This is a cheap, healthy, easy meal that our family loves. It is also a great recipe to blend up and freeze for baby food (9 months and up).
Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs stew beef
2/3 cup dried barley
4 cups of beef broth
1/2 to 1 cup water (optional)
Carrots, sliced
Celery, sliced
Onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen green beans
Basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, etc. to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Brown the stew beef in a skillet and put in crock pot. Add barley, broth (and water if desired), carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Add seasonings to taste (I do a couple shakes of dried basil and oregano and a pinch of thyme).
2. Put lid on crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. In the last half hour or so, add the corn and green beans.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
What is Common Sense Nutrition?
In a society that is obsessed with weight and dieting, we are constantly bombarded with information on what we should and shouldn't eat. It can be so overwhelming at times that it's just easier to eat whatever we want regardless of how healthy it is. I know; I've been there. I've flip-flopped from a whole food diet to a pizza and brownie diet more times than I can count. And I've finally come to the realization that the best way to ensure the best nutrition for you and your family is to simply use your noggin. That's right: common sense.
Here are the main guidelines everyone should follow when deciding what to put in their mouths:
1. Eat a variety of foods from every food group. We are so blessed to live in an age where almost every type of food that grows on this earth is available to most of us wherever we live. Even if you can't afford exotic foods, you can still find lots of variety at your local grocery store. So, even if you love chicken and it's a staple for your family, throw in some beef every once in awhile. It's richer in iron than chicken. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables each week. Your body needs lots of vitamins and minerals and other nutrients to function the way it's supposed to. But if you eat the same things every day, week after week, your body will not be able to perform to the best of its ability because you're not feeding it everything it needs. This is especially important for growing kids. It makes sense, right?
2. Try to eat as many whole foods as possible. Whole foods are natural and unprocessed foods. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. Whole grains. Unprocessed meats. You get the picture. Basically, as soon as you start processing foods and adding extra things like preservatives, the important nutrients are lost and you end up with a bunch of empty calories.
3. Avoid white flour and white sugar as much as possible. Again, since these are refined, you are not doing your body any good by consuming them.
4. Try to buy local and organic foods when you can. If you can't afford organic produce, make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables well before using them. What I like to do is consult the "Dirty Dozen" list found here and just buy those fruits and vegetables from the organic section, since they are the ones that test highest for pesticides.
5. Eat smaller meals more frequently. We're all heard this one right? But it's true. Eating smaller meals will help with your energy throughout the day and help you digest food easier.
That's honestly pretty much it. I know that every family is different and every person is different, so you have to know your body well enough to feed it exactly what it needs. My husband, for example, has a very high metabolism. He needs to eat much more often than I do and he needs foods that will stay with him longer. If we skip meat for dinner, I have to make sure we're having some kind of protein substitute otherwise he's starving an hour later. I, on the other hand, am good with whole wheat pasta and some veggies.
I do understand that there are financial and geographic factors that affect the food you put on your table. If you have more money, you might be able to afford organic fruits and vegetables all the time. If you have a small budget, like we do, you have to make every penny count and you might have to say no to the quinoa and yes to brown rice. If you live in a small town that only has one itty bitty grocery store, your choices will be more limited. But maybe you have a local farmer's market where you can stock up on fruits and veggies to freeze so you can enjoy them the rest of the year. Just be smart and plan ahead and, with a little bit of creativity, you can easily give your body the nutrition it deserves.
And for those of you who have trouble in the creativity field, be sure to read on for some budgeting, meal planning, and recipes tips and ideas!
Here are the main guidelines everyone should follow when deciding what to put in their mouths:
1. Eat a variety of foods from every food group. We are so blessed to live in an age where almost every type of food that grows on this earth is available to most of us wherever we live. Even if you can't afford exotic foods, you can still find lots of variety at your local grocery store. So, even if you love chicken and it's a staple for your family, throw in some beef every once in awhile. It's richer in iron than chicken. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables each week. Your body needs lots of vitamins and minerals and other nutrients to function the way it's supposed to. But if you eat the same things every day, week after week, your body will not be able to perform to the best of its ability because you're not feeding it everything it needs. This is especially important for growing kids. It makes sense, right?
2. Try to eat as many whole foods as possible. Whole foods are natural and unprocessed foods. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. Whole grains. Unprocessed meats. You get the picture. Basically, as soon as you start processing foods and adding extra things like preservatives, the important nutrients are lost and you end up with a bunch of empty calories.
3. Avoid white flour and white sugar as much as possible. Again, since these are refined, you are not doing your body any good by consuming them.
4. Try to buy local and organic foods when you can. If you can't afford organic produce, make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables well before using them. What I like to do is consult the "Dirty Dozen" list found here and just buy those fruits and vegetables from the organic section, since they are the ones that test highest for pesticides.
5. Eat smaller meals more frequently. We're all heard this one right? But it's true. Eating smaller meals will help with your energy throughout the day and help you digest food easier.
That's honestly pretty much it. I know that every family is different and every person is different, so you have to know your body well enough to feed it exactly what it needs. My husband, for example, has a very high metabolism. He needs to eat much more often than I do and he needs foods that will stay with him longer. If we skip meat for dinner, I have to make sure we're having some kind of protein substitute otherwise he's starving an hour later. I, on the other hand, am good with whole wheat pasta and some veggies.
I do understand that there are financial and geographic factors that affect the food you put on your table. If you have more money, you might be able to afford organic fruits and vegetables all the time. If you have a small budget, like we do, you have to make every penny count and you might have to say no to the quinoa and yes to brown rice. If you live in a small town that only has one itty bitty grocery store, your choices will be more limited. But maybe you have a local farmer's market where you can stock up on fruits and veggies to freeze so you can enjoy them the rest of the year. Just be smart and plan ahead and, with a little bit of creativity, you can easily give your body the nutrition it deserves.
And for those of you who have trouble in the creativity field, be sure to read on for some budgeting, meal planning, and recipes tips and ideas!
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