Here's to Your Health

This morning, as I was preparing whole wheat English muffins with peanut butter for breakfast, an unusually alert Drama Queen (not a morning person) came bouncing into the kitchen.
"Whatcha makin', Mom?" she asked.

"English muffins, sweetie," I told her.

"Oh, good, I hope they are whole grain ones!" she replied. "Those are the kind that are healthiest, right?"

"Well, sweetheart, they certainly are good for you," I agreed.

"And we need the peanut butter because it's protein, right?" she pressed on.

"Yes, honey, it's always a good idea to start off your day with some protein."

Since September 1st, conversations like these have become much more frequent. It was in September that we decided as a family to become much healthier both in exercise and in eating habits. The transition has been smoother than I thought, especially with such young ones. It has not always been easy, as I have definitely been tempted to turn to the boxed mac'n'cheese or hot dogs when a quick meal is needed. And a few trips to McDonalds have been made in moments of weakness, but they have been rare. We have been making serious efforts in eating veggies and fruits at every meal and making substitutions in recipes whenever we can to make them healthier. Boxed dinners and packaged meals have disappeared from the pantry shelves. The kids, especially the Drama Queen, have started to pick up on the importance of each thing we eat or decide not to eat.

The changes are definitely showing! I have lost 25 pounds following a special diet which I hope to talk more about later this week, and the Nerd has lost over thirty pounds. We are both at the gym almost every day, and I am daily amazed at how much more I seem to be accomplishing with the extra energy I have.

So, I am off to make some healthy pumpkin muffins (recipe here) that I promised the kids could have tomorrow.

Have a happy and healthy Tuesday everyone!