So What Do We Eat??

If I was to be generous with myself I would say I'm a mediocre cook. Baking? That's another story, I love to bake and could survive on baked goods alone if there weren't four other people in my family who might disagree. There are so many times I go to the grocery store, come home and still have no clue what to make for dinner! So much to everyone's delight we eat pasta. Again. I'm ashamed to admit I don't read labels and if you are what you eat my kids would surely be chicken nuggets. I'm getting better at finding recipes and trying new ones, as long as they don't have too many ingredients and aren't more than 2 or 3 steps.

When we decided to start this journey I thought yep, we're going to be super skinny hippies if all we eat are fruits and veggies! I surely can't stomach a carrot for breakfast, not even if it was fried in pancake batter and dipped in syrup. It's obvious to me now that organic and healthy eating doesn't just apply to what's growing in my backyard. A simple Facebook message to my cousin, Salli, resulted in a fantastic website full of recipes (I've linked it on the side, it's King Arthur's Flour). I did a little googling and found some really cool ideas for budget-friendly, healthy eating. I've started paying attention to the labels in the house right now and it's shocking what's in there! I figure if I can't pronounce or spell it, I really don't want my beautiful children eating it. So this weekend I am going to purge my cupboards and pantry and start experimenting and try to think outside the box for our meals and snacks. Some things I can recreate organically, like pop tarts and chicken nuggets, but some things we're just going to have to suck it up as a family and eat something else. This is all on a budget of course, my husband and I both work for non-profits so we have to watch what we spend. Since we're blogging friends and sharing I can tell you that we have a weekly budget for groceries of $120, so I will share any tips and finds with you. I do most of our shopping at Aldis and get what I can't find at WalMart. Part of our goal with this blog is to share information so I'm going to leave you with a couple recipes I got from other people to try if you're interested. I'm drinking a glass of the juice now and it's fantastic, and I fully intend to try the veggies...and make Matt eat them. Now, if anyone knows a way to get organic Diet Coke, I'm all ears.....

-Keely

Lemonade, courtesy of my cousin Salli

2 quarts water

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup sugar

Garlic Roasted Veggies, courtesy of Matt's friend Angela

Any fresh, raw green vegetable

Lots of fresh chopped garlic

A little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Toss this together and spread on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes (or until veggies have black on the tips)

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and enjoy! You can also add pine nuts or freshly grated Parmesan cheese.