"Real food"??

[trinityoaks]

Do any of you feed your family a "real food" diet--pasture-fed meats, raw milk, chemical-free fresh produce, etc.?

I'm wanting to go this route. It's easy enough to add the "good" things in, but I'm having a harder time taking the "bad" things out. Looking for practical tips. . .

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I try to provide as much "real food" as possible, but we still eat a lot of junk. Soda, candy, chips, olives, pickles, salami, lunch meats, bagels, tortas, etc.

 

[Random Rabbit]

We raise quite a bit of our own veggies. When we had the sheep and dairy goats we would have meat and fresh milk. I do not specifically shop for "natural" or "organic" stuff... it is not always what it seems and Much more expensive ! I do most cooking from scratch and that does keep a bunch of chemicals out of out diet. To me this is 'real food'.

 

[Piper]

What bad things? If you are asking about brand name store items, this may help.
- short answer "do it from scratch". I have some recipes on Pinterest that may help. For the recipes that take a brand name item (like cake mix) I have another recipe, that tells you how to make it from scrath, like cake mix from scratch.
http://pinterest.com/laurall21/recipes-helps/
http://pinterest.com/laurall21/recipes-my-favorites/

Longggg answer:
I used to do child care (was cooking for 6 - 4kids, myself and my husband) and and sometimes was only able to shop one day a week, I was trying to go natural at the same time.
Eventually cleaned out my cabinets and only kept Flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and spices. Frozen meats in the fridge. -- Recently I got on Pinerest and I have been amassing Recipe clones - Example: a recipe that replaces Bisquik, many of my recipes are from scratch.
-- The other thing is to get used to strong flavors and spices (season at table of possible), onions, garlic, celery seed,
pepper, roasted sesame seed. Try making sourdough bread from scratch, in a crock pot.
http://pinterest.com/laurall21/recipes-helps/

 

[fuzzy9]

My husband and I recently made a big change in our eating, and I can't tell you how much better I feel! I also gave up soda, not 100%, but I only have maybe a couple a week. I don't concentrate on organic though, if it's there, and the same price, I will buy it. We switched to a whole food way of eating, lots of veggies, fruit, and whole grain, trying to stay away from processed. I guess you could say it's almost vegan, though we are allowing ourselves to incorporate 10% meat and dairy. We stick mainly to rabbit, and a little chicken when we add it in. We both like meat, and couldn't give it up 100%.

For me it's been a huge change, starting to lose weight, and my skin feels so much better! I was having lots of dry skin issues, that are slowly going away.

The hardest part is all the planning, getting used to cooking everyday, and the cost! The cost is killer! I mean it's no wonder so many people are overweight in this day and age, the cost to eat healthy is just unreal.

I've tried so many ways to get healthy in my life, and this is by far been the most rewarding for me, and easiest to stick to. We have company this week, hubbies family, and they are all about food, lots of it! We haven't been eating the best, and I can really tell the difference too!

 

[skysthelimit]

The hardest part is all the planning, getting used to cooking everyday, and the cost! The cost is killer! I mean it's no wonder so many people are overweight in this day and age, the cost to eat healthy is just unreal.

The two big whammies. i don't like cooking and the "real food" method involves preparing fresh food. When I do buy it, food just goes bad around here. After being with 30 screaming kids for 9hrs, then getting home and feeding natural pets, it would be 7pm and I would just get started cooking, eating at 8pm and going to bed not to long after. Not real good.
And expensive, especially if the food goes bad before I get a chance to cook it.

I would love to do it if I could.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

We don't eat too much in the way of processed foods- we cook most things from scratch, make our own pizza dough so we aren't buying frozen pizzas, Hubs makes bread quite often, we bake our own cookies, and make our own ice cream... but we do have some frozen foods on hand for when we are especially lazy. Burritos, taquitos, pot pies in the winter, frozen lasagna, breaded cod, etc.

I haven't done so in a long time, but I used to make several pans of lasagna to freeze, or a whole slew of burritos. Sometimes we make double batches of soups or stews and freeze the extra. I also do that with mashed potatoes, yams, baked beans, refried beans, etc. That way you can pull out a couple of side dishes to go with the main course. They aren't quite as good as fresh, but at least they are homemade.

When my Mom had cancer, I made a bunch of "TV dinners" for her and my Dad. I cooked some ham, turkey breast, roast beef, etc. and made up sides of mashed potatoes (and gravy!), yams, green bean casserole, steamed veggies, and so on, and packed meal sized portions in individual aluminum trays so they could easily heat a whole meal in the oven.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

We cook most everything from scratch and grow as much as we can on our property. We try to do things organic and find chemical free ways to do things. We still eat junk though. Its hard to stop that completely.

 

[trinityoaks]

What bad things? If you are asking about brand name store items, this may help.
- short answer "do it from scratch".

I cook most of our meals from scratch, but sometimes with our crazy schedule, I resort to convenience foods (although I often doctor that up a little too, such as adding ground Italian sausage and canned diced tomatoes to boxed mac and cheese).

The hardest things to drop seem to be sugar and processed flour products. We don't eat a lot of sweets, and we don't drink soda at home anymore, but my kids go through 1-2 gallons of Kool-Aid a day. I'm hoping I can get them to start using stevia or honey instead of sugar, if I can't get them to drink plain water instead. Juice is so expensive, and I'm not convinced it's really any better for us overall.

If I can get hubby to build me something to mount my grain grinder on, I can at least start making my own bread again (and hopefully pasta at some point). I'm still looking into soaked and sprouted grains for baking.

This whole "real foods" idea has me starting to completely rethink what constitutes a "meal". Not sure how I can sell it to my family, especially hubby.

 

[Piper]

The hardest things to drop seem to be sugar and processed flour products.

'IF' your group likes the taste of sourdough.
I make sourdough bread with homemade Kombucha Tea http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kombucha.htm
and the taste is so different from the store bread that I do not like store bread anymore.
There are fermented drink recipes, but I have not gotten to them yet. Fermenting Kombucha seemed so strange to me that I wanted to make sure I understood it and that it was safe. We had not used chemicals in the house for over 10 years, so there were no air borne residues and Kombucha was extremely easy. I had to clear the house out, when my mom was on hospice, so I did not have to explain all the possibly eccentric items to the visiting nurses. Getting ready to get back into gear and to the ferments!
(fermented can add probiotics) here are a few other recipes. The thing with these is that the sugar is (at least) somewhat broken down.
http://pinterest.com/laurall21/recipes-wild-ferment/

__________ Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:43 am __________

You might try making some recipes with cupcake liners, in cupcake pans. As far as sweets - use items that have some sweet to them, as the backbone. Applesauce cake, sweet potato pudding, sweet potato pudding or sweet potato crisp in jars - the novelty might help.
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/cherry-crisp-in-jars/<br /><br />__________ Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:44 am __________<br /><br />the reason for the cupcake pans - individual servings, if they do not like it, it will freeze for those that do. Can cooks faster too.

 

[hoodat]

My diet has completely changed since my heart operation. I used to be a real carnivore and loved the fatty part of the meat. Now I find I don't crave meat any more. I just eat it occasionally and the thought of fatty meat gives me a queasy feeling. My body calls out for veggies more than meat. It isn't that I'm trying to have a healthier diet (though I am) so much as my body making adjustments on its own.

 

[trinityoaks]

I'm so excited to have found this site today:

http://www.nourishingourchildren.org/Home.html

Lots of good, PRACTICAL info!

I found some sprouted-grain bread at Trader Joe's today that I've been using for toast the last couple of days. I really like it, so I bought two more loaves for sandwiches. Going to get back to making my own bread soon.

My kids agreed to try Kool-Aid made with stevia instead of sugar. We'll see how that goes. I'm also looking into making my own ginger ale.

I finished my first batch of homemade kefir today. Can't wait to try it (have some store-bought to finish off first).

I'm also going to start working organ meats into our diet. I grew up eating and enjoying liverwurst. Hopefully I can get my kids to eat it, too. Eggs from pasture-fed chickens are on the market list for Saturday.

I bought some Bragg's raw ACV today--just need to figure out what to do with it. And my first order of fermented cod liver oil should be arriving tomorrow.

 

[skysthelimit]

I bought some Bragg's raw ACV today--just need to figure out what to do with it. And my first order of fermented cod liver oil should be arriving tomorrow.

Strangely, I like to pour into a glass of water before bedtime and drink it. I don't know what it's good for but the bottle recommended it.

 

[fuzzy9]

I bought some Bragg's raw ACV today--just need to figure out what to do with it. And my first order of fermented cod liver oil should be arriving tomorrow.

Strangely, I like to pour into a glass of water before bedtime and drink it. I don't know what it's good for but the bottle recommended it.

Sky..........it's great to balance the bodies PH balance, and it works great if you have acid reflux too. Alot of people swear that it helps you lose weight. I'd recommend using a straw to drink it, because I've read that alot of people said it can wear the enamel off your teeth, even diluted.




If you like salad, here's a great recipe you can use the Braggs for, that hubby and I both love! Would make a great marinade too! Anything that calls for vinegar, I substitute the raw ACV in.

Better Than Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette

2.5 tablespoons balsamic, white, or red wine vinegar (I use the red wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons Braggs raw apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or regular mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 minced clove of garlic (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Toss all ingredients into a bowl and whisk! Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing.

 

[trinityoaks]

<Sigh!!> :no: This is going to be a hard sell. Wish I had started this when they were little and Mom could do no wrong. :wall:

 

[skysthelimit]

I heard about the pH. I hasn't done a blessed thing for my bunnies urine smell.

But I gargle it when I get tonsillitis, and it goes right away. I originally bought it to pour in the dogs ear for an ear infection.

 

[Rustina]

My family raises our own beef, grass fed, the only thing they ( the mommies) get is deworming and vaccinations, we also raise our own veggies no pesticides, bunnies, and chickens, i hope to add a goat with in the next year for our own milk too, but right now we get it from the nieghbor who has jersey cows.....organic as well....

 

[MamaSheepdog]

<Sigh!!> :no: This is going to be a hard sell. Wish I had started this when they were little and Mom could do no wrong. :wall:

:encourage: Baby steps, Trin!

Every little bit helps- so don't be disappointed if they resist doing everything at once. For instance, with the Kool-Aid, maybe start by replacing only part of the sugar with Stevia until they get accustomed to the different flavor, and gradually cut more sugar out of the mix.

Hubs still resents what he calls his Mom's "Granola kick" when she decided to completely flip the families world upside down with a healthier lifestyle. She threw out all the Oreo cookies! Imagine! :roll:

By the way, have you tried the Trader Joe-Joe's oreo cookies? The holiday ones with peppermint are an ingredient in one of our favorite ice cream recipes!

 

[Piper]

I'm so excited to have found this site today:

http://www.nourishingourchildren.org/Home.html

Lots of good, PRACTICAL info!

I found some sprouted-grain bread at Trader Joe's today that I've been using for toast the last couple of days. I really like it, so I bought two more loaves for sandwiches. Going to get back to making my own bread soon.

My kids agreed to try Kool-Aid made with stevia instead of sugar. We'll see how that goes. I'm also looking into making my own ginger ale.

I finished my first batch of homemade kefir today. Can't wait to try it (have some store-bought to finish off first).

I'm also going to start working organ meats into our diet. I grew up eating and enjoying liverwurst. Hopefully I can get my kids to eat it, too. Eggs from pasture-fed chickens are on the market list for Saturday.

I bought some Bragg's raw ACV today--just need to figure out what to do with it. And my first order of fermented cod liver oil should be arriving tomorrow.

I already knew about acidophus (is in a mother dogs milk and giving her antibiotics, killing the acidophilus can possibly kill the puppies) was a military wife, kids born on a military base and the military doctors used recommended the BRAT diet. Knowing these things worked, helped!
-- Explain why the BRAT or BRATY diet works, when they are sick. - Wiki has a very basic page on this.
- Watch out, if you do not do a bit of history / science, the kids may start coming to you with the latest TV fad and telling you that this is suppose to be better.
I home-schooled and incorporated it into the curriculum.
Until my kids were 5 and 'school lunches' they thought yogurt was a treat (and it was their after dinner desert) and did not know about pudding. I have not made bread with sprouted grains (money and equipment) but I love keeping a fermenting sour dough starter and making sourdough. I have not tried fermented cod liver oil -> ?
Sounds like your off and running. To much change in a child's / person's diet can be like changing a rabbits, if the intestinal flora does not accept it, the person may be put off - for a long time. Sneak in the new ingredients, one at a time, into traditional recipes. If the kids like cooking, find recipes like making meat loaf in cup cake pans that are small servings, cook fast, that they can do, make them a part of some of it and explain it.
-- Preservatives: why large amounts of salt, sugar and vinegar act as preservatives. Do a history lesson on Columbus and why they used salt pork on ships and why the current chemical preservatives do not break down as well, even when diluted. Why preservatives are used by companies, for shelf life in stores, for market share.
-- Start canning (by pressure and hot water bath) some of your items and let them see how it works.
-- Explain acidophilus and probiotics, how they are even in soil and help fight off bad bacteria and virus'.
-- Research cartridge/ gelatin, why we need it and see if the kids and you can understand why people add chicken feet to traditional chicken soup, even if the kids consider it taboo / yechy, the understanding may help.
Have fun, you may not get all you want, the kids have a peer group that they would have to explain these items to, and may not be able to get past the peer groups taboos. Still the kids will have an idea of why food works and may come back to you (when they find something) and start telling you why something should be good.
Excuse me if this is too much, like the :choir: preaching back to you, but you do have a lot of support!

__________ Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:10 am __________

The two big whammies. i don't like cooking and the "real food" method involves preparing fresh food. When I do buy it, food just goes bad around here. After being with 30 screaming kids for 9hrs, then getting home and feeding natural pets, it would be 7pm and I would just get started cooking, eating at 8pm and going to bed not to long after. Not real good.
And expensive, especially if the food goes bad before I get a chance to cook it.

I had to stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables, not the best but have had too many of the fresh one go to the chickens or compost bin, even potatoes and hurt my budget!

 

[trinityoaks]

:encourage: Baby steps, Trin!

You're right, but with two of them going away to college (one next week and one in October), I have so little time left! One will be in the dorms and required to eat most meals in the dining hall; the other will be in an apartment and able to do his own cooking (but in Florida).

For instance, with the Kool-Aid, maybe start by replacing only part of the sugar with Stevia until they get accustomed to the different flavor, and gradually cut more sugar out of the mix.

At least the reaction wasn't as bad as when my husband made it with Sweet 'n' Low. I'm going to try dehydrated cane juice (rapidura) next. If this homemade ginger ale and root beer work out like I hope, we won't need the Kool-Aid anyway. I even saw a brewing kit on clearance at Williams-Sonoma yesterday.

Hubs still resents what he calls his Mom's "Granola kick" when she decided to completely flip the families world upside down with a healthier lifestyle.

Unfortunately, I mistakenly thought I was already getting more buy-in from them than I was.

By the way, have you tried the Trader Joe-Joe's oreo cookies? The holiday ones with peppermint are an ingredient in one of our favorite ice cream recipes!

Hmmmm. . . I'll have to check those out! Trader Joe's just opened here a couple of months ago, and I've been there only a few times so far. Hubby and I made the mistake of going on opening day. . . :tornado: :jump2: :boxed: hsnap: