How are the kids? – Week 2

A common question while we’ve been doing our cleanse is, “What are you feeding the kids?!?!?”  My answer is – whatever is easy!  While my kids are pretty good eaters, I wouldn’t feel comfortable restricting their food to the guidelines of our cleanse.  So what does that mean?  2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners – all the while fighting cravings, particularly during week 1.  So before we began we tried to make things as easy as possible.

A big batch of marinara and meat sauce – this can go over baked potato, broccoli, pasta, brown rice, or on an english muffin sprinkled with cheese (mini pizza).

Soup to the rescue.  The whole family loves this recipe from Weelicious and thankfully it is also cleanse approved.  The kids pair this soup with a generous doll-up of sour cream and fresh baguette with a creamy cheese.

Get them cooking!  At ages 6 and 8 my kids can do a bit in the kitchen, this week, they made pesto (with supervision), flipped egg omelets (with supervision) and made loads of toast (to then spread with whatever they love – like Justin’s chocolate almond butter spread) (that last one is all on their own – no way I could be in the kitchen while that deliciousness is going on!)  Whatever they make, or assist in making, they are 70% more likely to eat in my experience.

Chop it up – lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand all cut and chopped for them to dip in guacamole, hummus, peanut butter, and the aforementioned Justin’s chocolate spread.

Breakfast for dinner – oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon, eggs and toast, etc.

So while I couldn’t order pizza from our favorite neighborhood place during our cleanse, I seem to be okay making them a SMALL pizza at home (no left-overs).   And it is better to rid your home of all your favorite “pit-falls”, so think through alternatives.  If you are a cookie-monster, no cookies in the house, maybe they can get one from the bakery while you are cruising through the grocery store.  If it’s a bowl of ice cream every night, get the kids greek yogurt and sprinkle chocolate chips (my kids like this just as much as ice cream).  If it’s chips, try these rice crackers my kids love the cheddar ones.

Above all try not to cringe when your sweet little one offers you a bite of whatever contraband they are in the midst of enjoying!

Happy Friday,

D