A Veggie Family!

Wow! What a treat to read about a family of vegetarians & pescetarians (and even carb lovers). With 2 small children at home, today's guest blogger, Andrea Grenshaw, has certainly found a way to make it work. Get some inspiration for your family by finding out how Andrea keeps her family healthy, happy and even a little dirty (from the garden, that is)!

Andrea's family of healthy boys!

 With two young boys (three and five), we strive to make healthy meals that they will enjoy, and to create good habits they will be able to rely on as they get older.  We discovered Tosca's series of Eat-Clean Diet books and magazines shortly after my oldest son was born, and loved the simple concepts and flavorful recipes.

I had been pescetarian for many years, and as a family we enjoy a variety of foods, but I was surprised when my five year old announced that he was vegetarian! He's always loved his fruits and vegetables more than his younger sibling, and he really enjoys tofu, so we had noted his preferences, but I wasn't even sure he knew what it meant to be a vegetarian. To him it just means that he knows he doesn't prefer meat. But he would actually be more of a pescetarian since we eat seafood fairly regularly.  Ironically, I can't get his younger brother to eat enough vegetables... and if he had his way, he would eat nothing but carbs all day!  Therefore, like many other moms, I've tried to sneak in puréed vegetables or have added protein powder to recipes in order to ensure he gets the right balance. Thank goodness one of my son's favorite snacks is hummus, which is so simple and goes with anything from raw veggies to pretzels. We are also planting a garden and involving the boys so they can have some fun (digging in the dirt at least) in the process!

Tosca's earlier books have provided great inspiration in our household, as some of our favorites are the Power Oatmeal Pancakes and the Eat-Clean Tuna Burgers, and we are looking forward to the new Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook for more ideas.