Change is a good thing-
Can someone please tell my family this?
As I stated in my previous post, my family and I are working on reducing the amount of processed foods we consume in our daily lives. Since my last post I have done tons of research, tested new recipes, and found many new avenues to purchase foods.First things first-
One of the first things I did after writing my blog (aside from going to sleep) was I reexamined some of the "rules" I had decided on. Staring at our cupboards and pantry filled with the expensive/tasty processed foods I recently purchased, I decided I wasn't ready to just throw it all out or donate it to the local food pantry (we're talking several hundreds of dollars worth of food here!). Rather, I decided we would use what we have and replace it with better/healthier items. No sense throwing away all that money.
Happy shopping-
Amped up and ready to get healthy, I made my darling husband take me to Whole Foods so I could start cleansing my cupboard/pantry from the impurities of processed foods (so dramatic- I know). Two hours later I ended up with almost two hundred dollars worth of food and a million ideas of what Iwanted to do with it all.
In addition to the delicious deals I found at Whole Foods, I also purchased two books that have become my whole foods bibles. I gotta admit, I was a little upset in the miniscule amount of books on whole foods that Barnes and Nobles had (perhaps the saleperson wasn't all that helpful) but I was able to find The Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook and The Homemade Pantry. Tons of great recipes helpful hints, and ideas in these books.
Kitchen time-
Since last week I have been a busy busy bee cooking in my kitchen. I plan to post some of these recipes this weekend so make sure to stop back to check them out! What I've made: butter (twice), yogurt, granola (five times), whole wheat bread (twice), buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk whole wheat blueberry pancakes, buttermilk whole wheat waffles, and pure vanilla extract. Whew! I've been busy. Believe it or not, my family actually has LOVED everything I have made so far. I am so excited! I can't wait to see what else they might enjoy- trust me I have a bunch more foods to try on them!
Tidbits of info-
After looking around on the internet and talking to some friends of mine I've opened my eyes to Community Supported Agricultures (CSAs for short). For those of you who might not know what a CSA is let me catch you up to speed. CSA make it easy for the individuals (AKA nonfarmers) to purchase local, fresh, seasonal produce directly from a farmer. Basically, individuals purchase "shares" of crops from their local farmers prior to the harvest season (around April). These "shares" entitle the individual to a share of the farmers crops each week. These goods are usually delivered weekly to a preset location and can be paid for in monthly installments or a lump sum payment. Local Harvest is a website that offers links to the CSAs in your area, great website!! My husband and I debting upon which one we should join and if we should join one at all. I'd love to hear from anyone who has had experience with a CSA, so please comment if you've used one!!
Simplistic toys... I love it. :)
