I sure hope I didn’t make your heart stop.  You knew it had to be coming soon.  It is the very foundation of this website.  It is most likely what turned this young (no comments) and active mother into a sickly woman who had to miss special events because of my food caused illness.  As a reminder, due to my busy schedule with 4 kids, whose ages are now 19, 15, 7 and 5, I was constantly on the go.  I was going to baseball games, football games, scouting events (both boys and girls), band concerts, school plays, and dance classes and recitals.  That doesn’t even include my full-time job or my and my husband’s activities.  As a result, I always felt (and still do) in a rush.  I had to Juggle all of these activities and my answer this time last year was fast food.

I knew that fast food was not good for me or my family, but all the information that was readily available to me was related to calories.  If I ate this food, I would gain weight.  Well……….I love people no matter what size they are, so this didn’t really concern me.  If we exercised, what really was the problem?  I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I really could cry (I’m actually tearing up now as I write this) thinking about the long-term effects of eating bad food.  Here I was trying to be the best Mother I could be, and I was feeding my kids junk on a regular basis.

I was listening to the radio this week and they were discussing a study that asked people which chronic diseases had a direct cause related to extra weight.  Most people were aware that heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes were directly related to being overweight.  What they (and I) didn’t know is that cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and infertility can also be linked to being overweight. That is a lot to put on my family just because I didn’t have time to cook.

So…………..how do I do it now when I couldn’t before?  I certainly do not have any more time.  Oh, how I wish I did.  I put this Juggling system into place.  I get out my Juggling Calendar and list out all the activities for the week.  I then plan my meals around those activities.  On days that I really have to hurry, I plan quick-prepare meals or meals in my crock pot.  On nights that I have a little more time, I plan meals that take longer to cook so there is still variety in our meals.  Fruits and vegetables really are quick to prepare.  They make the best side-dishes.  Another part of the Juggling system is to think about pockets of time where you can fit in prepping for your meals.  Can you brown meat while your hair is drying in the morning or chop veggies real quick before bed?  Think about it.  You may have more time than you think to cook.  I also invited my husband to help out.  He is my go-to guy for taco night, breakfast night and pasta night.  He also makes a mean meatball.  Kids can also be excellent sous chefs.

DO NOT try this without planning.  If you come home from work and stare into the fridge with an empty belly, it’s not going to be a good thing.  You will probably make a bad decision, if you are anything like me.  Have a plan and post on the refrigerator for all to see. It is also less tempting to hit the fast food window if you know that you have already purchased high-quality ingredients for your weekly meals.

OK………..are you ready for the challenge?  Report back and let me know how it is going.  It’s only a week………….you can do it.  I am proud to say that I haven’t seen a drive-through window since June.  I’m sure they miss me, but that’s their problem.  I had to change a lot of everyday habits and you may have to as well.  You will feel better now and down the road when you make this change.  Remember, there is lots of extra support and ideas on our Facebook page.  You can also follow us on Twitter @jugglngrealfood.  You can also follow our boards on Pinterest.