Pizza day makeover

It's pizza day at my daughter’s school. Rather than have her eat an overly processed pie, high in fat (13 grams) and calories (332calories). I made her the lunchables copy. Whole flat bread cut into triangles per her request with organic pizza sauce by Muir Glen. I stock up on these when they go on sale at Target and Trader Joes low fat mozzarella. Some left over salad from dinner with a vinaigrette dressing , 2 gluten free fig newtons I buy these at grocery outlet for on 2.50 a pack. A baby orange, I know they are not really called baby oranges but that is what we call them at our house. :) And last but not least water to drink.

This is one of those lunches she love and could have over and over again. She had it twice this week with different sides. 

It takes me about 5 minutes to make her lunch in the morning and she is responsible for washing out her container each night. Sometimes she or I will make her lunch the night before. When I am working full-time, I will do it the night before just to save time. I usually do this when I am cleaning up from dinner. PS The box is from Old Navy. Check out my Facebook Page to see more examples of easy school lunches.

3 easy ways to avoid fast food restaurants.

Purse Snacks

When we are not home, we still want to maintain our healthy lifestyle. That can be hard as the the majority of quick and easy food choices are not very healthy.

For our family Fast Food restaurants are just not an option, the quality of the food and types of food offered would just not fit into a clean eating lifestyle and with children, if you do it once they will always remember and remind you "but remember that one time we ate at Mcdonalds..."

These are the things we eat instead of a trip through the drive through window.


#1 I try to always have healthy or "healthier than" choices in my purse or backpack. Then, I have to decide if this is going to be replacing a meal or if this a true snack, then I can choose accordingly.

One of my choices could be:

• An apple with peanut butter 
• Tuna with crackers or celery
• Dried fruit and nuts
• Fruit leather
• Trail mix
• A cliff bar 
• A whole wheat fig bar

A "healthier than" choice is something that is still a treat but is better than what it is replacing, these are not for everyday. I like to have these for my daughter so that she can still be a kid and enjoy, but I know that she is not being subjected to toxins like High Fructose Corn Syrup and/ or Food Coloring. There are many Organic products in the markets these days. Some of the ones she likes are:

Annies - This is her favorite brand. When she sees the bunny on the package she pretty much knows I will say okay.  Annies has entire line of products. All of which are free of HFCS and Food Coloring and Sugar. Since this post is about portable snacks, I will tell you which ones my daughter likes best for on the go, bunny fruit snacks and cheddar bunnies which are like goldfish crackers. I don't let her have these every day, we talk about the fact that these are treats and if you have something everyday then it is not a treat. 

As you can see from the picture labeled Purse Snacks, There is also dark chocolate and lollipops. First we will talk about the lollipops, they are by a company called Yummy Earth, again they are dye free and HFCS free, That means just like the bunny snacks the coloring comes from vegetables. You do not taste it. These are kid approved. All of my daughters friends have had them and I have never had a complaint. 

Trader Joe's Kitty Cat cookies these are so yummy and travel well, they do not crumble. I have been "told" they are great with a little nutella. 

The reason I like products, like the ones above, is that I like to be able to pull a treat out of my purse for my child, so that she does not feel deprived, instead she will quietly tell me "mom they only have junk here, nothing healthy. Do you have any good treats in your purse?"

The dark chocolate, well I must admit that is mostly for me. ;) I love chocolate and rather than being tempted by a snickers bar or a bag of Ms, I can just eat my 1 dark chocolate square and call it a day. (remember, not everyday) 

#2 Rather than fast food, I have also stopped at a grocery store and bought:

• a piece of fruit and a yogurt (grab a spoon by the soup or keep some in your glove box)
• box of kashi crackers with cheesesticks
• Deli lunch meat with a loaf of whole grain bread

#3 Chipotle -  My kind of fast food. I can buy a bowl with brown rice and pinto beans for about $2.00 for a simple meal. . It can be turned into a hearty meal for a few more dollars and will feed 2 people. You can't go wrong! 

 Well, there you have it, those are our go to snacks and meals.  I will do another post that will be about planned out lunches you can take with you, if you are planning a day out. Take Care and don't forget to follow me on Facebook. :)

Don't Talk About It, Be About It.

Hi My name is Colleen and I am a Brown Girl who eats Healthy,

To be fair I am biracial, does that matter, not really but the reason I decided to name my new blog BGEH is that over the past 3 yrs that I have been reading healthy eating blogs, I have not found many (only 1) healthy eating blogs by women of color. Over all this blog will be for anyone and everyone who wants to eat healthy and to learn more about being healthy, what ever I have learned over the past 3 years I will share with you.

 The reason I decided to start this blog is because I am often asked
 at the store at church at my school at my child's school...you get the point
questions about how we eat, where we buy the things we use and for my recipes. So I decided instead of giving out blog addresses and book titles I would give out my blog address.

Some of the posts I would like to write will be based on the comments and questions I get the most,

• Will my kids eat that?!
• It takes to long to cook from starch
• I can't afford to eat healthy
• I like to eat "bad" food....
• You don't eat meat, that's okay I'll make lamb
• Whats in my fridge
• MSG what is it
• Everything in moderation ...right?!
• You don't drink coffee, how do you wake up in the morning?
• Trader Joes What to buy?
• Costco What to buy?
• 99 cent store What to buy?
• How to make ...(Fill in the blank)
• Healthy Lunches for School that kids will eat (ex Homemade Lunchables)
• A trip to the farmers market
• Cooking with kids
• Freezer Cooking
• Food Storage
• Eating Healthy on a Food Stamp Budget
• Plus recipes that I make for my friends and family

 As you can see I have a lot of ideas, these are the types of things I am asked almost daily. It will be nice to have it all in one spot.

 I will also be adding a list of books, documentaries and blogs that I found to be very informative. 

Obviously it will take time to write each of these blog posts, so if you have a specific question, leave me a comment. 

Now for the disclaimer I am not a medical professional of any sort. The information I share is what has worked for my family, you will need to check with your doctor to see what will work for you and your family. This blog is not medical advice. This is a blog of my ideas, thoughts and recipes and opinions. A place where I can put all my ideas in one spot. With that said I hope you enjoy reading my opinions on the above topics.