#MakingMumEatsWell: A challenge to eat better

Cheese omelette, for a quick lunch. Details here.

I cook almost everyday for the family, and we usually eat out probably for two meals in a whole week (you can find our tips for planning and cooking everyday here). However, while I do plan for rather nutritious meals, I tend to try to cut corners, like not including greens or using less ingredients when I cook so as to save time in food preparation.

That aside, I've been having to cook for more people (as the FIL is visiting, and my dad comes by to help me), and my previously frozen stash usually isn't enough to go around. On those days, I end up eating bread or instant noodles (I admit, I love instant noodles, but I was having it way too often!). And speaking of instant noodles, I tend to eat a fair bit of junk food (I love my chips, chocolate and biscuits!) in between meals, since a breastfeeding mama tends to be hungry half the time. I also found myself stuffing myself with chocolate whenever I got stressed or upset, which is quite often, unfortunately!

Stew (frozen previously), with garlic bread and loads of fruit! Details here, and I adapted a recipe from here.

All in all, I wanted to eat better, and prepare better meals for the family. To get my engine going, I thought I would make myself accountable by setting myself a challenge, and posting one photo a day on Instagram about this learning journey. I know one should set small specific goals to accomplish something, but I didn't want to stress over goals, so I left it as a general guideline to just get me moving in the correct direction.

Beef hor fun, recipe here, tips for preparing here. 

It has been more than a week since I've started my challenge, and I'm happy to say we seem to be headed in the right direction! The first week saw me trying to increase our fruit and vegetable intake, as well as increase the variety of the meals I prepare. There's has been a sense of satisfaction knowing that all this hard work helps in the kids' growth. Also, I've been trying to eat less junk, so I've started baking our own treats with the boys (so that I can control the amount of sugar and other ingredients that go into our snacks!), and opting for fruit or nuts when I feel hungry. I'm relying less on frozen food the past week, which means I can increase the amount I cook so that there's enough food for everyone. And if there isn't enough, I've learnt that cooking an omelette doesn't take much more time compared to cooking instant noodles. It helps that the two grandpas are around, since it allows me a little more time in the kitchen to experiment.

Muffin tin frittatas, which are great for lunch boxes. Recipe here, meal details here.

The kids and hubby are sick now, so for the week ahead I'll be exploring lighter meals and soups, as well as all the nutritious drinks that might help them to recover faster. It's great how doing this challenge pushes me to learn to cook new things, and I've learnt so much from all the tips and suggestions that fellow IG-ers have shared along the way!

Porridge since everyone was sick. Details here.

Stay tuned for more yummy updates (I'll be posting them mostly in IG, at my account @justtey, and if you want to see what's cooking in the kitchen, you can search #makingmumeatswell on Instagram, or click here. Now I'm off to make some chrysanthemum tea!