It has been about month since this journey began and we have made changes that I hope will last. I no longer miss Coffeemate, and get totally disgusted if I read the ingredients. My kids are eating more fresh fruit than ever because, quite frankly, there is not much else to snack on. The additives that we are trying to avoid seem to lurk in those convenient, quick fix items that I am no longer buying. Sometimes I just want something crunchy and salty with a Nabisco triangle in the corner but it is easy to resist if it is not in the house. We pop our popcorn the old fashion way (well maybe not the old-fashion way because it is not in a pan over a fireplace in a log cabin) in a pot with some oil and eat it with a light sprinkling of salt. Microwave popcorn actually moved out of our house about a year ago after people who worked in the manufacturing facilities were getting lung cancer from the chemical used in the butter flavoring. If we really wanted to be good, I would use an air popper but I don't like the way that popcorn comes out so I will shamelessly be deficient in that area.
Consuming more organic products has led to much smellier garbage (I know, I should be composting but I am not ready to start that yet). I think it is a combination of my natural food spoiling quicker as well as our family consuming more produce overall. This week my last bottle of Winder Farms milk spoiled 3 days before the expiration date. There wasn't that much left and I think it is partially our fault for leaving it on the counter too much. We will do better this week and if it happens again I will contact Winder Farms.
Speaking of Winder Farms, after my third delivery I have come to realize some things: The organic produce box is overpriced and full of several Earthbound Organic brand products. When I was figuring it out, I realized I could do better buying the items myself (even at Whole Foods) and not end up with items I can't finish before they spoil. I expected the produce to be coming from a farm in Utah so I thought it would be worth it but since it is the same brand I can buy here I am no longer ordering it. We have tried several other products (especially ones I have coupons for) but I am realizing that I am really in it for the dairy, bread and possibly the lemonade. The other items I can purchase for less at Whole Foods or even Smith's. That is not a misprint, I really did say they would be less at Whole Foods...
Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day, the grass-fed beef is scheduled to arrive and hopefully we will be getting our baby chicks too. We have a 3 day window for our peeps to come so we are rushing home each day to see if they came. I called the post office and asked them to hold them for pickup but just in case they end up on the truck for delivery I have been staying home. I don't want them to end up frying on my 120 degree front porch.
Hopefully we can keep this up. Eating better food is a luxury. There is definitely more money going to food lately, but I have found that our portions are getting smaller and I am shopping less. It is like we are learning to survive on what we have instead of trying to eat like wild animals and replace everything as soon as it is out. I did have to up my Winder Farms milk order because we are consuming it with a passion and I don't want to have to buy grocery store milk to make it until the next delivery. If paying more for milk has given us not just tastier but healthier milk, I shudder to think what we were drinking when I was buying gallons at Sam's Club for $1.87. (Insert shiver here)
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