I think I just broke a personal record. In a single 24-hour period I managed to buy food from Earth Fare, our local Farmer’s Market, Trader Joe’s, Great Harvest Bread Company, Poplar Ridge Farm (where we pick up our CSA box), and Harris Teeter. This was unusual for me to go to so many places in such a short period of time, but it was definitely a reminder of how buying our food used to be so simple. In our old processed food life I used to plan out our dinners for the week, order the necessary groceries online from Harris Teeter, and pick them up every Monday morning. I didn’t even have to get out of the car. There is no question that was convenient.
A lot of people have asked me lately if I am running around to different places to buy food, if I am spending more money on it, and if I am cooking more in the kitchen…and the answer to all of that is yes, yes, and yes! Think about this though. If you are going to buy a new car, computer, or even a new couch, do you shop around and do some research? Or do you just buy the easiest, cheapest, and most convenient option without really knowing much about it? I am sure you know the answer to this question, and we have just personally decided to follow this same thought process when it comes to something as important as the food that we put into our bodies. They happen to be the only bodies we will ever be lucky enough to have.
So, lately I have felt a little scatterbrained about what groceries I need and what recipes I am making for the upcoming week, but I am hoping to get better at this new routine over time. The days of making one trip to pick up our weekly groceries are certainly over, but I do think that with lots of practice I can be more efficient at this new normal. We certainly think it will be worth it.
In each of these posts I like to also try to mention at least something about what we have been eating (not just how it got from the store to our house!). So I will say that yesterday we had a nice and easy lunch, which included a hard-boiled eggs (that I had boiled the day before), blackberries from the farmer’s market, watermelon and grapes from Earth Fare, and a leftover buttermilk cheese biscuits from dinner the other night. It took me a while to get to this point, but I have finally retrained my brain to not always think that lunch needs to include a sandwich and two side items. My daughters and I enjoyed this little fruit/bread/egg plate yesterday.
On the other hand, dinner last night was a bit of a disaster. We do cook a lot around here so I have to admit that disasters are far and few between, but it does happen. I bought some cod from Earth Fare on Tuesday, and expected it to still be fresh enough to eat on Wednesday. We normally love the seafood from Earth Fare but as soon as my husband opened the package, he said the fish did not smell very fresh. He still tried to batter and sautee it to make some “fish and chips” without the chips, but nobody ended up liking it! I was also determined to make some homemade mayo to dip the fish in (before I knew it wasn’t any good), but the finished product did not at all resemble the store-bought mayonnaise we know and love. I am still struggling to find a good mayo recipe that doesn’t use raw eggs. Maybe I need to first stop expecting it to come out all fluffy and white like the stuff from the store. Oh well, I have 86 more days to figure it out!
Mayo isn’t “white and fluffy”. Mayonnaise is a french emulsion. It doesn’t last long (meaning eat up 3-4 days MAX). Here is a recipe to try: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/43/Homemade-Mayonnaise.
If you’re going to use olive oil, make sure it is ‘light’. Many people find the strong flavor of extra virgin olive oil to be too strong.
Try again. As your taste buds change over the course of this challenge, you’ll find you prefer this to the tasteless chemical concoction in a jar.
Well, I guess I’ve never had “real mayo” before then? The only kind I have ever known is white and fluffy and out of a jar. I will have to relearn what mayonnaise is all about! Thanks for the tips.
I do appreciate your honesty in all of this! Hope you can solidify a great routine that you could share with everyone.
You can definitely expect me to always tell it like it is!! :)
Nayonaise or Veganaise you may be able to find one of those that has the correct ingredients you may eat and both are vegan.
I will look for that…thanks!
Hi, is there a reason for not wanting to eat raw eggs?
Yes, because of the concern of harmful bacteria negatively impacting my children. I honestly haven’t done much research on this topic though so I suppose I could do look into it further to see if it should really be a big concern.
I think if you are eating good quality organic, free range eggs it shouldn’t be a problem, but yes, do your research on it (especially when there are kids involved!). I eat raw eggs everyday in a protein smoothie (my breakfast) and have had no issues. One tip is to crack the eggs into a separate bowl and if the yolk doesn’t stay intact then it isn’t fresh and you would be best to throw it out. But this probably only happens once every 4 or 5 dozen eggs!
I like your analogy about buying a new car or computer. I did one of your mini-pledges recently, and I felt defensive a few times as people questioned whether it was more expensive and more work. It was, but it’s worth it.
I know…why shouldn’t we go through the extra trouble and expense when our health is on the line!
Egg freshness can be checked by floating an egg in fresh water. If it sinks it is fresh; if it sinks but stands on one end it is still edible but not as fresh(good for hard boiling as slightly older eggs peel easier). If it floats its bad. As for salmonella, that resides in the shell of the egg and only contaminates the inside when the shell is broken. So wash your eggs before breaking if you will be leaving them raw and you will be relatively fine.
You can also pasteurize your own eggs. Here’s a link that explains how: http://www.kitchenproject.com/BBQ/PasteurizedEggs.htm. We do raw milk at our farm, but we also generally eschew raw eggs. I think when I have kids I’ll want to pasteurize our eggs before I give them to them; I find our eggs to be dirtier than our milk (the chickens like to eat the eggs, so then they get covered in egg and hay, etc).
One other thing: I am a supporter of raw goat milk, as opposed to raw cow milk. In my experience goats are much cleaner than cows, and there is almost never any fecal matter or mud on a goat’s udder. Our kids will be raw goat milk drinkers.
What are some tips for dealing with a dinner “disaster”? I also have two young kids (1 and 2) and something we currently struggle with is when dinner just goes wrong. It doesn’t happen often but when it does it totally derails us. I end up feeding my hungry and cranky children anything I can quickly grab which often means ingredients for meals planned later in the week.
I’m reading the blogs of your original 100 days to get ready for our own real food challenge. I’m great at planning but not so great when my plan fails!
Hi Allison. Stock your freezer with back-up items you’ve prepared, those no fail favorites that can be defrosted and heated in a hurry, satisfy appetites, and relieve stress. :) ~Amy
I am still in awe of your portions and meals. My 2 kids would eat that meal for a snack in between meals! I don’t want to encourage overeating, but they are very skinny (as in around the 15th percentile in weight.) and very active, so I don’t want to not give them food. I got inspiration from your lunches, and for lunch the other day gave my kids cheese that I had cubed up, triscuits, grape cherry tomatoes, and apple slices dipped in greek yogurt with some peanut butter mixed in. Hubby and I had the same thing except that instead of just the tomatoes we had a salad with homemade ranch dressing. They all finished up everything and looked at me for more because they were still hungry. I was scrounging around trying to hurry and put together something else for them. I see the small portions in your lunches, but they just do not work for my family and I’m trying to figure out if I’m doing something wrong or maybe my family just has higher metabolism?!? I do have boys instead of girls so maybe that makes a difference? I would really love any insight you have because I am struggling to try and figure out all the allowed things that I can put together for meals, especially lunches.
Hi Crystal. Every appetite is going to be different based on individual metabolism. You are not doing anything wrong. Just up your portions to match their needs. If you are feeding them a good variety of whole foods, all will be fine. :) ~Amy
My children are thin, muscular, very active and eat like horses also. Both girls. My 3 older children are ate like adults by the time they reached 5 or 6 also. Some ppl are just BLESSED with small eaters. They don’t get how expensive it is to feed children really. Most children I have known over my decades as a mom, eat ALOT but theyre all active.
When I read about a budget for a family of four I know I have to add 25% more for us and we don’t even have a second adult, just the 3 of us lol