fruits & veggies

I was  putting my groceries away and was filling my crispers to the rim with fruits and veggies and realized that I hadn't really talked about that part of our diet change. Fruits and veggies are an important part, a really important part.

I have to admit that for most of my married years, that I rarely bought fresh fruits and veggies. It wasn't that I didn't like to eat them. It was actually that I was a bit scared. I was scared to pick out fruit that wasn't ripe, wasn't going to taste good, or was going to go bad too quickly and then it would be a waste of money. Also, I wasn't sure how to cook with veggies to make them taste good and I am also a bit picky about ripeness of fruit, so I rarely ate fruit as a snack. Also, it is expensive!! 

So, when we decided to make a diet change, I just jumped in and decided to just learn. Even if I ended up wasting food and money, I would eventually figure it out, right?. Also, I decided that money and budget didn't matter much when it came to eating healthy. 

Well, I have to say that a year later, I stuff my crispers full of assorted fruits and veggies and rarely does any of it go to waste. I have learned how to cook veggies that taste so good, that we eat them with every dinner meal (thank you Pinterest). And all those recipes for snacks made from scratch actually don't get made all that often,  they are more of a treat than a snack. We eat fruit galore for snacks in between meals. And my kids have really learned to love fruit and rarely ask for anything else when it comes to snacks. And let me tell you that has been no easy task for them to get that way about snacks. 

I have fallen in love with fruits and veggies this year. And I am pretty proud of myself for sticking with something like this and for how far we have come. I really love the feeling I get when I sit down with my family at the dinner table and I know that what we are eating is healthy. And I am grateful that it is teaching my kids good eating habits for life. We still eat way more junk than we should, but it is the habit of eating healthy that I am going for, not dieting.

 I don't share this to say I am better than anyone else, please don't misinterpret. I do not judge anyone by how or what they eat, we eat this way for very specific health reasons for every member of my family.  I am sharing this to show it is possible if it is something that you have been thinking about and wanting to do, but maybe just feel so overwhelmed with it all.  It is possible with a leap or with baby steps. I love the way we eat so much, that it gets me excited and I want to share it with every one.