The ongoing power struggle... :)

So, I've always been fairly health concious, and try to eat healthy--plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, etc., (except when it comes to Dove Chocolates with Carmel, then I lose any self-control.) :) Anyway, I want my family to be healthy too, so I TRY to get my family to eat healthy most of the time. And sometimes I have to get sneaky about it. And sometimes it works...other times, it DOESN'T. :)

It all started when Neil and I first got married and went shopping for groceries together for the first time. He was used to drinking 2%, I liked skim. He liked red meat, hot dogs, nachos, and almost anything fried. I could really live without ever eating any of that, and hate fried foods. I prefer healthy, low fat foods. I even like rice cakes--really. So, in the beginning, we just kept buying 2 seperate gallons of milk, as well as the regular fat ranch dressing, along with the fat free kind, reduced fat crackers, along with the extra fat, extra salt, regular crackers, etc. I would make lasagna with meat only on one side. I tried sneaking some little slivered carrots into the spaghetti sauce once, but forgot to cook them first, so we had crunchy spaghetti sauce. That didn't go over too well for him. I still liked it! :)

Well, once PJ came along, and was old enough to drink regular milk, then we added one more gallon for him (whole milk). At that point, we figured we just didn't have enough room in our fridge for that much milk, so we compromised and started buying 1% for Neil & I to share. We've both given in a little. He now gags down more fresh fruits & veggies than he'd like (which is pretty much any at all), and I will even eat some beef now & then. AND...I STILL try to trick Neil & the kids into eating "healthier foods." :)

When I make a meal, I usually try to make the reduced-fat version, using lower fat sour cream, just egg whites, reducing or omitting the butter in some things, or replacing applesauce for the butter in cookies & cakes. Most of the time, in things like that, you can't tell the difference, and it makes me feel better, knowing that I'm helping my family to be just a little bit healthier.

I buy the low-fat pudding, reduced fat crackers, whole wheat pretzels, and things like that, trying to provide snacks that are low-fat, and somewhat healthy. Well, Neil has made it very clear that the low-fat variety of Ritz crackers are DEFINITELY NOT the same! I had been buying the Wal-Mart brand low-fat Ritz-type crackers, and the kids liked them fine. Never a complaint. Well...then Neil introduced them to the "REAL" Ritz crackers. The kids LOVED them. All that greasy, flaky, salty cracker was pure joy. Then any time I'd give them the round crackers from the "white wrapper", they'd complain that they didn't taste as good. Then they started checking to see what color the wrapper was before taking any (the "real" Ritz have a brown wrapper), and if it was from the white wrapper, they would look at me like I was offering them a cockroach to eat or something. Well, I figured there is no going back now they they like the real thing more. SO...I decided to try the low-fat Ritz brand crackers (they still come in a brown wrapper--ha ha ha). I pulled out all the packages and put them in the cupboard and then threw the box away, so they wouldn't see that it was the reduced-fat Ritz. I figured they wouldn't know the difference. The first time I gave the kids some, they thought I had tricked them and switched the "white wrapper crackers" into the brown wrapper. I opened the new, sealed wrapper right in front of them so they knew that wasn't the case, so they kept eating them, with suspicion in their eyes. Then later, when Neil ate some, he said..."You switched these didn't you?!" I said that they were the Ritz crackers in the brown wrapper, but he knew they weren't the same. He figured me out. Dang! I thought for sure I'd be able to fool them. So much for trying to secretly help them be healthier!

So when I saw a Pepsi commercial last night, I had to laugh! It's catch phrase was "Men can take anything but diet cola." Neil thought it was hilarious too, and I think he agrees--he can't take diet cola either! :) *click on the link to watch the commercial* (and you might want to turn off my music on the bottom right side of the page)


Pepsi Max - The funniest bloopers are right here