I just finished reading In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan. It was a surprisingly quick read for me, I suppose because I enjoyed his writing style. If you haven't heard of the book, Pollan basically argues for the return to eating "whole" foods: non-processed, straight from your garden or local farmer's market.
I haven't joined the organic foods bandwagon, though several of my friends swear by it. And I'm not very "green" in my lifestyle, although we've started recycling a bit more this year. But since I do have a breast-cancer survivor in my family and I'm raising a one-year-old now, I'm becoming a little more health-conscious. Hence, the book.
So this week when I went to the supermarket, I decided to try shopping for whole foods by spanning the perimeter of the store (produce, dairy, meats) and refraining from the aisles of packaged goods. Believe it or not, I stayed away from the ice cream, because the stuff on sale had about 15 million ingredients in it and seemed too full of things I couldn't pronounce (I'm going to make my own out of milk, eggs, and chocolate!). It was remarkably satisfying, and I felt healthier just walking up to the checkout stand with my cart full of good food! AND...I saved $50 over my usual grocery bill! (When I came home, my husband asked if we'd have enough to eat for the week! We do!)
I'm excited for spring, as the farmer's markets will start opening back up and I can start planting some of my own herbs. I'd like to try a few vegetables too...we'll see. I'm not giving up completely on store-bought pasta, chips, or breads - I couldn't possibly make ALL of my own food, but I am going to try to shop a little healthier and make things when I can. We've already grown accustomed to homemade spaghetti sauce, so there's no going back on that one. And since I am no longer working full-time, I have the luxury of time to cook and do more of my own baking.
So for awhile, we'll try eating green!
This post was written as part of The Parent Blogger's Network blog blast featuring Nature's Source cleaning products. Post your secret to living naturally and you'll get a chance to win $250 Visa gift card and a set of cleaning products!
I haven't joined the organic foods bandwagon, though several of my friends swear by it. And I'm not very "green" in my lifestyle, although we've started recycling a bit more this year. But since I do have a breast-cancer survivor in my family and I'm raising a one-year-old now, I'm becoming a little more health-conscious. Hence, the book.
So this week when I went to the supermarket, I decided to try shopping for whole foods by spanning the perimeter of the store (produce, dairy, meats) and refraining from the aisles of packaged goods. Believe it or not, I stayed away from the ice cream, because the stuff on sale had about 15 million ingredients in it and seemed too full of things I couldn't pronounce (I'm going to make my own out of milk, eggs, and chocolate!). It was remarkably satisfying, and I felt healthier just walking up to the checkout stand with my cart full of good food! AND...I saved $50 over my usual grocery bill! (When I came home, my husband asked if we'd have enough to eat for the week! We do!)
I'm excited for spring, as the farmer's markets will start opening back up and I can start planting some of my own herbs. I'd like to try a few vegetables too...we'll see. I'm not giving up completely on store-bought pasta, chips, or breads - I couldn't possibly make ALL of my own food, but I am going to try to shop a little healthier and make things when I can. We've already grown accustomed to homemade spaghetti sauce, so there's no going back on that one. And since I am no longer working full-time, I have the luxury of time to cook and do more of my own baking.
So for awhile, we'll try eating green!
This post was written as part of The Parent Blogger's Network blog blast featuring Nature's Source cleaning products. Post your secret to living naturally and you'll get a chance to win $250 Visa gift card and a set of cleaning products!