The Sugar Blues

It's been pretty frustrating at the Quinn house this week.  I banned any and all sugar.  I don't buy sugar for the kids but they manage to get it at every party, church meeting, family's house, etc.  It was time to take a stand and say good bye to the sugar that was most definitely the culprit of drastic mood swings in our home.  A week ago I warned the kids that I would be enforcing the "no sugar" policy starting this week.  They surprisingly have not objected too much.  This week we've been focusing on eating good food, having regular meal times and snack times, and exercising together.  Things are going pretty well if you don't count the whining. I'm becoming immune to whining. But I'm so happy, we've survived 2 whole days on lots of  raw foods, no sugar and working out together.  Here's a sneak peak of what we've been eating:

Breakfast: Oats & Barley groats cereal with nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut oil,  and molasses (my favorite-tons of energy from this one)
Snack: Protein Shake (raw protein powder, almond milk, bananas, avocado, flax oil, cacoa powder, strawberries)
Lunch: Vegetable tray with hummus, crackers & almond cheese, soup, apple
Snack: Green smoothie (2 cups grape juice, 1 cup water, 2 cucumbers, 1 bunch green chard, handful of parsley, 1/2 lemon, frozen strawberries) & apple cinnamon muffins (see recipe given on this blog)
Dinner: Potatoes (steamed and then mashed with 1/4 c coc oil, dill, and finely chopped garlic**this was a big hit), Broccoli, Salad, sliced ham
Treat: Plain Organic Yogurt, Maple syrup, strawberries, and blueberries, small piece of raw fudge
Before bed: Lemonade (maple syrup, lemon juice, hot water, and cayenne pepper)

With a little planning, you can choose foods that are loaded with vitamins and minerals.  I have picky eaters that won't always eat everything that I've made.  It's frustrating but they are coming around and are trying more and more each day.  Baby steps remember.  The most important thing is that my children drink their smoothies because I know that they have all the essential vitamins and minerals they need for the day.  Join me over the next 90 days of no sugar and exercise. We've committed as a family to be in better shape, to eat better, and to spend time together doing it. I'll keep you posted.