Monday, August 20, 2007

Health Food Snob


As soon as our first baby reached the age where she began to try solid foods, I went overboard with healthy eating. Completely overboard! Not only did I make all her baby food from scratch with organic vegetables, fruits, etc, but I wound up ordering organic, all-natural food for me and my husband: raw cheeses, freshly ground grains, sprouted breads...you get the picture. We were saturated in health.

Fast-forward four years (and two more children). I had become a health food snob. I am embarrassed to admit to you that I actually looked down on moms I knew who took their kids to a certain restaurant with golden arches. I shuddered at the mere thought of my kids eating there.

Then we moved: we left the earthy, bike-riding, tree-hugging state I had lived in all my life, and moved thousands of miles away, to a small town where organic was a relatively new term and considered a fad instead of a way of life. Not to mention the prices were outrageous. What did I do?

Well, I cried. Multiple times. Then I started cooking with things I never thought I would use again. Brand-name items. Fruits and vegetables without an organic label. I bought regular old bread in a plastic bag. And guess what? My kids, well...they grew! And seemed healthy. It was a miracle! Or so I thought.

Fast-forward 3 more years. We moved again... back to the earthy, bike-riding, tree-hugging state I had lived in most of my life. Once again, everything super-healthy was at my fingertips.

But, guess what? I’m not a health food snob anymore. I learned something important: that I don’t need to be obsessed with what we’re eating- and it can definitely be an obsession (for me). Everything in moderation is my new motto.

Now that you have taken the time to read this boring detailed post, I’ll add one of our favorite and super-easy (and healthy but not obsessively healthy!) family dinners below.

Quick Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients: (go organic if you desire)

10 whole wheat tortillas
2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 can black beans
1 cup shredded, low-fat cheese (your preference)
1 jar salsa (I like Trader Joe’s varieties)
assorted cooked veggies (I use leftovers)
Optional: lettuce, salsa

Lay out tortillas. Mix refried beans, salsa and black beans in a bowl. Spread and top with chicken and veggie, then top with cheese. Roll and bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes. Top with shredded lettuce and salsa, and serve with a fork. Freeze leftovers for a quick lunch.

13 comments:

MorningSong said...

Sounds easy and looks good!

I didn't make my HC's food but I too felt I would never grace the doorway or drive-thru of the golden arches. I only gave her healthy food and just about threw all processed food out of our home. I almost quit eating with the obsession to now ONLY eat healthy. I have recovered from that chaos. Amazing how crazy we can be with our first born. So desperate to do EVERYTHING right!

Great post - I could definitely relate and I've never lived in a tree hugging state! :)

Anna said...

Yum! I love tasty, healthy, quick dishes like that!

Mississippi Songbird said...

Looks so good. Thanks for sharing the recipe

Amber said...

I don't think I have the power to become a health food snob....I wish I could be a semi-health food snob though.

I love the recipe! thanks!

0:) Amber

Lori said...

Those burritos sound yummy!
I try to have us eat as healthy as possible: fruits/veggies and the like.

Mary@notbefore7 said...

Balance...it is all about balance! I have so been there on this one and continue to work to achieve balance!

weavermom said...

I think my first had her first sugar on her 1st b'day. I'm pretty sure dh was sneaking my 2nd Dr. Pep*per before he was even getting solid food! I've loosened up as well - but finding that balance can be hard!

The recipe looks delicious!

... said...

being a health snob just demanded more time and energy than i had, so i never went down that road.

i'll be honest... one day we would visit the golden arches and the next we would have a healthy meal. like someone else wrote, it came down to trying to keep a good balance.

Just Mom said...

There are many, many things I miss about the northwest. Healthy food is one of them. The foods I really miss are Nancy's Yogurt (I used to buy it in the gigantic tub form) and Jan's Salsa.

Thanks for the recipe, by the way. It looks tasty. I must try it. :-D

Jessie said...

We can't afford to buy all organic most of the time. I pick and choose what we buy b/c of what is on sale and then plan our meals that way. And we *gasp* have been to those golden arches before as I went growing up. You are so correct, moderation is the key. Thanks for the fantastic sounding recipe, I will have to try it out!

MetaMommy said...

You make being a food snob sound like a bad thing :-P
To be fair, it can be a chore. However, I enjoy it and I've been taking the time I have as a SAHM to think more about the food we (my husband, son, and I) consume. I'm also spoiled in that I have great resources nearby. That said, if we moved, I hope what we'd take what we've learned about food with us. It doesn't have to be organic to be healthy, but it helps :-)

Mrs. Breum said...

:) I think eating healthy is awesome! I was just at the point where our eating habits (my obsession) was affecting others. I'm ashamed to admit I looked down on people who fed their kids junk food. I would even give advice/tips on healthy eating... w/o being asked (seriously... I'm blushing as I type that!)

Overall, it's wonderful to eat healthy- but for me, it was really consuming. Now I just kind of take life more in stride and try not to obsess so much!

Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

Very good article, you make some interesting points.

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