What's for Lunch?

Here's to my new found devotion to being healthy! I've mentioned before that Austin is a pretty big hippy city, filled with health nuts of all kinds. When we first moved here, I had an odd encounter with a extreme health nut at a park. I was sitting with Devon eating some grapes and a sweet little boy was begging with his eyes. So I asked if he wanted a grape, so I gave him one and he went back to playing. His mom saw him take the grape and stormed over to me and asked, "Was that an organic grape?" I was pretty baffled and said no. She flipped! Claiming that people in Austin have a higher standard for their children. I thought this was outrageously hilarious (and still do). However, now after consuming many articles, books and advice (from sane people) I can see why she would want organic for her boy. But come on, one grape isn't going to send his pure body into toxic shock.

I know what you may be thinking, "Hey Michelle, lover of Taco Bell. You want to be a health nut?" Alas, it is true. Thanks to some inspiration by some awesome friends I have in my Sunday School class, I do want to live a more simpler and healthy life, and I especially want the same for my children. (I'm still getting used to the plural form of that word. Hard to believe I have two now.)

My class is called the Honeymooners and it's filled with mom's and mom's to be (and dad's too). They are indeed the greatest examples for me on my quest to health nut central. Recently I was introduced to this insanely cute way to pack healthy lunches for school using laptop lunches/bentos. Click here for some examples. I don't feel like explaining it, so just to take a quick peek. Beware if you have kids you may get hooked!

So since my thoughts are consumed with how to make cute healthy lunches for Devon, while we were at the library I got a few books with good recipes for healthy stuff to make for her as well as some books with baby food recipes. Yep I have been making his food too. :) I Found this book I absolutely LOVE! It's called Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children. Not only did it have great recipes, it has a ton of info about nutrition for kids. Above all I love the facts it slips in about the food we (as in Americans) eat, like McDonalds. For example:

• A chicken McNugget may be white meat, but it is mashed up with over 50 chemicals and additives.
• McDonalds french fries have very little in common with a potato. They contain more than 10 ingredients, including flavoring that comes from a beef source and trans fat, sugar and salt.
• In 2000, government agencies spent about $48 million to promote nutrition and health for kids, but McDonalds spent 14 times that amount - $665 million - to advertise its food.

So that's that. Hmmmm I think I see the number of happy meals in Devon's future dwindling.