It's Crunch Time

I know Jamie Oliver is not everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I think he's kind of cute, and he's a family man, which endears him to me. Even his working class Brit accent and affectations don't bother me -- neither does his cute little lisp (it's an official crush, I guess). His Food Revolution initiative and television show have given my husband and me a lot to talk about lately. This morning, the Food Revolution email I received even made me smile and feel proud of my girlhood home, Carroll County, MD.

The Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County received a grant from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation to implement a program encouraging school children and their families to eat more fruits and vegetables and less fast food and sugar. L.E.A.N. Carroll is a program designed to help families encourage healthy Lifestyles, promote Education and Activity, and improve Nutrition for both children and parents. A pilot program, It's Crunch Time, was carried out in two elementary schools in Mt. Airy, MD and, by all accounts, was quite successful. Those nice folks at the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County have even made their packet for It's Crunch Time available on the web as a pdf. I'm sure they won't mind if I snag it for home use, even if I don't live Carroll County any more.

Thanks to all at the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County for a fantastic and inspirational program.

Some success

Saturday was my WW weigh in day. I'm happy to say that I lost 1.8 pounds since last week. We'll see what next week brings. We are in week 2 of the "no eating out" phase of our lives. My husband has posted a "what we need to save each month to send the kids to school the year after next" reminder chart on the fridge. A big incentive to open up that door and do some cooking magic. Last night's dinner was Curried pan fried cod, with rice and broccoli on the side, with strawberries and yogurt for dessert. Yummy.

Making Sure We Get Milk

I'm not a milk drinker. I'm sure osteoporosis is in my future, since I have trouble taking calcium pills as well. I have trouble remembering to take pills, period (thus, no vitamins, no calcium, so Yeast Cleanse, etc.). My kids are water drinkers, with milk at meals, and my husband consumes enough gluten free cereal with lactose free milk (Yay Celiac Disease!!) to ensure that his bones are good and strong. So, I'm really the problem. Most days I forget to drink anything at all, except for hot tea, without which I can't get through the day.

But, for the sake of argument, I'm going to pretend that milk consumption is a family problem. My latest idea is to get canning jars and a paint marker and, each morning (or evening, if I am prepared!), to put the (next) day's allotment of milk into a personalized jar for each person. That way, I'll know at a glance whether I, or one of the children, has not had enough milk. I'll have to take a picture when they're done...

Last night's dinner was very good, BTW. I love the Food Revolution cookbook, especially the 20 minute meals. Last night's meal was Spicy Moroccan Fish Stew with Couscous (rice for my husband). It included diced tomatoes (canned), white fish (I used tilapia), shrimp, cumin seeds, garlic, cinnamon, lemon juice, basil, and a red pepper. The couscous preparation couldn't have been simpler -- put couscous in a bowl with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and then cover it with boiling water, put a plate over the top and let sit while the fish cooks (10 minutes). We all liked it, even though the kids were a bit freaked out by the "spicy" (i.e., lemony) couscous. Chickadee #2 ended up eating some smoked turkey because she couldn't handle all the "mixed together" stuff. But the rest of it liked it -- Chickadee #1, when biting into the fish, said, with a huge grin, "Cod!!! Yummy!"