What does a "healthy meal" mean for ME?

 

I struggle with my weight and it is mainly because I love sweet junk food. I know this and I have all intention of working on this (for another post).  But I always look at the other food we eat and I think "Is this healthy?" Is it healthy to have a meal with tons of veggies even if it is loaded with cheese and cream? Is lots of meat healthy? What about having bread/breadsticks with pasta- is that too many carbs?

My kids have been doing a 5210+ Challenge at school this month. As part of this challenge they have been learning about eating healthy, the food pyramid and calories.  My 7 year old now checks calories on things and decided he does not want to eat anything that has calories. So we've been talking about how he has to have calories to live but he needs to focus on the type of calories; is he getting 100 calories from a piece of candy or 100 calories from carrots.  Which will fill him up more? Which will make him healthier? So we've been talking about this and now I've been thinking about it. 

I made a tasty meal last night; Sausage Tortellini in White Sauce. Everyone ate it. Everyone liked it.  Even the Preschooler (see Food Pyramid for Explanation of that phenomenon).  It had 4 vegetables in the pasta and was served with a side salad and bread.  This meal was a success in the "family with kids" book but what about in the "healthy" book? I made the white sauce (does that make it healthier than jarred?) and it had butter, milk, cream and cheese. LOTS of Cheese. So does that take away from the fact that it also had onion, zucchini, yellow squash and spinache? The salad was a bagged kit from Sams with a lot of dressing and add ins- does that take away from the fact that my kids were eating a salad? 

I really don't like cooking dinner (we eat out WAY to much) and so I feel really proud of myself when I make a meal that everyone eats and enjoys. I always struggle to know how to have healthy, easy, kid friendly meals. Can I just not eat healthy until my kids are grown up? Does eating healthy mean eating flavorless food? I don't think so.  I know that you can eat good food, even calorie rich food, and still be healthy. So how?

So many questions and I have no answers but this is what I have decided will work for my family (at least for now).   I am at the stage of life that "healthy" meal needs to include emotionally healthy meals and the fact that we are all sitting together (with no devices or tv) talking and enjoying time together.  A "healthy" meal gives my kids veggies/fruit (no matter what it's smothered with) and lets them go to sleep full and satisfied. I can do things to help make our meals healthier for ME.  I have decided to work on.... (drum roll)

Portion Control T!here is a lot of advice and guidelines to loose weight with portion control that I could do but, lets me honest, I'm not going to weigh my food. I'm just not there in my life right now. But I can start small and do what works for me.

Do I need a large second serving of pasta? Probably not.  

Could I fill most of my plate with salad/veggies and therefore limit that amount of carbs? Yes.  

Could I use smaller plates so that I get the satisfaction of a full plate with less food? Yes.

Could I drink more water with my meal so that I feel full faster? Yes. 

 

So that is my small goal;  I am going to be mindful and with intention I will work on my portion control.