The Great "Health or Taste" Debate

 

If there's one thing you know about me its that I love good food! I've always liked the way my "Papa" always said it: "I like the taste of food". Its true. Is there anything better than sitting down after a really great meal and feeling completely blown over and satisfied? no I don't think so. And I don't think that the taste of food should diminish because you want to be more conscious of food. I think if anything....it gets better.

People have this big misconception that more conscious means flax burger and soy milk. Green seaweed drinks and quinoa loafs. I'm sure those things are all nice and tasty but not something that I'm willing to subject my family too. At least not yet. ;-). It also doesn't mean you have to pay an arm and a leg for it either. We are a one income household. Penny pinching is the name of the game here. And I'm not going to let my families health decline to do so. It just takes a little bit more work. But since I'm now a SAHM...I feel that this is part of my job now.

So these are things I do to achieve both:

1.) Become a "Locavore":  No this isn't a crazy dinosaur....though my two year old would be ok with that. This means try to purchase local. Go to farmers markets. Support your local businesses. Support your local economy. I've learned that just doing a little research on the internet can go a long way. I've found great little family farm stands and shops. And a great thing about this is not only are you going to the source for your food but these farmers talk! So if you can't seem to find something just ask and a lot of times they can point you in the right direction. Multitasking!!

2.) Buy in bulk.  Most of the money you shell out when purchasing a certain product is gone towards packaging and handling. For example: Meat. Today was meat day in the homestead. Now normally we purchase 1/4 side of beef and 1/2 hog a year but being we are still pretty new to the area, we haven't gotten to really picking out a new farm. Sooooo I found a butcher shop in the mean time. Yes THEY STILL DO EXIST. And I promise you 9 times out of 10 the cuts are better and better price. So on Friday, Beanie and I went to the butcher to purchase our meat supply for the next couple months. I purchase 3 whole chickens (learn to break down a chicken. I will have a post about how this is done in the future. But really I promise its not that intimidating and you save a ton of money in the long run. Plus there is less waste), 1 GINORMOUS pork loin, and 4 steaks. And yes this means a little work involved. I roasted one of the chickens on Friday and we had leftover meat for Saturday night nachos PLUS carcass to make chicken stock. Today I broke down the other two chickens and got 2 packages of boneless breasts and 2 packages of legs and wings. That's 6 meals of chicken plus more bones for stock. The steaks were packaged into 2 packages of 2. And the Loin was made into 4 packages of chops, 1 whole pork roast which will probably last us at least 3 meals, and I ground some to make 2 packages of sausage. A little work but the meat will last us a while and I'm still supporting local economy.

3.) READ YOUR INGREDIENTS  I can't stress this enough. My rule of thumb is....If I can't pronounce it, I'm not eating it. I also follow the "5 ingredients or less rule." Chances are those two things save your money and your health.

4.) Produce what you can from home. Plant a garden for vegetables and produce. Build a chicken coop for eggs. Learn to make bread. Did you know you can make bread from just a few simple ingredients and NO KNEADING?!!? I'll do a post on this recipe soon. But YEAH! Its possible. And it tastes SOOOOO much better and costs just pennies. The more things you can produce from home, the better. They taste better and usually costs way less.

5.) Purchase whole foods. I'm not saying shop at Whole Foods (though if you can afford it or swing it than great!) but we don't have one close or the pocket book. This means vegetables, meat, nuts, grains, etc. I read somewhere that if you stick to the outer part of the grocery store than you are golden. ITS TRUE!! This is where most of the real foods are. Produce, Meat, Dairy...these are all around the edges of the store.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule. You have to do what is best for you and your family. And I'm not saying I am all knowing. These are just some guidelines that we follow and has helped us in the end. I have been able to slowly widdle out most of our processed items in our pantry and fridge and didn't break the bank doing so. Plus I still make tasty treats for my family.