulk prices aren't always cheaper - you have to be an educated consumer. Sometimes you can get generic items cheaper at grocery stores... but when you remove wheat from your diet, you aren't really buying those things anymore.
Breakfast still remains my personal challenge... and it will be THE challenge next week when the waffles are finally gone. Eggo, I'm gonna miss you. You're convenient and painless... but you are loaded with flour and that's not good for my kiddos. I bet you'll see a decline in sales, that's how many we bought. LOL
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