Good Morning!
SO many people over the years have asked me how to start
moving towards a more wholesome eating style.
( now, I had to word this correctly because it is not a diet or a system
or a trend, it is a lifestyle for your whole life!)
I have been doing this since I started my family.
I have had seasons of being off but those were due primarily to
teenagers & stress.
My philosophy is what you put into your body creates the
body. Properly understood after my first child was born.
What I gave her meant she would be using to create her
little cells which create her future.
I was an organic mommy in 1986.
Way before organic food was available in stores easily.
There was a brand of jarred baby food that was extremely expensive
I would have to buy at times in the winter that would be treated like gold
in the house! LOL!.
I also started purchasing locally grown produce then as well.
We had a huge garden for a few years before the Viking built his barn over it.
I am going to say something that may shock you.
When it comes to our monthly budget,
food is right up there.
We budget less now because I now understand the seasonal cycles of local foods
but yeah, it is a big part of our monthly budget.
Good food now means less doctors $$ later.
It can be expensive, yes.
I will teach you what I did , what I do and how I managed to do this
for 40 years.
Let us start with that fact first.
You will pay more overall, especially in the winter.
I gather what I can during the good months and pickle, freeze and can all I am able.
I buy my meat when it is in season ( yes, there are seasons for meat )
and that is when I buying a bit more every week so I am getting locally
grown and produced.
I also eat in season as much as I can and because my *diet* changes to more
protein in the winter and less carbs in the winter ( I know, the very opposite of everyone
else- I will tell you why in another post) I eat my fresh fruits and veggies as I get them
I will preserve some for us and I will store potatoes and winter squash too.
Eating the veggies and fruits as soon as they are picked ( or close to it) gives me all
of the nutrients I can get.
..this is Fall in the northeast.
Peak harvest discounts like tomatoes now are your best buy, but I have gotten
squash from local small farms for 3/ $1!
We are trending now into root veggies, the last of the tomatoes, apples, squash...
I love the cabbages...and I will wait to get a huge one and cook it down to eat all week.
I just tried these pickled carrots and I have to say I am addicted to them now!
Making a batch for my week ahead today!
Now I have tried a few recipes but this one is my favorite!
So, to sum up todays post:
Eating fresh is best, if you can't , frozen is the next best.
( and by next best I mean nutrition wise)
Buy organic when you can in season and preserve it.
Allow more $ for your grocery budget- processed foods are cheap for a reason.
Try and buy from the *past* sections in the produce isles.
( I used to do this all of the time, especially when making baby food,
but everyone has this tip now so my next tip is to simply ask the
produce guy when he loads up the carts)
If you can, allocate more monthly $ to attaining quality food.
It may just be seasonal too, but try and stock up when
frozen is on sale.
I have said this for years...get to know your local farmers!
When feeding loads of people ( big families) spend the most $$
on obtaining quality ingredients rather than processed foods.
Potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, peanut butter, butter.....
whatever you have left over you can spend on what fills out the
lunch boxes or meals.
( even then, try to find nuts and whole grain items ...
look out for seed oils and fillers)
You will naturally elevate your nutrition in %.
Remember: Shop for ingredients rather than processed foods.
I have to say, an apple with peanut butter is my fall back snack.
Pickles on crackers a hot second ( with mayo)
I know, weird...;)
Make a list of seasonal items and plan meals around them.
Now is your window to shop for local, preserve what you can
and feast on as much fresh as you can manage.
We will eat corn on the cob from now until it is no longer available.
Think how or if planning a garden next spring may help.
My cherry tomatoes out performed this year, I eat them all the time.
Next years garden is already laid out!
Living a healthier life is not just for those who can easily afford it.
It should be for everyone to obtain easily .
This is how I bring healthy food into our home.
If you have any tips to share with my readers, please do!
I have never understood why clean, pure food is more expensive than
weirdly processed , chemically sprayed, pseudo - food .
You need seeds, a tractor, soil, rain and a farmers dedication.
Bless our farmers.
If you want to know my pick for the most nutrient dense food
on the planet, it will be no secret that it is the egg!
#1 for protein + vitamins and bio-available micro nutrients
#2 favorite food of the season that I believe packs a punch in nutrition,
for stretching you dollar and versatility....
That would be the humble cabbage.
Two super foods you can not go wrong with adding to your grocery list.
Every morning since the middle of August I go out to ground and bring in
the new day. Every morning there is an apple from this sweet old tree
on the ground for me to eat.
When we moved here, it gave us hundred of apples, not so much anymore.
I have the tree specialist coming out to look at him.
He is at least 100 years old.
But it perfectly illustrates to me how food was supposed to work:
Tree takes nutrients from the light & the soil and creates
a small package for us to eat.
In it, is all the code our cells need to function.
In fall, I eat fresh apples.
In spring I eat fresh snow peas.
See?
Be as close to your food system as you possibly can.
Our farmers are who feed us.
Our local farmers are who know and care about us.
They tend the crops and animals closest to us.
Closer is always better.
Farther away means you need ways to preserve.
Farther away means that the nutrients degrade in travel.
I have written about our farmers for decades now.
Nothing is more important friends.
Support your local farms.
Consider speaking up when industry comes knocking to
turn precious farmland into urban landscapes.
****************
Today is the start to the long holiday.
I hope that you all have a safe & happy one.
Make memories, buy the souvenirs....
I will be seeking peace & joy.
and baking some chocolate chip cookies.
( away from crowds...because....)
XOXO
Raven
🐦⬛
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