Thursday, July 29, 2010

Changes at the Casa Kitchen

After reluctantly watching the documentary films "Killer at Large" and "Food, Inc.," I've taken a radical plunge in my thinking about the food I put into my body and the bodies of my family members. I highly recommend the films, and I will be taking the book The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan from the library today to read it for more info.

The changes will include the following:

1. Only eating organic, free-range, grass-fed meat. This means we will be eating much less meat because I am sure it is not cheap to eat the new standard.

2. Eating fresh, organic, locally grown vegetables. We will be shopping weekly at the farmer's market for produce, and supplementing with produce from Whole Foods or Central Market.

3. Decreasing our intake of processed foods. Instead of packaged mixes, I'm going to be packaging my own convenient mixes to keep in the pantry (so long "blueberry muffin" mix that doesn't have blueberries on the ingredient list). Maybe I will post these "recipes" here if I get it worked out to a well-oiled homegrown machine.

4. We will be gardening. I have put this off since we bought our house. I have a few bags of soil in the garage and enough seeds to feed a village. I'm thinking that perfect is a lower priority than I've been making it, so I might just be going into the backyard, pouring the bags of soil on top of our "garden" space that is currently grassy and weed-riddled. Then I will plant the seeds... at this point I think our only crop will be Okra, but I will be looking into a timetable for planting a fall garden as well.

5. This one probably goes without saying, but we will be eating at home. The only person I can trust to care about the food that goes into our mouths is me, so I am going to be cooking more.

So there it is in writing. I will be posting updates, and I will probably not follow through on this stuff 100%. I know it is going to be more expensive, but I'm also confident that it is the right thing to do for my family. If you have some suggestions for "follow-through" on these items, please let me know. If you are in Houston and want to start a veggie co-op so we can buy in bulk and get better prices at the farmer's market, let me know that, too! Happy and healthy eating to you and yours!

6 comments:

  1. You can buy grass feed meats from slankers. They have a website and is located in Dallas http://texasgrassfedbeef.com/. It is more expensive, but the meat does taste better (esp the chicken). It is best to buy in bulk so make sure you have plenty of freezer space.

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  2. to add to the health difference b/t grass and corn fed beef- I can eat grass-fed beef and cheese (I'm nursing) but can't corn-fed. I haven't been brave enough to try the milk, though...I'll be doing the grass-fed route too even after I'm done nursing or Sam out grows the intolerance!

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  3. Wow! Does she have a corn allergy? That is pretty intense, considering the way our food system operates!

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  4. it's so great you're taking this step for your family! I'd love to try out some the recipes that ya'll have tried and liked

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  5. Oh, God Bless ya on this! I just don't have the patience or the ability to commit to something like that. I think it is awesome that you are doing this though! Go Smiths Go!!!

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  6. Awesome blog, Renee! Check out Sallie Fallon's Nourishing Traditions if you haven't already and read her introductions to her chapters. Great stuff! Also- it's an AMAZING cookbook!

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