i think we all know that in general, many of us don't eat as well as we should. we've replaced natural, whole foods with flavorless, fast and cheap. instead of enjoying the taste of fresh, our taste buds settle for packaged and processed. my friend introduced me to 100 days of real food and i'm sort of hooked. i'm on the quest to learn how to cook well for my family - cutting out the processed and artifical - all while staying within our budget ($75-100/wk). i really think it's possible. for too long i've used the excuse that it just costs more. when in reality, it really just takes more work - more planning, price shopping, recipe hunting, etc. but is it worth it to have a healthier family with more energy, with the further lifelong goal of eating well? to me, the answer is YES. i invite you on this little journey with me... i'll learn new things to share with you often.
almost two years ago, when we first got the results back from our son's allergy testing at ten months old, i was overwhelmed, crushed and felt defeated. how in the world was i going to learn how to bake and cook without eggs?! my honey also has a lactose intolerance. i know there are many more difficult food allergies and intolerences, but any food allergy is tough. especially when you see most kids around you having none. it can be a bit burdensome. it's really pushed me to research ingredients, scour the labels and learn what it is we're actually eating; it's turning into a blessing (i just have to remind myself of that... a lot sometimes). and i've also discovered the charms of flax seed. i'm still narrowing down good baked recipes without eggs... it's been tough. you never know how much the eggs make the food until you eliminate them; i've had some droopy, soggy messes of dishes because of it. i'm learning, though! now that i've chased a rabbit... back to the main point of the main point. these are the changes i've made, so far, in our quest to eat well ~
1. using whole grains and whole wheat flours - when grains are refined and highly processed, it cuts out the nutritious portions of the grain. leaving you with empty calories, little to no nutrition, and getting hungry sooner, leading to over-eating. my favorite bread is ezekiel bread (i know it can be pricey, but if you have a trader joe's it's cheapest there). i also like trader joe's white whole wheat flour... it's a milder flavor and doesn't alter the flavor of things as much as the whole wheat flour does.
2. making my own granola and trail mix - granola recipes are plentiful, so i plan on trying several on and seeing what my family likes. granola is so versatile - put it on yogurt, eat it as cereal, sprinkle it in a whole-wheat tortilla wrap with some one-ingredient peanut butter and cut bananas, or just munch away. for trail mix, throw in any variety of nuts, dried fruits, coconut, and chocolate chips made with 70% cocoa (someone once told me that eating any chocolate that contains 70% or higher is like eating vegetables... sweeeeet!). speaking of snack time (or meals!) my kids (they are one and two) are loving edamame hummus with whole grain crackers. - if my picky eaters like it, i'm sure you will too!
3. buying local - farmer's market all the way. the prices are wayyyyyy better than any grocery store (even wal-mart) and the taste of fresh is second to none.
this is proof of farmer's market goodness: for $11, i bought five peaches and a basket-full of veggies.
4. using organic milk or soy milk and greek yogurt - my man and kiddos go crazy in the best of ways over soy milk. i don't mind it at all, but i prefer skim milk. greek yogurt is strained yogurt, it's much thicker and has less sugar. it's absolutely delicious with fruit or honey or both! my favorite brand is fage. my kids think it is ice cream! what they don't know won't hurt them. ; )
5. cutting out frozen meals and grated cheese - the frozen meals part is pretty self-explanatory (yes, this includes pizzas!). did you know that if you buy your cheese pre-grated there's a plastic component in it to prevent it from caking? who wants to eat plastic?! not me! plus, fresh cheese actually tastes creamy like cheese is supposed to.
are you all over this all-natural stuff? what does your family do that i need to know about? please share. i'll be grateful and i plan to compile a post with all your tips.
-carissa
30 {comments}:
Carissa, we've been doing the same thing. We began purchasing our produce from an organic buying club about a month ago (amazing how organics are now costing us LESS than buying conventional at the grocery store!), and our diet has made a complete turnaround. It IS more work, but WOW, SO worth it. I'm making dishes that I would have never made before with things I've never heard of before, and we're loving it.
Your farmer's market goodies look amazing! Enjoy your new REAL food meals.
We are doing the same thing in our family! The most recent change is no lunch meat. Instead am just cooking and flavoring my own ck/turkey/beef (even in a crock pot) and then slicing or shredding for sandwiches.
Love this post. I wish I could write, "We're doing this too!", but I can't! I get so overwhelmed about it all. Keep the tips coming!
I can't say that we DO all of this, but we are TRYING to convert. This post just made me CRAVE it a little more! :)
i am the laziest person out there when it comes to using organic, fresh or natural foods. i have absolutely no plan when it comes to feeding the fam. UGH! i've GOT to get my rear in gear. i'll have to check out that link. your pics are gorgeous btw. love all the color. have a great day sweet carissa:)
We are trying to work on this too. The food seems to taste better this way.
Wow! This is very informing, thanks ;)
Well, you know this topic is near and dear to my heart! Keep up the good work! Something we've been doing is cutting out the refined sugars, using more local honey and things like sucanat. I love Ezekial bread, too. My midwife used to make it homemade, but I'm not that adventerous. ;) I try to keep soy products at a minimum, mostly because they naturally contain very high amounts of estrogen, and (I feel) can eventually lead to some hormonal imbalances. But, that's my opinion and not scientific proof. Soy is in evvvverything.
If I had all the money in the world I would buy everything organic and all natural. Unfortunately where we live there are very few options. I had a produce stand I loved to go to until I saw them one day at Aldi...buying produce that they were going to resell. It's strange cause chattanooga is a super organic and all natural area BUT there is so much money there are not cheaper options. (No Trader Joe's :( ) I have heard there is a farmer's market near here that I need to try. For now I buy a lot at Costco because it has tons of organic options, in bulk at better prices. Homemade granola was always something we had growing up and I kept the tradition in our home til pregnancy...need to get to making it! Definitely think healthy eating is one of the best investments you can make!
you've inspired me, girl! i neeed to get better about this...i'm OK about feeding my family healthfully, but i just get lazy sometimes. looking forward to more tips and recipes :)
We are planning to start this challenge on the 15 of Sept. I read the article in our local paper and we can't wait to start!
I guess I've never known any different than eating fresh foods. We grew up eating them...yes there were times when we eat frozen or processed things but for the most part everything was made from scratch even pastas. When I married my hubby I was introduced to an array for canned and boxed foods that I had never had. Slowly but surely I am teaching my hubby to enjoy fresh foods and have even come up with a few "fake-out" alternatives to the processed things he loves. BUT I will admit I still by some processed things when we are in a pinch or I am sick. Especially chips and tortillas.
I am also a big sucker for overly proceeded and extra expensive coffee drinks. That is the one habit I haven't been able to kick yet. Excited to read your journey and see what delicious things you make! :)
Wow! Would you mind sharing what that ingredient is in the grated cheese that is plastic? Yuck! I'd love to know any other good resources you have about these things. Thanks!
So glad you're doing this Carissa! I am trying to read and find out more info about eating naturally so this is really inspiring and exciting for me. Can't wait for you next post!
LOVE this! my husband and i have been blessed with no allergies or special diet needs, but when he went through culinary school everything changed. while in our 'instant gratification' society we are used to eating many things year round, it's cheaper (and tastier!) to eat seasonally. we've loved going to local farms that offer upick...the prices are good, especially if you want to pick a lot of one thing and preserve it in a way for later. and it's totally fun with kids too!
I've been a follower for quite some time and thought I would first say I love your blog and look forward to every post!
Also, I recently jumped on the whole grain band wagon and starting making fresh bread from whole grains. It's so easy and incredibly healthy! If you have time. Go to the 'breadbeckers' website....a wealth of knowledge!!! order the FREE CD and listen to it. It will change your life! It's all about how almost everything we have access to in the grocery stores is so mostly bad for you and how to make/buy the MOST healthy foods for your family!
Just thought I'd share! :)
I want to be better about buying natural and local...but it's tough! It's so good for you tho and those you're buying from (if local).
Awesome pictures! I swear some of the best pics I've taken are of food :)
last summer we tried hard to buy produce from farmer's markets but it is way more expensive for us that way. i don't know why or how...i guess that's just how it is where we live. which is such a bummer because i see bloggers saying all the time that it's cheaper for them. boo!
We are definitely on this train. :) We've always been kind of naturally minded, but not completely sold out to it. Well, a little more than a year ago, my son was tested for food allergies. He has a mild allergy to milk and egg whites. So I feel your pain w/baking- and also love using ground flax as an egg substitute. Long story short, my daughter has food allergies too (we're getting test results back this week) so we kind of have to be all natural. I also stay away from soy products as much as possible (Dr Mercola has a really good article about it on his site). We love coconut milk and other coconut products for milk-replacement. For produce, we found that using a co-op was cheaper than farmer's markets (at least in our area) but now we visit our local produce market and it's even cheaper than a co-op. I'm really trying to stay away from canned foods (like beans and canned tomatoes) and making them myself instead- it takes a lot of work and prior planning, but I feel that it's worth it- especially since you know what's in your food!
Can't wait to read more about your journey. :)
you go friend! so proud of you for taking eating healthy to a whole new level and i can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve!
Ooh, I'm very interested in hearing more. I do want to start going to farmer's market, but have not made it so far. I had no clue about shredded cheese either...oh.my.
I'm ironically reading this while drinking a red bull. Horrible I know. I didn't know that about grated cheese, thanks for sharing. If you like adding flax to things you should try chia seeds, I throw them in lots of things like yogurt and smoothies.
i'd kill to buy at local farms...or go berry/fruit picking. that's my goal for fall...(fruit)
as for organic...we try to as much as possible...always on milk though...we stay away from soy...it's got high levels of estrogen and we want to keep the boys away from it...besides can cause issues in females too...imbalance...i love edamame though sniff sniff
$1.00 FOR A RED PEPPER?!?! That's almost unheard of in CA. Its like $3-4 sometimes. bleh. Whats stupid is they're grown in CA..but you know this having lived there so I'll move on. :)
I do eat almost all natural things. I don't like eating crap..well really, my body doesn't like eating crap. I think the older I get the more my body screams at me. I need to get on the greek yogurt bandwagon. I sampled some at costco w/honey in it and thought it was ok. Its very sour so its hard to get into, for me.
But I'm all about fresh veggies and cooking with them. yum!! I know your family will be all the happier (mainly their bodies) knowing they're getting the good stuff in them. I can't imagine how tough if it not being able to use eggs, so my egg loving heart goes out to you. ;)
Emily w/Amazing Grapes
That is a great basket of goodies for 11 bucks - go you! I like buying organic and loally grown (or grown in our backyard) for most of our foods, but feel it can get so overwhelming and pricey as you mentioned. Planning is key as you say. Certain fruits and veggies are better organic and I stick to that. We have chickens, so we know where our eggs come from and we have a garden too :)
I love the farmer's market! I'm so glad to hear you're learning to create healthy AND delicious meals with natural ingredients. It's so much more fun that way! (i think:)
xoxo
simi
Hi! I've been browsing through your site and i've quite enjoyed it!
Thanks for the link to 100 days of whole foods, theres a lot of helpful tips on there! and on farmers markets....all I can say is AWESOME!
Way to take a stand for your family's health! Healthy eating is wise eating.
Great post, friend. Oh, can I tell you I get it? I remember that feeling of overwhelm -- after Samuel was diagnosed -- and trying to figure out how our family was going to eat.
We eat better.
There's a blessing in a hard thing, you know? We don't eat much processed food (almost all has gluten), and we eat tons and tons of fruits and veggies, and we're aware of where our produce comes from.
Your post makes eating this way look beautiful. Which it is.
Love ya.
Rachel
We have been cutting out processed foods as well. We (the hubs) grew a great garden and are so fortunate to be able to "shop" our friends produce stands. I won't eat a tomato unless I know who grew it, they taste so much better! It is interesting how much better food tastes in general when it's fresh. Curious to see your journey!
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