Everything but the Kitchen Sink

I was tired of not finding a large selection of the things I wanted at the local grocery store. And let's face it,  going to a farmer's market alone with 3 children 5 and under is not exactly a relaxing, fun time. In fact, I think I might rather pull my fingernails off one by one. So.... we decided to again try the organic and local delivery company Greenling. I have ordered a few things from them before here and there but never have tried to do all my grocery shopping online. Since it had been forever since I had ordered from them they had graciously sent me a 50% off my next order coupon which I totally used to stock up our freezer with local grass fed and free range meats! Plus, I have to admit, not being able to see all the normal snacks and fall backs that I usually grab when hungry at the grocery store was really a help! Here is what we got for the week!

Our 5 crates came and our dog was excited to check them out. Yes, she could use a diet too I am well aware!

Our Produce! We got: spinach; mixed greens; zucchini; bananas; tangerines; cucumbers; red, green, and orange bell peppers; onions; garlic; cauliflower; apples; and fingerling potatoes. All organic and about 80% from local farms!

Dairy! I am happy to say that aside from the kids' string cheese and yogurt everything else is from local farms! We got: milk; jalapeno cream cheese spread (we got 2 because we LOVE these from Full Quiver Farms!); cheddar; Parmesan; mozzarella; and ricotta!

Grains and Misc.: We got whole wheat hot dog buns, rolls, and a loaf of bread; pinto beans; black beans; brown rice; kettle corn; chicken and vegetable stock; tortilla chips; potato chips; and for the kids, cheddar bunnies and mac and cheese!

 

 

 

Meats! My favorite! Although we have been cutting back the amount of meat we eat each week, with my 50% coupon I couldn't resist getting some to toss into the freezer for when we do have it! And aside from the deli meat - everything is local, grass fed, and free range! We got: a beef roast; hamburger patties; bacon; deli meats; chicken breasts; fajita meat; and 2 dozen eggs!

So that is what we ate this week! I am looking into a weekly produce delivery from Naeglin Farms as well so that I can make sure the farmer's are getting the most out of their crop. I am also planing a sustainable living course for my kids this spring in our homeschool group so that we can grow our own garden and go visit local farms to see where our food came from. Step by step we are building healthier lives!

Week 1 Rewind

YAY! We made it through week one with only a few little slips ups. Well, a few slip ups for the grown ups anyway. The kids are a whole other story. I think there is going to be a slow change with lots of compromise with them. As for my husband, he just can't seem to give up the energy drinks. However, having them makes him much less grumpy so I have just been letting it slide for now. I have gone over a week now with no soda!! YAY ME! It was pretty awful the first few days with headaches but now it is out of my system and I am mostly drinking water and herbal teas. We have also gone over a week with no fast food - and we haven't died!! It is possible to not eat at McDonalds everyday (much to my kids chagrin).

Here are some of the things we have eaten this week:

Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Oatmeal and Whole Wheat Pancakes with Organic Free Range Turkey Bacon

Oatmeal with Raisins, Dates, and Almonds

Whole Wheat Pasta with Garlic, Mushrooms, and Zucchini and a Green Salad with Tangerines, Almonds and Homemade Citrus Vinaigrette

Organic Strawberry Yogurt with REAL strawberries!

Grilled Cheese and Apples with Peanut Butter

Oatmeal for breakfast

Greek Yogurt with Strawberries and Granola

Overall I would say breakfast has been the easiest to change. Out with the cereal in with the oatmeal and fruits. What we have agreed with the kids upon to compromise:

• they will just "die" if they can't have mac and cheese. So we got Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese to have on special days 
• they will also just "die" if they can't have hot dogs "they're my favorite!" my oldest whined. We found a local farm who makes them so we will order some
• Goldfish - a favorite snack - we also got Annie's Organic Cheddar Bunnies
• And last the gummies. We give them to our kids as rewards for potty training and schoolwork so this was a hard one to get rid of. I have heard you can make your own from fruit so I will try that out soon. 

I have noticed a few changes in myself already. First of all, I pee a lot more. Sorry if that is TMI! haha Also, I have noticed my skin looks more refreshed and the redness is going away (but not gone yet.) My lips also dont get as easily chapped. I have decided not to weigh or measure myself until the end of the month so that I can {hopefully} see a bigger change. Did any of you try anything new this week? I would love to hear about it! 

New Year - New Us!

So we started off our new diet yesterday and it has already been a challenge. Especially with the kids. In fact, it has been hard on everyone. My husband just called me from work saying they ordered Dominos and could he "please, please have piece?" The kids have been crying for hotdogs, mac and cheese, and of course, gummie snacks. I am craving soda something fierce but I have been a good girl and drinking lots of water! It is amazing how much awful things you realize you have been putting in your body when you really start getting down to it.

So what is our new diet? Well, I don't think we have 100% decided exactly what it is. We are trying to eat "real food". Which means nothing that comes from a box or jar that has a million things we cannot pronounce. We are riding the fence about refined sugars. I have to look into it more. I just love to bake and thinking about not baking makes my heart sad. I think for now we are going to cut everything out so that we are not feeling like we need it and then if we have it every so often it can be a treat aside from the norm.

So of course last week we went on an outing to find Whole Foods and stock our kitchen with healthy and unprocessed things. I have never looked for a Whole Foods before but I remembered seeing one once halfway across town. We drove all the way over there just to find it had been bought out by Sprouts. Well, they are all whole food organic stuff right? It appeared not so much. Though they did have a bunch of grain and other things in bulk that we stocked up on. The kids had fun picking which things they wanted and filling up the bags and weighing them. "It's like we live in the olden days!" my 5yr old said. I laughed and then thought, isn't that kinda the idea? Back to our roots? Live off the land?

It was my goal to only spend $60 for the remainder of the week. My total ended up being $78.13. But we got quite a bit. A lot of produce. I think I am going to have to do a search to see where there IS a whole foods. I also think we are going to go straight to the farms for a visit once the weather clears up.  I have been journaling (is that a word?) all that we eat and I will be sharing some pictures in the next few days. Hope everyone is having a wonderful new year!