Twinsight 10 of 50: Find Your Healthful Eating Groove

I'm grateful that my parents lived long, full lives. But in the end, they each died of colon cancer. As you can imagine, I'm on the "early and often" colonoscopy list. Most people start them at 50. I've already had three and I AM counting! Thankfully, they've been perfectly normal, but this family history has motivated me to try to eat as healthfully as I can. None of us is immune to disease, but healthful eating is a proven step in the right direction. Plus, eating right makes me feel so much better and sets a good life pattern for our girls. They have already become good cooks!

The problem for our family, like many others, is that we have good intentions but we're running in many directions and don't have a lot of time to cook - particularly on weeknights. You'll find the likes of mac and cheese in our cabinet and chocolate chip cookie dough in our refrigerator, and we don't buy all organic. But we are intentional about stocking the kitchen with fresh, colorful food and interesting spices. In the last several years, we've been on a mission to figure out a simple formula that works for all four of us most of the time. Here's what we've come up with - having something from each of these groups in each dinner:

• Veggies (V) - about 1/2 the meal.
• Protein (P) - about 1/4 the meal.
• Starch (St) meaning potatoes, rice or pasta - about 1/4 the meal.
• Seasonings (Se) like spices, herbs, a splash of dressing, a sprinkle of cheese.

It's pretty basic, but that's the point. It's a formula we can all remember and everyone has the opportunity to make (or at least give their opinions about) the meal. And when we know dinner's going to be yummy, we don't snack as much. Here are some examples of how the formula plays out:

• American - Tangy Mixed Grill* (P) with Grilled Corn on the Cob (V) and Baked Potatoes (St) with whatever spices we each like (Se). It's what we had tonight!
• Asian - Rice Bowls which is Sushi or Brown Rice (St) topped with Scrambled Eggs (P) and Stir-Fried Veggies (V) and Soy Sauce (Se).
• Mexican - Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (V&P&Se)** with Whole-Grain Bread (St).
• Italian - Pasta (St) (I push for whole wheat...) with Chunky Spaghetti Sauce (V) and Meatballs (cooked, frozen) (P) and Roasted Veggies (like onions, Brussels sprouts, carrots or squash) (V) sprayed with Olive Oil Spray and sprinkled with Sea Salt (Se).
• Plain Fast - Sandwiches comprised of Great Harvest Sunflower Bread (St) with Shaved Smoked Turkey (P) and Veggies (like romaine, fresh basil, cucumber slices) and Carrots on the side (V) dipped in Fat-Free Western Dressing.

* Tangy Mixed Grill Marinade: Thanks to Mary V. for this new family fav. Put meat in disposable, plastic bag (separate meats if you have more than one...we like chicken, shrimp, steak or salmon). Add 1/4 c. soy sauce, 3 T. honey, 2 T. white vinegar, 2/3 c. olive oil, 1/2 c. chopped onions, 1-1/2 t. garlic power, 1-1/2 t. ground ginger, 1 t. coarsely ground pepper. We always grill extra to freeze and eat later on a salad or in rice bowls.
** White Chicken Chili: Put these ingredients in slow cooker for 8 hours on slow and it's ready when you get home - 1 packet McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning, 2 c. cooked Fajita chicken (frozen or fresh), 1 can corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can Northern (white) beans, and 1 can water.

Our formula doesn't play out every night. Where's that mac and cheese? Cereal anyone? But it's the best method we've found for staying in the groove of healthful eating. I'd love to hear what's working for you.