I have found a new blog that I really love. She is a stay-at-home Christian mom who feeds her family "real" (unprocessed, healthy) food.
Two recent posts that are great:
Real Food on a Budget 12 Steps to a Real Food Diet Here is a summary of her steps and where we are on this journey
1. Use real butter instead of margarine.
We don't have a source for affordable real butter (no Trader Joe's in TX). I have Costco's unsalted butter right now - which obviously is not organic or grass-fed. But since I cook mostly dairy-free, I don't use it often. I keep it around for myself for toast or whatever. 99% of the time I use Coconut Oil when I cook.
2. Limit beverage choices to filtered water.
This is all we drink besides raw milk. We have a reverse osmosis filter in our house which makes the water taste so clean and delicious. I add flavored stevia to mine and it helps me drink so much more water. Lemon juice is great too and a natural diuretic.
3. Eliminate white flour and white sugar. Throw out the refined!
I don't use any refined sugar anymore. I do use 1-2 cups of white flour when I make bread since I don't have any dough enhancers. Helps it to rise, be lighter, etc. But that's 1-2 cups out of 11 for 4 loaves. Still healthier than store-bought bread, even with the white flour ;) As my confidence builds in bread making I plan to cut it out
4. Use brown rice and brown rice pastas instead of white.
We eat brown rice once a week or so. We use whole wheat pasta though. I only buy brown rice for Abram because he is mostly wheat-free. Brown rice pasta is too expensive to buy for everyone. Its good though! (organic whole wheat pasta is $1.59 for a pound at Central Market - thats the best price ive found anywhere!)
5. Buy grass-fed and pastured beef, chicken and eggs.
We buy local pastured eggs ($2/dozen and we eat about 4 dozen a week) and organic chicken from Costco. To afford the chicken I use less now and cook the whole chicken myself instead of buying a big bag of frozen chicken breasts. I usually mix the shredded chicken with beans to stretch it for two meals. I use the stock for homemade soup once a week as well. I buy grass-fed, pastured ground beef when I can for $5.25 for 1.5lbs which is really affordable compared to other sources! Again, I use less than before and make it go further with beans or in a soup, chili, etc.
6. Use healthy fats in your cooking.
Just like her we use coconut oil, olive oil and butter. None of the other processed oils (you really should read her post, its great!) So far Ive used the refined coconut oil because I dont like the taste of coconut. but I think next time I may try the unrefined because its so much more healthy.
7. Find a raw milk source.
we drink 2 gallons a week. We pay a total of $64 a month. This is the first thing to go when times are lean. then I buy organic milk from Central Market and cut back how much everyone drinks.
8. Learn how to make kefir and yogurt.
I used to make water kefir. not there yet though. and ive never made my own yogurt. some day Id like to try though, with the raw milk. the kids would love it!
9. Pick one product on your grocery list that you can begin making from scratch.
I now cook my own beans (vs. canned), whole wheat bread and whole wheat tortillas. (both recipes are from her site)
10. Buy organic or spray free vegetables and fruits – and eat lots!
This is one area we really cant afford. Organic apples we can buy at Costco for a super cheap price (10lbs for about $8) but otherwise its usually not an option. I do buy organic FROZEN veggies like corn, broccoli and green beans. These are very affordable at Costco. I need to get to the local farmers markets and talk to them!
11. Buy wild fish.
We rarely eat fish but when we do, I look for wild. Costco carries wild canned salmon and the kids love it.
Just now learning to incorporate this one. I made some bread from soaked flour recently and it was good. I always soak my beans but I'm trying to be organized enough to remember for other things.
I made 4 loaves of bread today (soooooo good!). They are delicious! and I figure they cost about $5 total? A quality loaf of WW bread with no preservatives is at least $4 a loaf! I was buying Orowheats 100% WW bread at the outlet for $1.69 each but it had soybean oil (boo) and other things Id prefer to us not eat. So this is healthier and less expensive too! and the kids just rave and rave over it. If you have a mixer, it really isnt any work at all.
Bread pictures!
Mixing in the Bosch mixer
All done!
Yum!
Ive found that we SAVE money by eating healthier. It just takes more planning and more work on my part. But its worth it! I hope this post encourages someone in one or two steps they can take to make their food healthier. Its worth it for the overall health of your family.
:)
totally unrelated but here is Abram and the neighbors cat. this cat appears whenever we are outside with all the kids. he must be a glutton for punishment. Abram just adores him - chases him screaching "kitty!!!" and lays on him, etc. The cat comes back though. He even comes and visits on our window sill sometimes :)
And this is the view from my kitchen...... The other morning it was a little foggy and the light was hitting it so beautifully over the playset. This is totally unedited.
Rachel
