Since changing our diet I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen. I have to make almost all of our meals for each part of the day. I know for some people that would be torture, but honestly I love to cook. But, I am a busy mom of two boys so there are times when I just need some convenience. I have several meals in the freezer that I can throw in the crock pot or the oven but I have also found a few products I love to help me on a day or night that I’m pressed for time.
When I’m not making the boys oatmeal or cheesy egg omelets with fruit, I have Isabel’s Way or Kashi cereal in the cabinet.
The boys love these cereals and they taste just like the original childhood favorites without the added dyes or preservatives. Is it the healthiest opion out there? No, but sometimes it’s fun to just let my boys be boys. Another option for those of you with a Kroger store are the Mom’s Best Natural’s cereals.
For lunch we use bread from our local Stone Mill Bakery. If you look for the whole wheat varieties you can grab the most delicious bread you’ve ever had in your life made from just 4-5 ingredients. Bronze Honey Wheat is our favorite and we can use a large slice cut in half to make a sandwich. Peanut butter and preserves still rocks our world. We’re just choosing natural peanut butter and all fruit preserves in place of our old sugary peanut butter and jelly. I’m trying to find a bread I can bake at home but I keep flopping, so until I perfect it, I’m thankful to have this delicious local option.
Dinner is usually grilled or baked chicken or grass fed beef with a steamed veggie and potato or whole wheat couscous. But, we still love Spaghetti so imagine how excited I was to find these next two ingredients. They totally rock our world. First, I love this Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa pasta.
It tastes just like regular pasta but with all of the health benefits of Quinoa. I’ve been making some gluten free options for my own diet so this is an easy way to feed our whole family and I can still enjoy an old pasta favorite.
My next, and probably most favorite thing I’ve discovered so far is this Newman’s Own Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce. Not only is it absolutely delicious, it’s only $2.29 at Target – a whole $5 less than most other organic pasta sauces. Also, it makes the BEST pizza sauce so I can use it on our homemade cheese pizzas that are in the oven in as fast as I can roll out the dough, spoon on the sauce and cover with cheese.
For snacks we grab larabars, z bars, these mango strips and these organic squeeze yogurts. I have made homemade versions of these but again, it’s nice to have an option if we are going out of town or need something to put in the boys bags for snacks on the go.
Do you have any convenience foods you love that are better for your family than your old choices?
