On to the next challenge!

I have hardly shopped at all since the Knorr/All You challenge ended but I got my coupons together and got out yesterday (between therapy appointments and a sick little girl). I started looking more in earnest at what has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. I knew it was in a lot of things, but it wasn't actually as bad as I had prepared myself for!!

Marshmallows: Kraft has corn syrup in it but not HFCS!! Still waiting to see if the Rice Krispies do (Yay for vocalpoint coupons, hoping we can still eat them!!)

Bread: Yep, it's in most store brands and cheaper versions. I used the Earth Grains coupon (R 7/26) to get loaves for $1.50 each at Kroger. I got Oat and Wheat Berry. They're really soft and not too "grainy". Looking forward to a sandwich :) Got some Orowheat english muffins too. Pricey, but less so than Thomas' (although Thomas' don't have HFCS either)

Snacks: This one will be tough. Candy is a huge bribe for my kids. We use it in therapy all the time for Hunter. THANKFULLY, his favorite, Sour Patch Kids, just have sugar. And in moderation, I have a hard time minding. They don't get candy that much but I'm glad it's just pure sugar than a modified version. I think fruit snacks and other processed goods are out though.

Condiments: Here's a tough one. My kids eat a lot of ketchup. I pulled out the 2nd meatloaf out of the freezer last night (I made it during the All You challenge and froze one). Ketchup on the top for the kids... well most have HFCS in them and from what I hear, most without aren't all that palatable. So we will be on the search for one that is. BBQ sauce too. My mom has a wicked good BBQ sauce recipe that I'm going to have her send me and I'll make some. No better way to know what's in your food than to make it yourself, right?!?

Yogurt: Again, need to get back to making our own. Some brands are good about not using HFCS but others aren't. Labels labels labels!!

Cereal: Another big challenge. The fam eats a lot of cereals. It will be hard to substitute non-HFCS cereals, especially since many of them don't use "kid enticing" characters and both my kids are to the age that the flashy, cartoon-y boxes grab their attention.

Drinks: Wow, it either has HFCS or artificial sweetner these days!! The Santa Cruz organic lemonades are a good deal for this one, they use cane sugar. But organic doesn't mean "healthy". They're only 15% juice. I'll dilute with water, as I usually do. Healthier than artificial colorings and HFCS I guess. I have started sending Hunter to school with his own juices. They drink juice twice a day there and I've seen the options sometimes... I'm not a huge fan. I don't know how I'll mitigate the kids' school food. I don't want to send them with everything so I will have to let some things go, like the bread the school serves, but I will send some snacks and drinks to substitute. Yep, I'm going to be "THAT" parent LOL

So we'll make our push towards the goal of HFCS free for September. We'll read more labels and make smarter choices. The meal planning has been important to me and I'll keep that up. If I get things done a little bit ahead of time, meal times are more enjoyable and not so rushed.

OH, and on a completely NON challenge related topic. Ryanne has almost earned her SECOND Barbie!! We set up a chart where she marks off the quarters she earns and then colors in each dollar level she reaches. She has to get to $6 to get the beach Barbie. She sets the table each night for a quarter and if she puts the clean silverware away out of the dishwasher, that's another quarter. She has been very diligent and now she's almost there. I can't wait to take her with her own money to buy it. I think she's really getting the concept and I am excited to see how she cherishes that toy she EARNED. She has talked about it for two weeks and now that we're near the end, she's getting more excited.

Late Matchups, good through tonight only (sorry so late!!)