130: Food & Family Tips from a Health Coach Mom of 6 with Amanda Floyd
This week’s episode is a peek into the life of Amanda Floyd, a Homeschooling and Health Coach Mom of Six. She shares how she feeds her family, manages her household and stays sane in the process. I love the boundaries she sets, the plans she makes and “the notebook” she keeps. Come listen for inspiration, perspective and practical tips!
EPISODE 130: Food & Family Tips from a Health Coach Mom of 6 with Amanda Floyd
Show Notes
(0:00) Intro
Welcome Amanda Floyd to The Christian Health Club Podcast
Precision Nutrition Level 1 Health Coach
Feast 2 Fast® Coach
6 children
(2:12) Tell us a little about you and your family.
My husband and I have been married for 20 years. We have six children ranging in age from 17 years to 17 months. The five oldest are our biological children. The youngest is our foster son. He’s been in our home for over a year. Not really sure how long we will have him, but are honored for any time that we get with him.
We live in Austin, Texas where my husband works as a lieutenant with the Texas Department of Public Safety and I get to stay at home and teach our kids. I also work from home as a nutrition coach.
(3:45) What does a Day-in-the-Life look like for you?
My husband and I are up early to get ready for work and care for the baby.
Now that school has started, all of the other kids set their alarms for 9 am. They eat breakfast and get busy on schoolwork and chores.
We all kind of naturally take a break around lunch time to eat and check in.
Some time in the afternoon, our oldest girls head to their part-time jobs.
My husband usually gets home right before dinner. Depending on our schedule, most of us will eat together OR we will divide and conquer for baseball, softball, and bedtime.
(5:49) How is your homeschool day organized? How do your kids know what to work on? About how long each day do they spend on school?
We have a co-op that meets once a week on Fridays. The kids each have three classes: English, History and Art. We fill in the gaps with other subjects at home. Most of their schoolwork is driven by assignments that are due at the end of the week.
On Mondays, they print out their assignments for the week and plan out their week by deciding what they will accomplish each day to get it all done.
Most of the time they get ready for the day (eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, make their beds), do some schoolwork, eat lunch, more schoolwork and then chores. They will occasionally take breaks from schoolwork to get other things done around the house.
Our third grader spends about 3 hours on schoolwork, seventh and eighth graders - about 4, high schoolers - 5 hours.
(11:30) How do you find time to work with clients?
My availability is fairly limited.
Setting aside just one uninterrupted hour every day to do work.
Becoming a Feast 2 Fast coach.
(18:00) Feeding such a big family fed must be like a full-time job. How do you do it?
I DO see it as part of my job AND part of my ministry to my family. I think it would be overwhelming if I didn’t have a plan and also set boundaries.
(19:12) Do you meal plan? Tell us about that.
I plan out breakfasts and dinners for two weeks at a time.
I have a notebook where I keep a running list of meals our family really enjoys.
One of my daughters in particular LOVES to be in the kitchen, so in the past, I have tasked her with making the menu for breakfasts and then cooking them during the week.
Every now and then, I’ll try out a new recipe - and then wait to see if it makes it in to the notebook!
(23:01) What do y’all eat? What are some of the favorites that have made the notebook?
I alternate between egg-based breakfasts like scrambled eggs and sausage and carby breakfasts like muffins or pancakes. I sneak protein in to my carby breakfasts by adding collagen or chia seeds.
We eat a lot of ground turkey and chicken thighs - mainly because of cost; the thighs because of flavor. We eat fish at least once a week.
Green chicken enchiladas, baked ziti, tortilla soup, shepherd’s pie, rice bowls, orange chicken
(26:01) Do you have a food budget you try to stick to?
I try! I’m always asking my husband to increase it! BUT I really do try to be considerate of our budget.
I have talked to more experienced moms (older or with more kids) to see how they have made their food fit a budget. In Titus 2 it talks about the older women teaching the younger women… I think this can be applied to how we manage our finances and feed our families! So I have sought out wise counsel.
I go to 3 stores just 2 days a month: Costco, HEB and Sprouts. I only buy certain things at each store because I already know where I can find the best deal. I don’t have the bandwidth to try to figure that out each week!
I do my best to choose fruits and vegetables that are in season because they are generally cheaper. However, when I go to the store, I buy a week’s worth of fresh fruits and vegetables and stock up on some frozen. The first week, we eat the fresh, the second week, we eat the frozen.
(35:35) What are some of the most effective boundaries you set for yourself and the kids that keep things running smoothly?
I don’t do lunch. Everyone fends for themselves.
I am not a short-order cook. We have trained our kids since they were young that you eat what you are served or you won’t eat. It seems harsh, but they certainly don’t go without. We see it as a matter of respect for my time and effort in serving them.
Water is the primary beverage in our home. On occasion, we will have a special treat like sweet tea or sodas, but we want them to see it as a treat.
One snack a day. They get to pick, but I control the choices!
Yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit, granola bars
We usually eat at home. It saves money and it’s just healthier! Because of the size of our family, we typically drink water when we are out. Again, it saves money AND it helps our bodies combat the sneaky junk that can be in food from restaurants.
(42:45) What are some of the most helpful habits/tricks you have that make it all work?
When I buy food from Costco, I make sure to freeze what won’t be used right away. I also hide the extra snacks! Otherwise they will be gone in just a few days.
I buy some organic foods, but not all. I make my choices based on personal convictions: how certain things were grown, chemicals that are added to certain foods. I don’t think we can do it ALL, but we can do SOME things to ward off the extra toxins.
We usually have some kind of pasta twice a week. It’s cheap and stretches easily.
Adding beans to my ground meat makes it go further.
I also add chopped up kale to my ground meat. No one in my house will choose to eat kale, but when it’s cooked IN a dish, we hardly even notice!
I talk quite a bit about macros. Our kids are watching and listening! When they make a fruit smoothie, they know I will ask if they added any protein (like yogurt or collagen). I do not necessarily police their food but do my best to make gentle suggestions. I really want them to have a healthy relationship with food.
(50:55) Anchor Questions!
Anchor Meal:
Taco Salad! My family gives me a hard time for how often we eat this. But they also don’t mind.
Anchor Verse :
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”
Where to find Amanda:
IG: floyd7_fitness
(55:10) Outro & Disclaimer:
Thanks for listening! Have a healthy and blessed week!