All about eating

Homemade Pita Bread

So in the past few months we have drastically changed our eating habits. It was to the point of ridiculousness, the things we ate. Toaster strudels, pizza, fast food (constantly), cookies, muffins, you name it. Not to say that we don't occasionally eat those things now, but they're few and far between rather than being our main sources of nutrition.

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

One of the best resources I've found is Keeper of the Home. Stephanie did a fantastic Real Food Makeover on our family and I cannot believe the wealth of information she blessed us with. (Here are Part 1 and Part 2 - make sure you take a look!) I have started making so many more foods from scratch and rarely buy boxed foods now - no more Bisquick, sugary cereals, muffin mixes, etc. It is definitely more time-consuming but SO rewarding.

I would love to share with you a few of the baby steps that we took that have made a big impact - will you try them too?

- Using coconut oil - read here and here for some nutritional information - fascinating!

- Making baked goods from scratch - we are big bread and muffin eaters, and it's so much better when it's baked fresh at home. Here is my favorite pita bread recipe - it's like magic! The kids literally sit on the floor in front of the oven and watch them puff up like balloons. So cool. (Oh, and I also replace 1/3 of the flour with whole wheat or soy flour.)

- Using alternative sweeteners. I rarely use white sugar; instead, I use organic raw honey, maple syrup, applesauce, and brown sugar. (I have to hide the raw honey from my kids - they eat it out of the jar by the spoonful).

- Making our own yogurt. Read this post for directions - it's so awesome. And so easy and cheap and good.

- READING INGREDIENT LABELS! It's shocking what is in most of the food that we eat, and I'm honestly ashamed at the food I've fed my kids, my husband, and myself over the last few years. I can see now that I haven't been a good steward of the body God has blessed me with and that's changing - how exciting!

I picked up some Israeli couscous at our local farmer's market a few weeks ago, and it is absolutely my new favorite pasta/grain. The texture is so great, and it's super easy to cook. The kids devoured it, too. I sauteed some onions and spinach in coconut oil, then added in the couscous and chicken stock. (I use stock instead of water - it gives it so much more flavor.) Then I steamed some broccoli and tossed some almonds on top. This was a totally use-what's-in-the-fridge meal - can you tell?! The kids love boiled eggs and we were out of meat so I added some of those, too, for some extra protein. We had an enormous platter of healthy, beautiful food for under $5. I was pretty impressed.

I have a new step-sister, which is super exciting!!!!, and we recently both bought butter bells. I have wanted one of these for a few years and am so excited to finally have one!

Butter Bell from Pigeon River Pottery

What are your thoughts on REAL food? :)