Processed Foods

[Country Kids]

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.......

Yes, lived here almost 30 years so me being the oddball I am--I tend to remember these.

[SilverSabre25]

I think it's a matter of opinion, what counts as processed. Also, how processed it is.

for me, a bag of frozen green beans or peas or whathaveyou is not processed and almost as good as fresh. Most canned veggies (which I do NOT buy except tomatoes and beans) and canned/jarred fruits are minimally processed and are "all right". A loaf of whole grain bread is all right, but Wonder Bread-style is NOT (read: highly processed). Most packaged cookies are highly processed, whole grain crackers and cereals are meh, and something like rolled oats is minimal. Butter is minimal and very good...margarine is AWFUL and is highly processed. Bacon is bad (but soooo tasty) but chicken/beef/pork is probably okay.

Homemade just about anything, when made with decent ingredients, is going to fall under the "GREAT!" category to me. So, waffles/pancakes/muffins/et are a perfectly healthy breakfast when made homemade (super easy!)--with whole grain flours, real milk, real butter. If you use Bisquick or jiffy muffins...well...that's highly processed. Buying a package of muffins at the bakery is highly processed...but making them at home is not.

Does that help at all?

[Meyou]

I think it's a matter of opinion, what counts as processed. Also, how processed it is.

for me, a bag of frozen green beans or peas or whathaveyou is not processed and almost as good as fresh. Most canned veggies (which I do NOT buy except tomatoes and beans) and canned/jarred fruits are minimally processed and are "all right". A loaf of whole grain bread is all right, but Wonder Bread-style is NOT (read: highly processed). Most packaged cookies are highly processed, whole grain crackers and cereals are meh, and something like rolled oats is minimal. Butter is minimal and very good...margarine is AWFUL and is highly processed. Bacon is bad (but soooo tasty) but chicken/beef/pork is probably okay.

Homemade just about anything, when made with decent ingredients, is going to fall under the "GREAT!" category to me. So, waffles/pancakes/muffins/et are a perfectly healthy breakfast when made homemade (super easy!)--with whole grain flours, real milk, real butter. If you use Bisquick or jiffy muffins...well...that's highly processed. Buying a package of muffins at the bakery is highly processed...but making them at home is not.

Does that help at all?

We found a butcher that makes nitrate and preservative free bacon and deli meats. He salt cures the bacon (like the olden days :P ) and the deli meats are just freshly shaved whole cuts of ham, roast beef, and turkey. He was SUCH a find as we'd been "off" bacon for nearly a year due to the chemicals in it normally.

[laundrymom]

For us we eat things in moderation.
During camping season we eat bacon, sausage & ham once or twice a month.
during the winter, not really. I try to do frozen veg & fruit when possible. We eat chicken turkey & pork more than beef but do splurge on occasion.

I have a vegetarian family who serve only processed foods. They provide everything. I feel that when a bean looks like a hot dog, chicken patty, cheese , milk & yogurt.... You should skip it. They are also the sickest, most unfocused kids I've ever seen. Moody, bowel issues, just unhealthy lifestyle.

I would rather eat a chicken breast sprinkled with good aged cheddar cheese w steamed rice & broccoli than a microwaved soy patty with soy yogurt, gummy vitamins, and gluten free cookies.

My advice, try to choose the food that looks like it grows. That grows where you live, and that helps balance your diet. I mean celery is great. But you can't only eat celery. You know?

[countrymom]

to me processed food means alot more junk, but canned soups, or frozen guk, or premade stuff. Now I do buy some processed stuff, like today I bought bagged pasta (my mom won't give me her pasta machine and I want one so bad) but there are some things I need that comes from a can that we can't store in our house or our freezer can't hold it (thats a whole other topic and dh is to blame)

I just came back from the grocery store with my kids, I seriously have weird children. They were excited that we were able to find a pomagranate and dragonfruit (do other children eat these) my girls were being sarcastic in the store about buying canned cheese, nutella and canned pasta---they will not eat this stuff even if you gave them money. My dh blames me because I'm home and can cook meals. Some days I wished they would eat frozen guk so I wouldn't have to think about what to make for dinner.

dh went on a service call with a co worker who also has 4 kids. My dh took him to meijers. His co worker couldn't believe the prices (way cheap) but when he started to ask my dh if our kids ate certain foods, my dh laughed and said no way. Apparently his kids live off of canned and frozen guk (I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that 3 of his kids have ADHD)

sorry I'm going all over the place. But having some processed food is fine, because it all depends on where you live and how accessable the stuff is. I really need to get my garden going because my kids love to eat fruit and veggies (I know they are so wierd) and if you have a freezer (again dh's fault)

[laundrymom]

I do not count nutella as a processed food.
I know it is, but I LOVE nutella.
I am in complete denial.
I wish to stay there.

Lol

to me processed food means alot more junk, but canned soups, or frozen guk, or premade stuff. Now I do buy some processed stuff, like today I bought bagged pasta (my mom won't give me her pasta machine and I want one so bad) but there are some things I need that comes from a can that we can't store in our house or our freezer can't hold it (thats a whole other topic and dh is to blame)

I just came back from the grocery store with my kids, I seriously have weird children. They were excited that we were able to find a pomagranate and dragonfruit (do other children eat these) my girls were being sarcastic in the store about buying canned cheese, nutella and canned pasta---they will not eat this stuff even if you gave them money. My dh blames me because I'm home and can cook meals. Some days I wished they would eat frozen guk so I wouldn't have to think about what to make for dinner.

dh went on a service call with a co worker who also has 4 kids. My dh took him to meijers. His co worker couldn't believe the prices (way cheap) but when he started to ask my dh if our kids ate certain foods, my dh laughed and said no way. Apparently his kids live off of canned and frozen guk (I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that 3 of his kids have ADHD)

sorry I'm going all over the place. But having some processed food is fine, because it all depends on where you live and how accessable the stuff is. I really need to get my garden going because my kids love to eat fruit and veggies (I know they are so wierd) and if you have a freezer (again dh's fault)

[countrymom]

I do not count nutella as a processed food.
I know it is, but I LOVE nutella.
I am in complete denial.
I wish to stay there.

Lol

mine will not eat it, not even the daycare kids. I thought for sure they would because the dck's live on junk, nope they spit it out. I think we all have our umm guilty pleasures.::

[Blackcat31]

I think we all have our umm guilty pleasures.::

Here is mine It is banana granola nut peanut butter. YUM!!

I only keep it at home though because if I bought any to keep at daycare, I would be eating it all day straight from the jar.

http://www.planters.com/varieties/nutrition/banana_granola_nut.aspx

[laundrymom]

mine will not eat it, not even the daycare kids. I thought for sure they would because the dck's live on junk, nope they spit it out. I think we all have our umm guilty pleasures.::

I won't share. Lol

Two words, nutella s'mores.

@@

[Hunni Bee]

I am trying slowly but surely to eliminate processed foods from my diet. It isn't that hard, really...I can't eat it like other people can. I had Chik-Fil-A (going along with my coworkers )...I felt bad for days.

But Im having a hard time not eating the same things. I usually have some sort of pasta or rice, sauteed veggies in homemade sauce and sometimes a sauteed meat (usually shrimp or chicken, I don't eat pork and very little beef). I really have no issue with eating this, but I would like mix it up a little.

My bf lives off chicken nuggets, French fries, chips etc.... I can't eat it at all.

[mom2many]

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".

I get my fresh veggies from Costco. They are super cheap and it's always fresh and you get a lot for your money...way cheaper than at the grocery store! Last week I got broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, asparagus, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, green beans and spring lettuce mix and I'm almost out of everything.

I also get our meat from Costco too & re-pkg it into smaller amounts & freeze it.

For me cooking from "scratch" means not just opening up a box of something. I cook pork, beef, chicken & fish following recipes...my favorite is Allrecipes.com I use pkgs of pasta, rice and beans & sometimes even jar marinara sauce! If you look at the ingredients on the jars, you can find healthy choices that are low in sodium.

We seldom eat out and usually choose to have a yummy steak or lobster bbq'd by my hubby, when we want to splurge! It's way cheaper and just as good...if not better!

[daycare]

ck--- you know my eating style and its actually cheaper than you think...

I grow a lot of my own stuff, so I don't really keep all of my cost into account, I just know its much chepaer than anything I can buy at a market.

I also shop a lot at saturday farmers market, and a vegan store not too far from my home.

before I married my husband who is the opposite of me, he loves meat I never brought meat into my home. For me and my two kids, I used to spend about $300.00 a month. Now with my husband my bill is at least 550+ and most of that is him.

what you have to think about is that I am not paying for that fancy box or package and my money is not going to some company to make the box, then another to make the food....

[Meyou]

I do alot of shopping at a saturday farmer's market as well. Meat, dairy, produce and bread.

[Country Kids]

Our farmers markets are sooooo expensive here-everyone says how expensive they are (even the regular shoppers).

We spend about $600 a month on groceries( six of us) and then maybe another $300 for the childcare.

We haven't figured out the Costco shopping thing yet. Everyone who shop there calls it the $100 store because it seems that is what people average there and they get alot but not variety. When you weekly budget for groceries(including personal items, paper products, etc) is $150 spending $100 at Costco doesn't supply much.

[daycare]

I think it's how you look at it. I sown about $250 plus each time I go there. But it last me what seems like forever.

I have priced matched and hands down Costco is cheaper on most items.