There has to be a middle ground between a McLifestyle, and only eating kale and dulse flakes, right? Since becoming a mom to Violet Maeve I finally understand how parents end up eating so much convenience food. Your life is, in many ways, not your own, or at least, you are no longer in charge. In ways I never could have anticipated, my schedule revolves around our daughter’s: eating, napping (hurray napping!) playtime, as well as V’s needs/whims/moods/fits of one-year-old rebellion. I obviously love to cook, and eat, make time to carefully craft interesting meals that I can blog about, and well-balanced ones that I can feed my daughter. I take pride in those activities, and they are definitely a priority in my day. I have to admit, though, that taking time to make myself something wholesome doesnít always end up happening as much as I would like. When she goes down for a nap (I repeat: hurray napping!) I scramble to shower, clean, cook, write, and give the dog a pat on her belly. I usually end up heating myself some leftovers for lunch, or eating, gulp, bologna and cheese roll-ups.
One of my favorite things to eat when I am busy at home is peanut butter. I ate so much peanut butter when I was pregnant with V I thought she was going to come out with a monocle and top hat a la Mr. Peanut. I like to spread it on celery, apples, and honestly, more often than not, straight from the spoon. Here’s where Newtons Fruit Thins come in. They are perfect little rounds for slathering with peanut butter or, my new fave, almond butter. When I was a kid, I liked my peanut butter and jellies on plain old squishy sliced white, but these days I am trying to be more conscious of how much refined sugar/carbs I have, so I changes must be made. These Newtons Fruit Thins cookies are packed with whole grain, which I do think keeps you fuller longer and are somehow both crisp and chewy. And the cherry vanilla flavor is just sweet enough.
So, we’ve established, feeding myself when I am working at home is not something I excel at these days. The other problem is when we are “on the go.” I really, really love car snacks. We used to sometimes take road trips just as an excuse to eat drive-through junk food. But I just can’t do that anymore. It doesn’t feel good, I don’t stay sated, and I just don’t want to be that kind of mom. Enter Newtons Fruit Bars. These are not your grandma’s fig cookies. They are more the kind of food I am looking for as a busy mom. Healthy enough to make me feel I have got my act together but actually, you know, good. And not like a handful of flax feeds sown inside a recycled cardboard pouch. I do have my standards. Finding that middle ground is what it’s all about for me.
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About the Author: Jillian Bedell
Jillian grew up in Connecticut, went to university in Boston, college in New Haven, did some post-grad soul searching in New York, exiled herself to Mexico, married her longtime sweetheart, and lived in a house on the ocean. She suspected Maine might be the perfect place to raise a family, so she came back home to New England two years ago. Now a mom to Violet Maeve and living in Rockland, where she hopes to settle for a good, long while, Jillian reads, writes, walks, and practices Nia, when not watching Malcolm photograph sandwiches.
fromawaymaine
fromawaymaine
We're Jillian and Malcolm. We cook comfort food from around the world, designed to make you feel right at home, wherever you are. Join us as we explore Maine's vibrant food culture and cook New England's classic dishes, as well as our favorite recipes From Away. 
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It is quite the opposite here, I never ate better while being pregnant and once the kids came I ate better. We did not have bad foods in the house, I nursed them for as long as they wanted and I had to eat to be the best for them. As they began to eat it was only real foods and nothing junky. They never had sugar before they were 3 since I had heard if you don’t give it to them before then they would not have a need to eat it. My daughter still likes fruit much better than sugary things. My boy is a bit different however he knows what junk is and he makes good choices still. We have some easy junky foods now but it is a drop in the bucket and we don’t miss it at all. In fact, could make cookies or whatever if the want arose and so it went. I hope you can find the balace that fits you but know it can be done. Good luck raising you wonderful children and hubby.