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Hi, my name is Lisa, and I’m so glad you’re here because that means you have an interest in real food!

Whether you’re brand new to cutting out processed food or you’re a real food veteran, I hope you’ll find some value in the resources on this blog. In the beginning of 2010 I had never before read an ingredient label, never bought anything that was organic (at least not on purpose), nor had I ever stepped foot in a farmers’ market. I am certainly not proud of those things, but that was reality for the first 32 or so years of my life and the most disturbing part is that I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.

After reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan I got the wake up call of my life and felt like our eating habits needed a serious overhaul. Making such drastic changes was not easy at first (it has thankfully become our “new normal” since then), and at the time I struggled to find resources to help me understand exactly how I could apply Pollan’s principals to our everyday lives. So shortly thereafter my real food blog was born. What better way to convince others to cut out processed food with us than to give them everything they need to successfully make it happen!

Here are some of the resources you’ll find on the blog:

• Our list of rules (how we define “real food”) and why we think it’s important to cut out processed food
• Weekly updates during our original “100 Days of Real Food” pledge, which ended in September 2010
• Weekly updates during our second pledge “100 Days of Real Food on a Budget” ($125/week)
• Our list of “100 Days of Real Food Mini-Pledges” that guide you through 14 weekly steps for cutting out processed food
• A bunch of Real Food Tips, which covers everything from common food label misconceptions to dealing with picky kids
• Our “10 Days of Real Food” pledge, which was created for the blog readers…if we followed our rules for 100 days then anyone can do it for only 10 days!
• Free week-long family meal plans that include breakfast, lunch, snack & dinner as well as coordinating grocery lists with pricing
• Over a hundred “real food approved” kid-tested recipes and meal ideas
• All my favorite kitchen essentials including just about every single appliance and gadget we own
• Our list of recommended reading and cookbooks
• Our about us page, which shares a little more about our eating habits prior to starting the blog

If you’re brand spanking new you might also want to check out:

• Understanding Grains and 6 Ways to Ease the Switch to Whole Grain
• 21 “Real food” essentials for freezer, pantry, & fridge
• Supermarket “real food” cheat sheet and How to buy real food from a mainstream supermarket
• Our mini-pledge post that details why we don’t eat low-fat, lite, or fat-free foods
• Our personal changes in health since switching to real food (listed on our Budget Day 100 entry)
• List of commonly asked questions on the FAQ page
• And as mentioned above definitely take advantage of the free meal plans

I add new content to the blog weekly so be sure to subscribe via email (below) or follow us on facebook or twitter to be informed of new posts. I am very active on my facebook page so it’s a great place to post a question or join in on the discussion.

Wishing you the best of luck on your real food journey!