We did it!

We did it!  We survived watching "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" for our movie night.  Nathan has been begging to watch this movie.  He finally convinced his brother to have it be their movie for movie night on Sunday.  I was nervous....we were going to watch a movie filled with all kinds of food that we don't eat anymore.  How was this gonna work out?  I chose the picture with cheeseburgers for this post, because it is Nathan's favorite food and one of R.D.'s top picks.  It is also what has been the hardest for them to give up.  It is the reason we eat bison and ostrich burgers....they are very similar.  I knew when those cheeseburgers started falling from the sky we were in for our own food storm....I was prepared!  I had made their favorite sweet potato fries for dinner that night....we had leftovers.  I had the bowls of sweet potato fries and homemade ketchup ready.  We followed that up with grandpa's homemade fruit leather and a bowl of raisins.  Just like that....we survived the food storm.  Yes, it really was that simple.  For me, I had to eat grandpa's homemade potato chips and fruit leather. 

My dad's homemade fruit leather and homemade potato chips have been one of our favorite treats.  All four of us LOVE the fruit leather.  No, I don't know how he makes it.  What I do know is it is only 2 ingredients.....pureed apples/strawberries or pureed pears/apples or pureed granny smith apples/bananas.  He only puts a light coating of olive oil on the dehydrator plates to make it easier to pull off and then the fruit.  Nothing else.  No sugars. No preservatives. No sweeteners.  Just fruit, that's it!  It is delicious!  Now, for the potato chips....I know he makes them in the microwave.  He slices them and then dehydrates them in the microwave. Only potatoes. Nothing else, absolutely nothing else.  I have no clue how.  I really should find out and share with everyone, right?  I will do that, but for now it is so handy having grandpa make it.  It also makes grandpa feel good.  He feels like this is his own personal way to support the boys journey.  They can only get it from grandpa.  I guess that's why I haven't been in a hurry to figure it out. 

One of the things that seems to stress out parents, including myself is "school lunch".  I would stress about what to put in their lunch each day.  Finally, it dawned on me.....quit stressing.  They have never been big school lunch eaters.  They have always been more interested in visiting and getting to recess.  So, I asked them what do you want?  They now get anything from sliced carrots, raisins, sweet potato fries, fruit leather, buffalo burgers, and oranges.  Lunch for today (Wednesday, September 19) is for R.D. ---- Buffalo burger, fruit leather, raisins, and water.  Nathan ---- Buffalo burger, sweet potato fries, homemade ketchup, fruit leather, raisins and water. Since I quit worrying about it....lunch boxes come home empty.  Here was my thought process....They get a very nutritional breakfast.  One designed to fuel their body.  They get a healthy snack at home after school.  Dinner is healthy and full of what they need.  Put stuff in their lunch that they are sure to eat.  They don't want to eat a lot at lunch anyhow.  They are not starving.  What they get for lunch is a lot healthier than what some kids are receiving in their lunches from home.

We are over 7 weeks in to this diet and it is just routine.  We don't stray too much from what we know works...that gets dangerous for me.  Actually, more for R.D. than for me.  Since it is usually his menu I mess up the most.  He likes to remind me of that whenever he can.  ; )  The boys have done 7 sessions at Brain Balance.  They never argue about going and are enjoying it.  R.D. did 100 military sit ups on Sunday night and couldn't wait for me to text my dear friend/trainer/Rockstar athlete, Colleen to tell her his achievement.  This kid couldn't do 5 of them when we started this journey.  Nathan is up to 30 sit ups!  They are changing....so, for those who ask have we seen changes....YES!  We absolutely are seeing changes.  Subtle to anyone else, but huge to us.  Is this easy...NO!  But, like anything else, if you want it bad enough....you will make it happen.