2013 Fruits and Veggies in 2013

I can hear you now. “What the heck is she talking about? 2013 Fruits and Veggies in 2013?

Let me explain.

First I am NOT talking about trying 2013 different fruits and veggies or 2013 new recipes.  I am not even talking about making my kids eat 2013 fruits and veggies.

I am talking about serving 2013 fruits and veggies to my family in 2013.

 

If you do the math, 2013 divided by 365 comes out to approximately 5.5 servings a day.  So you can do 5 servings some days and 6 another or count that salsa and lime you squeezed on your taco as the .5.   The math comes out nicely to 2 fruits or veggies per meal or 1 at breakfast, 1 at lunch, 1 for snack and 2 at dinner.  There are several combinations that make 5.5 fruits and veggies a day possible.

I let the kids in on the goal because I know they will keep me in check and help me stay motivated.  It has only been 9 days, but they will say “Mom, we only have one fruit.  What is the other one?”  Or “What is our second vegetable?”

Chad didn’t play as nice.  He actually accused me of being Satan and forcing him to eat vegetables.  (13 years later, he should know not to engage in a battle of logic with me.)  I simply pointed out that I am not forcing him to eat the vegetables; I am merely serving them.

As a mom and wife, I believe I am responsible for what I serve, not for what they actually eat.  I do not believe in force or coercion or gimmicks, but I do ask that my kids taste every thing I serve.  They don’t have to like it, but I want them to try it. (Croft spitting out veggies is a regular occurrence at dinner time.)   The kids and my hubby are ultimately responsible for their own health and bodies.

2013 Fruits and Veggies in 2013 takes time and effort and planning and lots of visits to the produce section of the grocery store, but it has been a great motivation for me and I have tried many new food combinations already.

I added spinach to our scrambled eggs and cauliflower to our potato soup.  I left out the french bread and served sauteed mushrooms and zucchini with our chicken alfredo instead.  I even served fresh cut pineapple with our dippy eggs one morning because I knew I needed to get in another fruit at breakfast.

But the biggest hit was yesterday’s new after school snack: sliced bananas drizzled with honey and cinnamon.  My kids ate 4 bananas worth. (I got the idea from Pinterest but the link was bad so I can’t give proper credit.)

I toyed with different ways to record all the veggies we eat throughout the year, and I wondered if I should actually count up to 2013.  I decided not to be exact because I knew I couldn’t maintain it all year.  Instead I am just using the average of 5 or 6 fruits and veggies a day as my guideline.   I learned last year that even if I don’t meet my exact goal , there is growth and knowledge in the process.

And hopefully good habits will be formed long before I reach 2013 fruits and veggies.  Anyone want to join me?