Real Food on a Budget (#1)

The most common questions/comments I receive when the conversation turns toward healthful habits are those related to that topic on all our stricken-economy-contientious minds: MONEY. 

Real food is often expensive. As Americans used to purchasing highly industrialized and government subsidized food products, paying $4.50 for a dozen eggs or $11.99 for a pound of bacon is enough to make any one of us choke {on our overpriced gourmet cup of coffee... just kidding.... sorta}. For our family, it's a carefully calculated cost- one we feel is worth every penny.

Living this way requires an attitude open to change. Being willing to understand what it truly costs to produce quality food. Conducting a little research to know where to buy products and what areas to make a priority. Seeking wisdom to differentiate between needs and desires. That said, we have found there are ways to save money in living a simpler life. For every expensive lifestyle change we have implemented, we have been blessed to find another area in which we could reduce our expenses. And none of them make me choke {even if I'm still drinking that cup of coffee}. 

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Budget Tip #1

In making to switch to a more healthful lifestyle, replace items as they run out. *

Healthful Habits: Baby Steps for Reducing Exposure to Toxins

Healthful Habits is a way for our family to intentionally implement a more wholesome style of living one small step at a time. The process of executing these small changes over the course of a year enables them to become lifelong habits. 

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(photo credit)

At a recent mentoring session regarding nutrition, I was asked to suggest some "baby steps" to take when seeking to reduce exposure to environmental toxins. Never one to do well when put on the spot, I fear the information I shared was too discombobulated to be truly helpful as a checklist of baby steps. So here's the list again... in organized format with helpful little bullet points.

Healthful Habits: Chipotle

We're big Chipotle fans at our house. While we recognize there are problems regarding the sometimes limited amount of locally grown food they are able to source along with the continued presence of GMO's in their menu offerings, we are so thankful for the steps they are taking to improve our choices as American consumers. The following commercial aired during the Grammy Awards {thus, Willie Nelson}. Since we don't have television, I was only recently able to enjoy this fabulous visual critique of the darker side of the modern food industry.

For more details regarding the influence of this commercial, check out the excellent post at Food Renegade. Here's hoping more opportunities arise for the mass marketing of real food choices!

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UPDATE: My hubby pointed out that, while a very neat commercial, this depiction is not the authorial intent of Coldplay's original song. So enjoy the commercial AND the opportunity to critique the postmodern worldview.  :)

January Reading List

Inspired by my good friend, Stephanie (Facts, Facets, Fancies, and Fairy Tales), I have decided to produce a monthly reading report in an effort to bring some accountability to my literary goals.

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{William Sonoma's Baby Cookbook}

This book was a Christmas gift and has been immensely helpful thus far. Although most of the baby recipes are not complicated or even truly unique, the information shared throughout regarding the timing and introduction of foods is very helpful. As a bonus... the photography in the book enables it to grace any coffee table.

Restoration

I have worked over 45 hours in the last eight days...