Processed Foods

[Meyou]

I use 100% whole wheat, rye, organic white whole wheat (whole wheat but a specific strain of wheat that is lighter in color) and spelt. I've worn them all down over time and now my family gives me "looks" if I make something with white flour.

[Bookworm]

Yes, 99.9% of our meat comes directly from a butcher. We buy a full cow and pig most years with another couple and split it between each other.

Wild rice....Um, I live in wild rice country. Wild rice grows native to my area....I can walk out the door and go pick some anytime it is in season.

We have several large wild rice companies based out of my area. We also have a huge Native American population that supports itself from harvesting wild rice. We live right on the Mississippi river.

Green beans...all our veggies are purchased fresh in the produce dept. The kind where you can just go and put as many or as few as you would like into a bag.

In the summer, we grow all our own veggies. Some we freeze and some we just eat while in season.



Basic spices I guess.... DH says, he uses home made beef stock, salt and pepper and sometimes he will use cooking wines or different vinegars.

Lately he has been really into making his own sauces and using the food processor to make glazes, sauces, gravies and pestos.

I am very interested in buying a whole cow/pig and splitting the costs with some co-workers. How do you do it? Is there a website that I can go to?

[Blackcat31]

I am very interested in buying a whole cow/pig and splitting the costs with some co-workers. How do you do it? Is there a website that I can go to?

We just happent to live next door to a farmer who raises beef cattle and pigs. We just buy directly from him.

It would be awesome if there was a website you could go to for that....I don't know of one off hand but if I come across any resources, I will gladly let you know.

[Willow]

Bookworm - if you have one near you feed stores often have bulletins advertising livestock sales like that.

You can call up butcher shops and ask them if they could put you in touch with some of the farmers they do regular business with.

Sometimes in bigger cities newspapers will advertise sales as well.

[Bookworm]

Thanks ladies. One more question: How many families will a whole cow feed? There's four of us interested. One family of four, a family of three, and two families of two. I just want to make sure everybody gets enough.

[mema]

I am very interested in buying a whole cow/pig and splitting the costs with some co-workers. How do you do it? Is there a website that I can go to?

Try here:

http://eatwild.com/

Not sure if it lists a lot of areas, but it's a start.

[Michael]

When I think of processed food I think of natural products that have been altered. Many foods are milled or removed of their vitamins. Then the manufacturer fortifies it with vitamins and other" "needed" nutrients. I always wondered why.

In my book that means they made it more addictive with longer shelf life. Funny when you look at natural sugar or flour, its way more expensive the "processed" product. Same with raw milk which is more expensive and comes right from the source. Processed milk is pasteurized or altered.

[Country Kids]

I'm wondering how expensive it would be to eat "real food" and especially in the winter when everything is sky high that you can find and really nothing is in season.

One other thing I'm thinking about is the time to put into making everything from scratch. The lady in the blog BC sent me says she spends LOTS of time in the kitchen and running a childcare you don't have that time.

Also, they take all their food with them everywhere they go (for social gatherings) but do eat out in restaurants so I'm not sure how that works. Restaurants use tons of processed foods so how would you eat out and call it "real food".

[Bookworm]

Try here:

http://eatwild.com/

Not sure if it lists a lot of areas, but it's a start.

Thanks again. It's a big help.

[Blackcat31]

I'm wondering how expensive it would be to eat "real food" and especially in the winter when everything is sky high that you can find and really nothing is in season.

One other thing I'm thinking about is the time to put into making everything from scratch. The lady in the blog BC sent me says she spends LOTS of time in the kitchen and running a childcare you don't have that time.

Also, they take all their food with them everywhere they go (for social gatherings) but do eat out in restaurants so I'm not sure how that works. Restaurants use tons of processed foods so how would you eat out and call it "real food".

My DH is the cook in our family. He cooks HUGE meals all at once and then separates them out into individual meals and freezes them for later use.

Tonight when he makes the wild rice hotdish I mentioned, he will make enough to feed atleast 6 people. He will separate it out into meals for two and then when we want to eat wild rice hotdish again, he just grabs a frozen packet and heats it up. Easy peasy.

Once per month, we go to Sam's Club and stock up on things. He will spend that same weekend, preparing several meals for later.

In the summer we garden and freeze all the produce we have grown for use in the winter. Some things we will buy fresh from the grocery store but it is just my DH and I at home so it isn't so expensive.

I can't answer the eating out question, because honestly we eat out VERY little and when we do, we are kind of picky about when and what we are eating.

[daycare]

have not read all of the other post, but have you ever checked out the cage man diet or eating paleo?? I eat paleo, but I don't eat meats of any kind. My religous beliefs mostly, but mostly for health reasons....


basically if it does not grow naturally then you don't eat it......

[daycare]

have not read all of the other post, but have you ever checked out the cage man diet or eating paleo?? I eat paleo, but I don't eat meats of any kind. My religous beliefs mostly, but mostly for health reasons....


basically if it does not grow naturally then you don't eat it......

I once read that we should stick to the outside aisles of our grocery store because 85% of the food on the inside is all CRAp.....

eating paleo, I don't ever have to count calories...

[daycare]

have not read all of the other post, but have you ever checked out the cage man diet or eating paleo?? I eat paleo, but I don't eat meats of any kind. My religous beliefs mostly, but mostly for health reasons....


basically if it does not grow naturally then you don't eat it......

sorry I wanted to add to this, that I don't eat potatoes or corn because they maintain high glycemic (sp) loads that may adversley affect your blood sugar and insulin levels. Corn is actually not even a veggie, its a grain.......

[Country Kids]

I once read that we should stick to the outside aisles of our grocery store because 85% of the food on the inside is all CRAp.....

eating paleo, I don't ever have to count calories...

Here is what on the outside aisles of one of the grocery stores:

produce/clearance foods/meats/cheese/lunchables/bulk frozen foods/soda/the bakery/dog food

Another store (Wal-Mart)

Produce/bakery/meats/some dairy

Albertsons:

Deli/produce/bakery/lunchable/meats,seafood/dairy/frozen foods

Safeway:

Produce/meat,seafood/dairy/bakery/deli

Some stores ok with set up for fresh foods-others not so good

[daycare]

Here is what on the outside aisles of one of the grocery stores:

produce/clearance foods/meats/cheese/lunchables/bulk frozen foods/soda/the bakery/dog food

Another store (Wal-Mart)

Produce/bakery/meats/some dairy

Albertsons:

Deli/produce/bakery/lunchable/meats,seafood/dairy/frozen foods

Safeway:

Produce/meat,seafood/dairy/bakery/deli

Some stores ok with set up for fresh foods-others not so good

wow is that from memory??? I dont shop at a regular grocery store for my food, but do for daycare food.....

I wish I could afford to feed the daycare kids the same, I just can't.......