In Search of Clean

I never thought I would become of those people but after watching "Food, Inc." and then developing all kinds of allergies and sinus infections to the point of not being able to have any perfume of any kind on or around me, (I'm serious - I use unscented aluminum-free deodorant and suffer at church) I'm a convert to the organic food movement.

It has been an interesting journey so far and not having finished the old yucky ground beef still in the freezer (we're working on it) makes me kind of sick just thinking about it. But I try not to, which fixes the problem for the most part. Okay, so it's short term. The beef will be gone soon and then we'll be true blue organic eaters.

One of the biggest changes eating organic forces on you is better meal planning. Organic food is expensive to begin with. Throw in trying to live on a grocery budget of about $400 a month with four mouths to feed (one very little and very hungry mouth) with two toddlers and you get the picture. I am blessed in that I have a husband who truly appreciates healthy food. He really isn't one of those meat and cheese guys and he actually likes salads. (And builds shelves - hey, hands off! He's mine!) Okay, so but seriously, we're committed to eating better.

The way it's been working lately is to get pantry stuff at Winco Foods. Also things like onions and pineapples - things with hard exteriors that are generally okay to buy "un-organic." (Read Health for Godly Generations by Renee deGroot for more pointers.) Produce is local and from the farmer's market. The farmer's market also tends to have fruit, eggs and grass-fed beef, which we buy as we need it. Someday I will have an extra freezer to store meat but for now, this works. I truly enjoy the farmer's market. I may be the only crazy one with a list there but the prices are not crazy, we're eating local and every once in a while there are pleasant surprises, like blood oranges - which I have never eaten before - and fresh dill. I always come back invigorated and in love with God's blessings - real, natural food!

Bread and snacks have been our budgeting hurdles in the past. So I have been making crackers and cookies/muffins at home for James to take with him to work and for us to snack on in general and today, I attempted French bread! The verdict is still out because we haven't had it yet but since I got my food processor, I can bake as much bread as I want. The next step is to make tortillas, so we can eliminate that out of grocery shopping trip as well. I have in the past and then didn't keep up with it.

That's how it's going so far. I have to say it's still very much an effort to stay on the budget. But the amount I am learning in terms of making things from scratch and the satisfaction I get from feeding my family home-made, healthy meals has been worth it. My mother was a great cook and if she can do it, I can too. Plus, there's just something so precious about watching Hucksley scarf down something I've baked. Yup, I come from a long line of mothers!