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.

Orange Bundt Cake

This is a delicious, light cake with a touch of orange flavor, and oh so easy. I love making this cake at Christmas because it's especially nice with hot chocolate, but it's just as good all year round.






You will need:
1 package of yellow cake mix
1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
1/2 cup of water
3/4 cup of orange juice

Mix ingredients together and beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

Glaze:
1/2 package of Nestle white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons of orange juice

Melt chips in microwave then mix with juice and pour over cake.

Be sure you make this cake when you are expecting company or else you will eat every bite of it yourself and then feel like a pig. The edges are chewy and perfectly sweetened with the chocolaty orange topping, and the center is soft and moist and irresistible. Go. Bake. Eat. Then do 100 sit ups!