Wow. I am learning so much! I knew after I got the first e-mail I wouldn't be able to "complete" the challenge. Jenny challenged us to clean out our pantry of all processed foods including all white sugar, brown sugar, shortening, margarine, pastas, crackers, etc. Right now my grocery budget is dependent on me not buying food as much as possible--making whatever I have stretch as far as possible. I decided to take this time then to investigate this "real food" way of eating so that when I can buy food again maybe we can make this change. Day#1 not accomplished.
Day#2 was better. We already use extra virgin olive oil in most of our cooking. Also, we use full fat milk and yogurt because we know that is best for Nugget at this age and for health in general. I really enjoyed the article Good, Better, Best: Traditional Foods for Every Budget. This will really help me prioritize as I am able to restock my pantry.
Day #3 was about using whole grains and soaking grains. I was really excited about this as this is something I've been wanting to move towards for a while. I did not complete the challenge of preparing a soaked grain recipe. I would like to try the Soaked Oatmeal or Baked Oatmeal next week. With preparing to work nights this weekend, I didn't quite have time to get to this.
Day #4 I did! I started my sourdough using whole wheat flour I had on hand. I am very excited about this! Ralph was really great about this because it was on him to "feed" the starter every 12 hours all weekend. I have a great husband.
I also spent some time researching the benefits of raw milk and where to obtain it in this area. I still have a little more leg work to do but I would like to make this switch at some point. It is more reasonable than I thought (being as in OH you have to own part of the cow to be legally allowed to drink it) but still over double what we pay now.
I also made Crockpot Yogurt which turned out great! I found out yogurt can freeze with no harmful effects and that it will last 2 weeks in my fridge on its own. I'm pretty excited about this as we figured we saved about 50% on what we would normally pay for yogurt.
All-in-all I am really enjoying this challenge and participating where I can and educating myself for future changes as finances allow.
I own 2.5 cow shares and will be glad to share more about it. I make Carter's formula with raw milk...I just did a post on it. Go to www.eatfoodforlife.com. This is where I bought my cow shares and pick up the products at the 2nd Street Market every Saturday. Did you get the Nourishing Traditions cookbook yet? I soaked my oatmeal and it turned out really good. I soak and cook enough for me to eat the entire week which is less work. It's good to see someone else on this journey!
ReplyDeleteThis challenge looks really interesting! You'll have to send me the link. I'll call you and talk to you about it later!
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