Getting back on track

Every year I'm sure thousands and thousands of people resolve to "get back on track" or "lose weight" or "get back to a certain size".  Fundamentally we all know exactly what we need to do to achieve those goals.  The problem is we make excuses to ourselves as to what we haven't done it.  Here are some of my favorites...

~I don't like to waste food (eating our kids' leftovers)
~I just don't have the energy
~I'm at home with the kids all day
~I don't have time
~I can't afford to eat healthy
~I've tried on my own, but I need help
~"insert your best excuse here"

I'm guilty of using some of these excuses.  I'm a stay at home mom, with little to no energy and some days I feel like I don't have the time to dedicate to leading a healthy lifestyle.  I've tried on my own in the past and have failed.  I've also tried on my own in the past and succeeded!  The difference?  I had the drive to do it.  I really want to be healthy.  I want to teach my girls by doing, not by saying.  If I show them by example that you don't have to "diet" your entire life, they will grow up to be more confident and they will KNOW how to feed their own families one day.  I struggle so much with my diet because I didn't grow up in a household where we naturally ate healthy.  We had very few fresh fruits in the house and at over-cooked, boiled vegetables.  When we had the occasional fresh salad we loved it!  Now, don't take that as I grew up in a house eating fast food all the time or the worst foods ever.  That isn't the case either, I just think my mom didn't know...also, we really couldn't afford fresh fruit and all the veggies came from PapPa's garden.  PapPa also had a small beef farm where we got our beef from and raised pigs for pork.  So, there you have it...we ate a lot of beef and pork!

We all KNOW how to lose weight.  Burn more calories than you take in.  Simple, right?  In theory.  But why do we all have such a hard time just doing it??  Why can't I just put in my mouth the foods that are good for me and avoid the foods that are bad for me?  It drives me crazy!

This year I'm getting back on track (again).  I'm done having kids so it's time to get my body where I want it to be, get back to cooking healthy meals and stop giving my kids convenience items.  My girls love fresh chicken nuggets, why do I keep buying the overprocessed ones??  Because it's easy...It's time to start leading my family by example and doing what's best for all of us.  Get us into healthy habits that will last a lifetime and stop serving foods just because they're "kid foods".  Who says good, healthy dinners aren't "kid food"?  My girls will eat almost anything I give them, so why do I keep giving them mac & cheese and frozen fish sticks?  Ugh...

Through this blog I'll be posting the meals I'm feeding my family.  I'll post recipes (or links to recipes) and give you the Weight Watchers PointsPlus values I've figured up for them.  Now, as a disclaimer, the points I'll figure up will be according to the specific brands of foods I'm using and weights of meats I'm using.  If you want EXACT numbers for your meal, then please figure them up on your own.  Or feel free to use my number as figure it as "close enough"...  :)

Please give me some feedback if you make any of the recipes and let me know how you (and your kids!) like them.  I'll work on getting some pictures of my meals too...but don't expect professional quality, I'm just an amateur and generally use my iPhone to take pictures!  :)