Clean Eating

As part of my 101 in 1001, I want to eat clean.

The actual tangible goal is to eat clean 90% of the time for one month.

Since my typical diabetic diet is 3 square meals plus 3 snacks, that would mean that basically I can have one unclean snack or meal every other day.

Yelp.

What is clean eating?

In a nutshell, it's eating whole foods, as natural as possible.

No processed food.

Minimal sugar.

No high fructose corn syrup.

Most clean eaters prefer their foods to be organic and non-GMO.

Which is definitely where I fall.

So basically, simple, natural foods.

Two of my other goals in my 101 were to lose 20 lbs. and to be able to wear a bikini.

I really hope clean eating helps get me there.

My spin on clean eating also includes eating organically and most importantly, locally.

Here's what my diet is consisting of...

Free-range, antibiotic-free local meat from our local family farm. (Pictured below).

Our monthly share includes beef, pork, chicken, lamb and eggs.

Plus we purchased an additional 1/8 of a cow to have plenty on hand in our freezer.

Parker Farms Meats

Home grown or Farmer's Market fruits and vegetables.

If it's the off season, then organic from the market.

Home canned fruits.


Homemade whole grains.
I'm making all our bread and tortillas, and they are made with whole wheat, flax seed and wheat germ.



Local Shatto dairy.
They produce milk, butter and cheese.
If I need dairy that they don't produce, then it will be organic.


For beverages, it will be water, juice (for low blood sugars) and milk.

The occassional soda and things will be treats.

And....our budget is $200/mo.

This includes toiletries and paper products!

Really, the money saving comes from making things from scratch.

Yes, it can be costly up front, but over time it saves SO much money!

And if you aren't buying snacky processed crap and soda, you can save a ton of $$$$.

Really....this new lifestyle makes sense for me.

It really is the right way to eat.

Processed food is not good for our bodies.

Plus, with tying in local and organic eating, it is good for our environment and local economies as well!

Such a great thing!

Eating this way does involve a bit of thought.

All of our food is homemade, and begins with as natural of state as possible.

This means making our own breads, and dinners are from scratch.

Now, I still love eating out and a good Starbucks Caramel Brulee, but those will now have to be saved for treats.

Here are two great resources if you are interested in clean eating:

Clean Eating Magazine

Clean Eating Machine Blog

Here's our meal plan:

On the weekends, I make a loaf of homemade whole wheat bread, thanks to borrowing my mother in law's bread machine.

If needed, I also make a batch of tortillas for the week.

I also get our weekly fruits, vegetables and dairy.

About once a month I stock up on any additional pantry supplies I need (grains, additional dairy like yogurt, etc.). Whole Foods has wonderful bulk bins that are priced very well.

The first Saturday of the month we also pick up our monthly share of meat and eggs.

On Sundays I make our meal plan for the week.

Most days I have hard boiled eggs, oatmeal or overnight oats for breakfast.

For lunch, I eat leftovers from the dinner the night before.

For dinner we will have a lean meat, a vegetable or two and maybe a fruit.

Snacks are where I struggle, so am going to aim to stick to yogurt, nuts or fruit for my snacks.

For anyone who is already a clean eater and has some tips, I would love to hear them!

If anyone is interested in clean eating or has any questions, I'd love to help!

I really feel this is such an important way of living that is best for our bodies and communities.

It just takes time.

It's definitely not a convenient way to eat.

But with some thought and well-planning it is very do-able for the modern working woman.

Here's to a healthy 2011!

An apple a day.....

.....or let's try 85 lbs.

Mr. Free's Nana and Grandpa have 2 apple trees and a pear tree in their backyard.

And let's just say we had a hayday.

On Saturday we went and picked our little hearts out.

Here's Mr. Free up in the tree....being him.... : )

And here's the back of our car loaded down with 85 lbs. of fruit

Most of which is still sitting on our dining table.

Thus far I've made some applesauce and apple butter and canned them.

I've still got like 80 lbs left people.

Here's my plan of attack so far:

- Eat lots and lots of apples and pears with lunches

- Peel, core and slice enough for approx. 8 pies or cobblers and put in freezer bags and freeze

- Make more apple sauce/ apple butter and can for long term storage

I need more ideas! I know many creative people read this blog so tell me your best apple and/or pear recipes!

If it helps the apples are a mix of gala and red romes.

With this many apples, and if the old saying is true....I shouldn't have to go to the doctor in a LONG time!!!

Egg Recall

With the recent egg recall and numerous food recalls in the last few years, it has really changed my perspective on where my family's food comes from.

If you recall about 6 months ago, Mr. Free and I joined a local meat and egg CSA from a local family farm.



Each month we get 10 lbs. of meat and a dozen eggs.
Everything is free-range, grass-fed, able to roam the earth.
What helps me feel at ease is that I know where my food comes from.

I've been there.

I've walked the farm.

I've met the family.

Here they are.




If I ever got sick.... I would know who to talk to.
I know my burger came from one single cow in Richmond, MO.
Not 1,200 cows from Nebraska all ground together in a factory.

As the news sensationalizes this newest recall, I encourage you to do your research on the best and safest way to feed your family.

We sure sleep well at night....with a nice full belly!

Here's a couple great resources for quality, local food.
http://www.kcfoodcircle.org/
http://www.eatwild.com/
www.parkerfarmsmeats.com

A little retail therapy...

My procedure went well yesterday.

Surgery wasn't nearly as scary as I had built up in my mind.

Imagine that.

But this morning, with some pain meds in my system I decided to hit the pavement and go shopping.

I desperately needed some retail therapy.

And I got it.

Plus....the doctor said I need to be up and moving to prevent blood clots. So the mall and Farmers Market seemed just like what the doctor ordered.... : )

Mr. Free and I woke up early with some friends and headed to the City Market.

We had so much fun.

We ate some pastries at a local bakery.

Then shopped around and got some amazing fruits and veggies as well as a half a loaf of Tuscan bread.

Look at that bounty!

We got:

Half loaf of Bread $5 (it's massive!)

5 peaches $4

3 onions $2

Big bag of green beans $3

Garlic $.75

Zuchinni $.25

Squash $.25

Green onion $.75

Not too shabby!

Then my Mama took me to the mall where I indugled in a little Godiva (and Mom sent me home with some chocolates!)

And then headed to my favorite store for cheap indulgences, Forever 21.

I got some skinny jeans for $11.50 (regularly priced!)

A necklace: $5.80

Ring: $4.80

Not shabby. I told my mom that I couldn't remember the last time I bought something for myself at the mall. It had been a long time.

Then when I got home I was reading a good friends money saving blog and found a steal on cereal at our local Hy-Vee.

The Free household goes through a LOT of cereal.

And I basically got paid $1 for buying 6 boxes of name-brand cereal! Score!

So yes....that was my day in a nutshell.

Workin' hard to get this economy back spinnin'!

Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers....we have appreciated it so much!

Farmer's Market

This morning I ventured to the Farmer's Market.

It was packed.

Which made my locavore heart pitter patter.

Here are the goodies I came home with:

See that gross looking tomato? The farmer said that the 'bad looking' ones actually taste the best. He told me to compare a 'bad one' and a 'good one' and report back next week.

And I shall.

This is our neighbor's homemade baklava. She lives 3 houses down and has a booth of homemade goodies at the Farmer's Market. It is amazing. And only $1.25.

Total, I spent $9.25 for everything.

3 tomatoes

2 candy onions

1 green pepper

1 squash

6 peaches

1 heavenly slice of baklava

I went to SuperTarget later and priced the same items.

Excluding baklava.

I saved $1.50 overall.

And none of my produce has pesticides, herbicides, etc.

And I put money right into the Farmer's pockets.

I love the Farmer's Market.

Milk it for all it's worth...

Mr. Free and I have switched to local, organic meat and are trying to follow the dirty dozen list for our produce.

Lately, I've started thinking about our milk.

For the last couple of years we have gotten our milk from two different places. Our white milk: Costco.

Our fun flavored milk: Shatto.

We only go through about 1 gallon a week, so on our bi-weekly Costco visits, we would pick up 2 gallons of their store label skim milk. It says it does not contain growth-hormones. Which we appreciated.

Shatto, as I've mentioned before is a local family farm about an hour north of us. They have about 300 cows, use no growth hormones, are treated with compassion (they even have names!) and use glass bottles for their milk.

Their flavors are amazing. We are partial to their chocolate, root beer and orange dream flavors. Mmmmm.

I started doing some research into commercial milk (like Costco's) vs. organic milk (like Shatto's...though they are not certified.)

Please note that many of our local family farms produce organic milk, but are not able to afford the certification to be labeled as 'organic'. I will use the term organic, but your local farm is probably following those same practices.

Here's some things I have found:

* Organic milk has higher beneficial fatty acids

* Organic milk has higher vitamin and antioxident content than conventional milk

* Organic milk has higher levels of Omega-3

* Twelve different pesticides have been found in conventinal milk. Organic dairy cows cannot eat feed containing pesticides.

This week a study came out linking ADHD with high levels of pesticides in children. This is greatly concerning to me as a teacher, and hopefully a parent one day. Convential dairy cows are usually feed GMO corn and byproducts. This winds up in the milk you drink. Yuck.

* Buying organic milk is supporting good business practices and animal treatment.

* I feel better supporting a local farmer and his family that I have personally met, then lining the pockets of some dairy CEO. That's just me though.

** Please note: not all organic milk is created equal. There has been quite an uproar with big organic milk companies, like Horizon. They barely scrape by the USDA's standard for 'organic' and are still produced on huge factory farms. Just something to think about.

I contacted Shatto this week concerning how their cows are fed. We visited their farm a couple of weeks ago and was greatly impressed with how they run their farm, the treatment of their cows and the freshness of their product. Their website says the cows graze the fields and are also fed grain and alfalfa hay during winter months. I wanted to see if the grain and alfalfa contained any pesticides.

I was relieved to hear back that they grow their own grain and hay and no pesticides are used.

Whew.

These enough convince me of the benefits of switching our milk.

The thing I'm reluctant about? The cost. Gulp.

A gallon of milk from Costco? Around $2.25/gallon. A gallon of local Shatto milk? $6. That's a pretty big difference.

*sigh*

Organic milk is available almost anywhere milk is available. Sometimes it is in the 'health' section of the grocery store. It is obviously readily at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

I think for now, we will keep a gallon of Costco milk (luckily it is hormone-free....so they say...) for cooking or for when others come over. For our regular daily consumption...local milk.

When we have little ones....I think we will bite the bullet and *only* use local, organic milk. Their healthy development will be priority one.

Please do your own research on this. There are so many articles and research done on the benefits of organic milk and how convential milk is produced.

So Readers, are any of you already purchasing organic or local milk? Do you think it's worth the money? Do you have any cost-cutting tips in purchasing organics?

A Day at the Farm

Yesterday was a very pretty day, but a little chilly actually.

Seemed like a perfect day for a drive.

So Mr. Free and I loaded into our little buggy and headed north to a local dairy farm that we proudly support.

It took us about an hour, but it was so much fun to pet the cows and see where our milk is actually made!

Here's some pics from our little journey.

Their country store, where we got to sample all their milks, cheeses and butter. (The butter is uh-mazing!!!)

Mr. Free loved the babies.....they each have a name and come to you when you call them....just like a dog!

He loved 'em!

Mr. Leroy Shatto himself showed us around the place. This is his awesome milk truck that's horn is a 'Moooo!'. Pretty darn cool....

I tried to convince him to throw a few black spots on our car and we could make some milk deliveries for him.....haha

Aren't the bathrooms cool?! I love the old doors for stalls and the galvanized buckets for sinks! So cool!

So in the end we wound up with some Orange Drink for Mr. Free, some Root Beer milk (my favorite!!!) for me, some artisan cheese and some butter.

Their farm and product is truly quality at its finest. Its a good feeling to know you are getting quality dairy and supporting a local family at the same time.

If you're in the KC area...I highly recommend a day trip out there!

What's your favorite milk flavor?

On the Eve of Earth Day: Composting

Mr. Free and I started our garden this week.

In preparation a couple of weeks ago we decided to start composting.

Mr. Free used some plywood scraps (oh-so-green of us!) to make some compost bins to put in the back of our pretty large, jungle-like backyard.

We also purchased a small plastic paint bucket from Lowe's to put our daily food scraps in to take out to the big bins.

It has been quite the experience so far! We have cut down our trash by about half!

In composting you can compost 'green' materials

Food scraps

Egg shells

Yard clippings

and 'brown' materials

Papers

Paper towels

Coffee grounds

Many of you probably already knew this, but just in case you didnt...

Starbucks gives away big bags of coffee grounds for you to use in your garden.

We snagged a big bag Sunday and used it in the soil for our garden.

It's free and great for your compost and soil!

And gives you an excuse to go to Starbucks more often! Hahaha

Here's a cute pics of the pups while we were gardening....they are so cute and short. : )

Also.... please check your local listings because tonight on PBS they will be airing Food Inc. tonight!!!

I highly, highly recommend everyone see this who eats food.

That should be everyone....

It's not gross or make you want to be a vegetarian (like I've heard some people say in concern)

It just educates you on what you are putting your body.

Please watch it. Please.

So Readers,

Is anyone a long-time composter? Have any tips?

Is anyone a beginner composter like us?

Have any questions about it?

Have you seen Food Inc.? What are your thoughts???

Why Eat Local?

Great question.

I'd love to help you answer that.

Here's why eating local is good:

1. It helps the local economy

The money you pay your local farmer will then be turned around and spent in the local community.

2. It is better for you

Local food is *usually* organic. Farmers at the farmers market usually can't afford all the licensing it takes to be certified organic, but follow the same practicies.

3. It tastes better

Your produce, meat or dairy won't have been from across the country (or world!), sat for days in a train or truck, sat in a warehouse, then sat on your local store shelf. It is usually fresh picked, made or processed within 24-48 hours.

4. It's better for the environment

I know, I know...living in the Bible belt...environmental issues aren't very popular. However...doing good for the planet is NEVER a bad thing. The less trucks (pollution) and big factories (more pollution) we use to produce food, the better for the planet.

5. It's good for your social life

By joining a CSA or becoming a regular at the Farmer's Market, you begin to form relationships with the farmers who actually make your food! Just like the good 'ol days! You also begin to form friendships from other regulars as well!

6. It's better for you

Many tests have been done to show that antibiotics, hormones and pesticides are not good for us. I mean...common sense would tell us that! Keep things the way God made them!

Meat and dairy that have not been treating with rBST or antibiotics has more nutrients, Omega-3's and protein than their infected counterparts.

7. It's better for other people

Many people who work for large food production companies are treated poorly. Whether it's through their exposure to chemicals, pesticides or low wages and health care. By supporting local farmers you are supporting those who provide their workers with a healthy, fair job.

8. Your food will last longer

When your food comes to you fresh within a couple of days (as opposed to a week or more at the store!), your food will last longer...resulting in more cost-efficient buying.

I know that living in the Midwest Bible Belt, that local, organic food is often dismissed as 'liberal hippie' stuff.

But, as the homemaker in my home (even if it is just for Mr. Free for now...) it is my job to provide my family with good, wholesome, cost-effective food.

Label it what you want...but the more research I do, the more I find it important.

As I've said previously, that Mr. Free and I are on a tight budget. I have found that local, organic meat and dairy are more expensive...but in joining our Meat CSA, we have also learned the appropriate serving of meat. We had been used to our Costco-sized portions. This includes more balanced meals- which provides us with even more nutrients.

So in the end, we are still staying well within our grocery budget!

In buying produce from our local farmers market- I find it usually cheaper than the grocery store!

Here are a couple of local companies Mr. Free and I love and support:

Shatto Milk
Park Farms Natural Meats
Blanc Burgers + Bottles

Lee's Summit Farmers Market

I'm sure the list will grow, as we do more research!!!

To find more farms, farmers markets and businesses in your area, check out these websites:

http://www.eatwild.com/

http://www.localharvest.org/

Readers... do you have any other reasons why you eat local?

Do you have any other websites, resources or businesses to share??

Did you find this information intersting??

Please comment and share!!!

Blanc Burgers: Eat Local

Blanc Burgers + Bottles

This is where Mr. Free and I celebrated his birthday last night, along with his best friend (of the many, many best friends he has!)

I was very excited to visit this restaurant because as you well know, Mr. Free and I are trying to support local food as much as we can afford. Blanc supports many local businesses by using their products for their food. Love that.

This place is pricey...the quality is amazing.

Here's what we ordered:

Seriously, the flavor was amazing. And the burgers were HUGE! (1/2 pound!)

I took most of it home, and look forward to it for dinner tonight! : )

Mr. Free ordered the 'Classic', I ordered the 'Inside Out' (stuffed with Blue cheese, topped with bacon and onion ring)

All burgers have their homemade ketchup and pickle.

We also ordered a side of Truffle fries (seriously amazing...oh the flavor!) and their onion rings.

Very good.

And of course...we had to order milkshakes. We both got chocolate. Made with local Shatto Chocolate milk and Foo frozen custard.

Amazingly rich.

I loved their decor too. Very modern and minimal. Loved it.

I even snuck into the bathroom with my camera to take a picture of their amazing wall paper.

I loved it.

All in all, we will definitely go back for another special occasion. Word on the street is that they are opening one in Lee' s Summit next month called B:2, which will feature smaller burgers at a more affordable price.

Nice.

Beef and Backsplash

Here's the beef:

Mr. Free and I have had a couple items from our CSA Bundle, and I thought we'd update you on our thoughts!

Last night we ate the pork sausage (we had breakfast for dinner...my favorite!) and it was the best sausage I've ever had! No joke! Mr. Free isn't even a big sausage fan and he loved it. It was a bit spicy, but just right. Not overly spicy. So good.



Last Friday we made some uh-mazing burgers with some of the ground beef. They were to die for! The meat was so juicy and flavorful! Mr. Free and I both noticed the meat had a slightly "gamier" taste to it....probably because we've never had natural beef! It's always had fillers and crud in it...

We grilled the burgers with some grilled onion, Taleggio cheese (which you SERIOUSLY must try this cheese....it is amazing!!!), some mayo and some grilled Italian bread.

Honestly, the best burger I have ever had. Mmmm......

(Seriously....I need a good camera. My camera phone isn't cuttin' the mustard. Maybe someday......)

*********************
I've seen people lately asking for easy backsplash ideas, and I thought I would share our DIY backsplash!

Our teeny-tiny kitchen used to have *plastic* tiles as a backsplash.
Oh yes...plastic.



Jealous?

Well....we decided to update on kitchen. On a minimal, minimal budget.
I really LOVE modern touches, and I really loved the thought of a stainless steel backsplash.
Holy moly...those puppies are pricey!!!

Enter Mr. Free and our good friend Kyle's genius idea.

Aluminum Roof Flashing.


It is literally a fraction of the price and its magnetic. How cool is that?!!

It looks great...and only cost us about $40!



And we LOVE the custom microwave shelf to match our backsplash! It saves us so much counter space and looks sleek!!!

Mr. Free and Kyle worked for a couple of hours and we were left with a unique, one of a kind backsplash!



Happy Tuesday!!!!!

xoxo Jenny Free

Our first bundle of meat!

So Mr. Free and I headed out this morning to get our first bundle of meat from our Local Meat CSA.

At first we were a bit shocked. It seemed like not much meat.

Then I was reminded that we have really been used to Costco-sized meat packages, so we are just seeing *normal* amounts of meat again. And we got a half share.

Here is what all we got:


* Ground beef
* Dozen eggs
* Pot Roast
* Sirloin Steak
* Lamb Chops
* Pork Sausage

I'm very excited for this culinary challenge. I've never cooked lamb before, so this will be interesting!
If you have any great recipes, please pass them along! I've hit sort of a 'cooking rut', so please send over any great recipes you have!!!

Have a great Saturday!!!

Quick update then gotta run....

Mr. Free and I literally have not been home this week.

Thus, with 3 animals at home, this is how our floors look.



Ughhhh.

(This blog is about a real human. If you want to see perfect homes and perfect people, I can refer you to their blogs if you'd like. : ) )

I'm off to go clean them. Pronto.

Tonight Mr. Free and I are having dinner with some dear friends, then playing broom hockey. If you've never experienced this 'Youth Group' classic sport, you really must.

Tomorrow Mr. Free and I will pick up our first bundle of meat from our Meat CSA.
I'll update you on our first impressions!

For those who have asked, here is a link to their website.

Parker Farms Natural Meats.

Happy Friday!!!

xoxo Jenny Free

Random.

Today's post is random. But it's my blog.....so I can do what I wish. : )

First off.... Monday was a Snow/Ice day at the Free household, and on those rare occassions, it is slowly turning into Doughnut Hole days as well.

Our household loves donut holes. (Yes I spelled them two different ways, just appealing to the masses)
For our rotation for breakfast in Sunday School, we always bring homemade donut holes.


Today's post is random. But it's my blog.....so I can do what I wish. : )

They are soooo stinkin' easy.

Equipment:
*Deep Fryer (or skillet filled with an inch of hot oil(

Ingredients:
* Canned biscuits (as many cans as you like! The 'grands' type will be able to become 4 donut holes each biscuit, the regular kind will be 2 donut holes per biscuit)
* Cinnamon
* Reg. sugar AND powdered sugar

Directions:
* Heat oil to 374 degrees.
* Cut biscuits into either quarters or halves depending on how big the biscuit.
* Roll into balls.
* Drop them in the fry basket, or hot oil
* Keep them in til golden brown (only a minute or 2)
*** You may need to flip them, depending on frying method
* Stick hot, fresh donut holes in a paper sack with a few tbs. of reg. sugar, powdered sugar and cinnamon
* Shake the bag like a polaroid picture
* Eat and enjoy.

They are sooooooooooooooo good. Mmmmmmmmm.

Next:
Please promise me before you die, KC locals that you will try, at least once, Shatto Milk's Root Beer milk???



It is sooooo good. You're honostly missing out if you haven't had a taste.

It's local. It's delicious. It's Kansas City. (Wow...that's a good slogan! Maybe I should have gone into advertising... : ? )

Thirdly and finally:

Mr. Free and I decided on our living room window treatment dilemna. We hope to work on it this weekend. Here's a sneak peek. (We aren't going with just one of the inspirations, we are combing a couple. Genius.)



It'll involve these.

Well there you go.....'til next time.