I have been thinking about healthy eating and diets a lot lately. I hate diets. I hate the idea of depriving myself of something that can be good for me if I eat in moderation and make wise choices. I have been following a modified low-carb diet lately because Rob needs to for his health and I know I need to cut out more sugar in my diet. 

However, I refuse to cut out any fruits or vegetables out of my diet. Ever. I like them way too much! I just don’t understand any diet that tells you something grown in nature is bad for you. 

So you will get a rare post from me on healthy eating. I truly believe it is important and crucial to being in good health. Prepping, homesteading, parenting, and just daily living become easier when you are eating healthy. Eating healthy also lead to other good habits, such as exercising and sleeping well, because you have great energy during the day and actually feel tired when you go to bed.

Everyone has a different idea of eating healthy. We do the best we can buying organic when affordable, locally sourcing our meat, using eggs from our own chickens, raising some of our own produce, and not using hardly any processed food. We aren’t perfect and I am sure some of you have better ideas for eating healthy. Please share them in the comments!

Many people think it is too much work to eat healthy all the time. But we are preppers and homesteaders! We thrive on thinking ahead while enjoying the present! We can do this healthy eating thing!

Why should someone be eating healthy? Because:
1. to be healthy. 
2. to lose weight.
3. to cut out processed food in case something happens in the world and need to rely more on what can be raised in the garden and on the farm.
4. to have energy to get through the day.
5. to feel better about ourselves. 
6. to have clearer thinking.
7. to fight against diseases like diabetes, depression, etc.

We want to feel better! We want a better quality of life. We don’t want to be so unhealthy that we can’t keep up with the work, defend ourselves, be active with our kids/grandkids, or just keep up with daily life.

Healthy eating can be easy. It really can! However, you need to plan ahead. You can plan ahead by: 1.  make ahead breakfasts to quickly warm up in the mornings.
2.  plan ahead on snacks.
3. can quite a bit of your own food to cut out the preservatives and artificial ingredients.
4. meal planning
5. freezer cooking (which makes my life so much easier!)
6. plant a garden, plant in containers, plant edible perennials, and plant fruit/nut trees and bushes. 

Below are some of things I do to plan ahead to have healthy food on hand. I will list at least five things for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks.

Breakfast:
1. Make MYO Oatmeal to have those packets ready to go in the morning.
2. Mix eggs with meat and vegetables in muffin tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Make a large batch of granola and granola bars to eat by itself or to have as cereal or with yogurt.I freeze some of them so they do not go bad before we eat them all. 
4.  Bake a large batch of healthy muffins and/or quick bread. I freeze them and pop them in the microwave when I need them. 
5. Make a double batch of pancakes to reheat the leftovers during the week. We often eat the leftover pancakes with homemade jam. 
6. Always have fresh fruit available. The ultimate grab and go snack or breakfast!

Snacks
1. Granola bars (see #3 in breakfast)
2. Fruit or vegetables already cut into easy to eat pieces
3. Small mini peppers with cream cheese
4. Summer sausage and cheese
5. Pickles or Pickle roll-ups (ham, cream cheese, and dill pickles)

Lunch (work and school)
1. Sandwiches. My current love is ham, Swiss or muenster cheese, and spinach on a multi-grain sandwich thin. We are also trying making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and putting them in the freezer to pull when needed.
2. Leftovers!
3. Making a big batch of taco meat to reheat in tortillas and eat with whatever you want or have on hand.
4. Fruit and vegetables already cut into easy to eat pieces
5. Create a bento box like meal with 5-6 small choices that are bite-size for easy eating.

Supper
1. Freezer meals. There are several recipes on the internet. I tend to stick to low-carb and dairy-free recipes that can be done in the slow cooker.
2. Slow cooker/Crock Pot. I use mine at least once a week. I put at least one slow cooker meal every week in my meal plan. Sometimes I plan for 2-3 times a week depending on how busy we are.
3. Freeze chicken in marinade. As the chicken thaws, it will marinate and be all juicy and yummy. I either pan fry or grill these them.
4. Freeze your vegetables or buy frozen vegetables. Cook on the stove top or in the microwave for a quick side dish.
5. Put meals together on Sunday to have on hand during the week. You can take it out of the fridge and heat it up for a quick, hot supper.
6. Use a pressure cooker. I am learning to use mine, but the ease of use and the many recipes on the internet make using this so much easier. I love making rice pilaf in mine!

You will notice that I like to eat healthy, but I like my meals quick and easy too. I love to cook and bake, but I am lazy and don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it! Time is valuable and needs to be prioritized during the week.

If you have food allergies, healthy eating and planning ahead is even more important. Paige is majorly lactose-intolerant and the rest of us are mildly so. Many times Paige cannot eat the school lunches and will pack hers the night before. We also plan meals that are dairy-free so she can be comfortable eating them. We do use lactose-free milk instead of regular milk in every recipe that calls for milk. 

Now, does healthy eating sound hard? 

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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