It’s good to be back.  I took an entire week off from blogging to take care of my real life.  Sometimes life gets so busy that there is no time for anything else. I’m sure you have had times like these in your life.

My friend Gaye over at Calm.Healthy.Sexy and I have been talking about Juggling Real Food and Real Life.  She reminded me that this blog really needs to be a picture of just how my family can help other busy families get real food to the table each meal.  Part of my help comes from letting you know that you are not alone.  I know you get busy and it’s hard to find time to cook dinner each night.  It’s hard to find the time to make healthy lunches.  It is so much easier to just run through your local fast food restaurant or open a processed food package.  I get it.

 

One of my busiest weeks was full of joy.  I spent time preparing for my son’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor.  I set as a goal to create a Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Eagle Scout project scrapbook for my son before the court of honor ceremony and reception.  I should have started much earlier but there is never a time that I am not busy.  So………..two weeks out I went into panic mode.  I worked each night on the scrapbooks.  I put a good dent into it.  However, 1 week out I went into super panic mode.  I shut down the blog for the week and spent all of the time I usually spend writing, scrapping artistic creations for my son. Eleven years of his life flashed before my eyes.  So many tears.  My older son is also an Eagle Scout.  I made scrapbooks for him so I had to do the same for my younger son. There is nothing like mother’s guilt to motivate.

So that’s the background of the situation that I found myself in yet again.  Over my head with things to do and so little time.  And……..as usual…………my family still wanted to eat. Can you believe it!?  I made some easy peanut butter granola to get through the week for breakfast.  We supplemented it with fruit.  I like more variety but things were busier than usual and I just didn’t have the brain-power for variety.

Lunches are something we just have down. A mixture of wraps, salads, and left-overs saved for times like these.  I’m not afraid of a good old fashioned no-sugar added peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread.  It really satisfies………even at my age.  Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables complete these easy meals.

 

Dinners are always a challenge.  Everyone is hungry and it has to be quick and satisfying.  Breakfast for dinner is an easy go-to.  We like fried egg and cheese sandwiches.  We also like omelets with lots of veggies.  Whole wheat spaghetti with a quality jar sauce is another one of our super busy go-to meals. I like to add a can of crushed tomatoes to enhance the flavor and stretch the sauce for my larger family. My daughter really likes veggies burgers so we keep those in the freezer for her. We usually make the veggie burgers for her when we eat ground chicken burgers.  We find them ready-made at the grocery store. They grill up real quick and taste great on a whole wheat bun.  Chili made in the crock pot is one of our favorites no matter what season we are in.

 

Well, there you go.  Busier than busy and still eating real food.  It’s not always glamorous gourmet meals, but they are all nutrient dense and delicious. Eating nutritious food is the key to me feeling good and having the energy to keep up with a busy lifestyle.  If I go back to eating processed and fast food, I will soon be sick again.  Life has too much to offer to waste time being ill from eating bad food.  We do what we can to make sure everything gets done and our meals are always real.

And if you are wondering…………I got the scrapbooks done around midnight the night before the Court of Honor.  I would have been done sooner, but I had to go to an event with my Girl Scouts first. Yep, there is always something going on with this family.  My boy enjoyed the books and shared some of his memories with me. That time together made all of the craziness worth it.  I sure do love these kids.  This week is laundry-palooza since that didn’t happen last week.  Nothing says “I love you” like clean underwear. Wish me luck getting it all washed!

Tell me about your busy weeks………do you have favorite go-to meals?  Do you like to scrapbook?  Do you have children in the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts?

If you are looking for help in making the transition to eating more real food, you should check out the Real Food Experience posts. You can get get started at the beginning or jump around the challenges. You can find a complete round-up of the program here. Each week’s challenge is full of terrific advice to help you transition from fast and processed food to a real food diet. Changes that will help you to live a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to keep up with your busy schedule. I would also love for you to join me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a regular basis. Leave me a comment and let me know you are there. I love to visit with my readers. Yes, I’m a real person.