One of our families’ resolutions for 2014 is to get back to a habit that we wandered away from – planning our weekly menus each Sunday to be more efficient and cost effective at the grocery store AND put more thoughtful, balanced meals on our table each week. So we sat down, looked at what we already had in the pantry, planned this week’s menu, let the kids have their input about what they wanted to eat, tried to create some balance, and off I went to the store. My wife’s job was to update the kitchen chalkboard with the week’s menu so we keep it top of mind throughout the week instead of taking the lazy way out and grabbing Chik-fil-a on the way home!

When I came home, she had created the above beautifully artistic way to present the week’s menu. What struck me was the power of the word she chose – sustenance. The word sustenance communicates the importance of these meals. These are not just things we’re shoving into our mouths because that is what we do every night…this food is designed to SUSTAIN us. If it is one of the key things our body is relying on to be sustained, I’d better make sure that it is HEALTHY, DELICIOUS, and APPEALING TO EAT. For me, meals and the food that is incorporated into those meals are powerful things and this simple piece of chalk art is a great reminder of how important that food, the care taken to prepare it, and the time our family spends at the table eating it are to our overall health and well being.

Think about what you eat this week and consider it an important part of your sustenance, not just what you shove in your mouth at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mindfulness around food can be a wonderful and powerful thing in being healthier mentally and physically.