Menu Plan // March 2014

Lately, I haven’t been sticking to a menu plan. The result? I wasted a lot of money. Or rather I didn’t save any money. Without a meal plan I feel overwhelmed and frustrated, something I don’t like to feel very often.

It’s one of those “so not fun” kind of situations where everything seems haphazard and I feel like crying. I’m sure not everyone is as serious as I am about organization, but it still helps to have a menu plan to refer to during the week.

Menu Plan // March 2014

[Read more…]

Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes From Scratch {With Real Buttercream Frosting}

Birthdays are a tough subject when it comes to what we’ll be eating for dessert. I mean, we can’t just buy a cake from the Bi-Lo Bakery and call it a day. I wouldn’t even buy a cake from a health food store because they don’t know our personal dietary restrictions and therefore we wouldn’t be able to trust that they’d steer clear of using things that you wouldn’t find in a real food kitchen. So, we figured since it was a birthday, we’d make cupcakes.

By the way, they were the best cupcakes I had ever eaten in my entire life. We’re talking legitimately  awesome cupcakes that no bakery could beat. Ever. End of story.

Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes From Scratch | Natural Chow | http://naturalchow.com [Read more…]

Homemade Whole Wheat Crackers

Homemade Whole Wheat Crackers | Natural Chow | http://naturalchow.com

Along my journey to eating healthier, I’m finding that it’s harder to find things to snack on, especially in winter when things like apples aren’t in season locally. I like to snack—I’m a pro snacker. When it comes to whether or not I’d eat snacks all day or 4 meals, I’d go with snacking. Now, I don’t know how my thighs would respond to that, but I’d probably end up in my fat pants feeling sorry for myself in a matter of days. But since I am eating a healthier diet nowadays, I decided it was about time I found something to snack on that wouldn’t empty my wallet or land me in my fat pants again. Oh, did I say again? My bad.

[Read more…]

Baby Steps for Healthy Eating

Eating healthy is not a new concept, but for a lot of people, it’s not a very easy concept. It takes discipline, will power, and a yearning for a healthier you. I haven’t been eating healthy forever. In fact, I only started eating a little bit healthier about a year and a half ago after watching food documentaries such as Food Inc, Forks Over Knives, and Vegucated. I was horrified and outraged about while watching these documentaries. I knew something needed to change, not only in me, but also in this messed up world.

Baby Steps [Read more…]

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Desserts are a tough spot when it comes to eating healthy, the reason being that desserts generally contain some form of sugar. But I’ve found that if the dessert is genuinely healthy and you only eat it a few times a month as a treat, it’s considered okay.

Treats are something that you should look forward to, not expect. Some people eat one (or more!) candy bars a day, and still have 3 cans of Diet Coke afterwards. And when I say people I mean children. They expect it because it’s just normal everyday life to them.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | Natural Chow | http://naturalchow.com [Read more…]