You are what you eat

Over the course of this year, I have tried to cook better for our family. This has been a gradual change for us, but already Trevor and I have both commented that we can tell a difference in how we feel. I don't think we necessarily ate "unhealthy" before, but I am starting to realize that the less processed food I eat the better off I feel. I would choose a full-fat version of something over a fat-free version that has added chemicals, thickeners, or whatever else it is they stick in food to add color, taste, texture. The less ingredients on the label the more likely I am to buy it.

One catalyst in all this was watching "The Food Revolution." This show was so inspiring to Trevor and I as we watched it together. After the season finale we went through our fridge and cupboards and threw out some things that we knew probably weren't good for us. Obviously my sisters have also been inspiring to me. Many have gone "gluten-free" or have changed their diets in other ways to accommodate what their bodies can handle.

I now make more and more food from "scratch." Pizza dough, pizza sauce, enchilada sauce, tortillas, ice cream, baby food, etc.. I admit this takes a lot of time to prepare, but I am glad I have the time to do it.

We have also stopped eating cereal in the morning. This was partly due to cost (we had a bad habit of snacking on the cereal during the day), but also because they add preservatives or other chemicals I don't want to eat. We used to go through two gallons of milk/week and now it's one gallon/week. Cheap cereal also has ingredients I don't want to eat and more expensive/heathier cereal is well... expensive. I make granola a few times a month so we have some cereal and we get our "fix." We buy rolled oats in bulk from the cannery and eat oatmeal w/raisins, brown sugar, and ground flax seed most mornings. Sometimes we do steel-cut oats when I have time to cook it. We also love pancakes--I don't think we can ever give those up! We try to make them healthier by using whole wheat flour and sticking other things like flax seed or oats in them.

We are trying to eat more vegetarian dishes or incorporate more vegetables with the meat. I've noticed most "standard" cookbooks have very few vegetarian dishes--they are almost all centered around meat! I've had to do some searching to find meals that would appeal to a two-year-old and also be healthier for us. We also hardly go out to eat anymore. I have been slowly lowering my salt intake as well (add less and less to your meal prep and then see if you can taste a difference). I ate ketchup the other day and it tasted so salty to me, so I know it's working!

Next on my list is making bread from scratch. I don't know why it's taken me so long to do this, but I just haven't had time yet to focus on it. I want to buy a mill and grind my own flour (wheat, rice, bean, oat, and, cornmeal) but I haven't decided on a model yet. Any suggestions out there? I'm debating between the Wondermill/Whispermill, Nutrimill, and K-Tec Blendtec Mill.

By no means do I think I cook or eat perfectly. Actually, I feel I am far from it and have so much yet to learn, but I am trying to be a little bit better every day. I know that's the only way to make sure it will last the rest of our lives. If I make too many changes too fast I get burned out (from all the extra cooking prep).