good finds (nutritionally)

Did you know I have standards?  Perfectionists tend to be slaves to these things called standards.  Mostly, it's a curse.   The average mom of four probably just goes with the flow when all family members, sick and weak, stop picking up after themselves.   The house might look like a bombing site, but she just laughs about it, and maybe even takes photos for the Christmas letter.

And then there's me.  The perfectionist.  My house is never perfect--not even close.  But my standards never relax.  They stay in place, driving me insane, and keeping me awake at night.  When I can get up a few hours before the family, things will improve, but probably not to the extent I'd like.

That said, there is one good thing about my standards.  It's my grocery shopping.  I check labels.  100% whole wheat bread has to have at least 3 grams of fiber per slice.   I check serving sizes, to make sure I'm not being cheated out of my fiber.  Three grams of fiber, per slice.  Not per two slices.

And tortillas have to have at least four grams of fiber each.  Along with the refried beans and the 7% lean ground turkey, they make for a very healthy dinner.  The cheese provides the fat that the children need.

Recently, my not-so-beloved Walmart Supercenter stopped carrying the high-fiber (5 grams) multi-grain tortillas that we like.  At first, I thought it was their maddening habit of not hiring enough stockers.  No matter what time of day I shop, their shelves are missing something I need.  But five consecutive trips have confirmed that my favorite tortilla went the way of my favorite whole wheat pizza.  Slashed.  Replaced.

The replacement is something called Flatout Flatbread.  It's made with stone ground 100% whole wheat and includes flax seed.  Flax seed is good stuff.  Try adding it to your pancakes!  Finally, the kicker is that this flatbread has 8 grams of fiber per slice!  It's fine in recipes requiring tortillas, and you can even use it to make a personal pizza (it's thicker than a tortilla).

Now I knew it had to pass muster with my terribly persnickety Timothy.  It didn't.  He took one bite of his burrito that first night and said, "Yuck, this isn't my regular tortilla."

Momma (trying to keep cool):  "Yes, that's true Timothy.  They don't carry our tortilla anymore.  But this happens to be even healthier, and I think it tastes very good."

Timothy:  "I only like my regular tortilla!" (He can sound like such a brat at the dinner table!)

Yesterday's trip to Walmart again turned up negative on our regular tortilla.  So I bought the Flatout Flatbread again, but this time I also bought pizza cheese and pizza sauce, and a small package of the terrible-for-you pepperonis.  They are high in everything that is bad, but if we put only four or five on each pizza, we'll survive.  The serving size is about 15 pepperonis, totaling 12 grams of fat.  Yuck!  But we all lost too much weight recently, so maybe they're okay for this month.

My guess is that tonight Timothy will not complain about the Flatout Flatbread.  He loves to make his own dinner!

Not that I'm keeping score with Timothy, but if I were, here is how I think it will go.

Momma = 3 points for the three extra grams of fiber, -1 point for losing the fiber in the refried beans.

Timothy = -3 for having to eat 3 extra grams of fiber, +1 for getting Momma to buy pepperonis

Another great buy for your family:

Baked Barbecue Lays Potato Chips
Nutrition
14 chips = 3 grams fat
Calories = 120

It's best to stick to 3 grams of fat per 100 calories.  It's recommended we don't get more than 30% of our total calories from fat.  Fat = 9 calories per gram  Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram.  I'm not a fan of low-carb diets.  They're just bad nutrition IMHO.  Follow the food pyramid for good nutrition.

Chip nutrition, cont.
potassium = 230 mg
fiber = 2 grams
calcium = 2%
thiamin = 4%
niacin = 4%
phosphorus = 6%
vitamin C = 4%
riboflavin = 6%
vitamin B6 = 8%
magnesium = 4%