I have a huge pantry in this new house, and as you can see, it appears fairly well stocked at this time.
But, I am going shopping anyway.
That sounds totally UNfrugal of me, but the reason is one that is necessary at this point. While there are some very good things in that pantry, there are a lot of not-so-good things in that pantry (just ask my friend, Ashley, who unpacked those boxes and arranged things for me!).
I need a fresh start.
I am jumping back into whole foods with both feet and I can’t just make do with what is on hand. The main reason I need this change is that my health is not good right now. My blood sugar is out of whack (I have hypoglycemia and the move didn’t find me eating right), my hormones are out of whack, and my iron is out of whack (anemia is something I battle fairly regularly).
After asking for help on my facebook page about getting things back under control, one reader led me to 100 Days of Real Food. I grabbed her free meal plans from her facebook page and pulled in a few resources including a nice selection of buffalo meat from my own freezer!
I’m also grabbing ingredients for homemade cinnamon strudel coffee creamer from Deliciously Organic. I haven’t been able to stomach coffee for a long time and now that the nausea is starting to wane, I’m looking forward to a cup, but wanted to make my creamer as healthy as possible. This recipe makes 2 cups and lasts 2 weeks…sounds about right.
By the way, if you do snag 100 Days meal plans, I’m taking Meal Plan 1 this week and changing some things to be more frugal and suit my family’s tastes (yes, they ARE eating all of this WITH me since none of us have been eating right).
I’m also enjoying looking through Modern Alternative Mama’s e-cookbooks for ideas for upcoming menus (by the way, TODAY ONLY the first 40 copies of Wholesome Comfort are 40% off with code VDAYCOMFORT and now through Wednesday (2/15), you can get 25% off any book with code VDAYSALE).
Honestly, I am really excited about all of this. Lately, life has been happening TO me and making this change is something I can do to reclaim some semblance of normalcy. I am so ready for this!
Do you have any posts to encourage homemakers? Join us!
And don’t miss Tonya from My Homey Haven’s book study of The Hidden Art of Homemaking! I’m digging out my copy as we settle in. Check it out here:
Jillian says
Good for your Amy! Glad the family is on board too. It’ll make things easier for you. ; )
Jillian says
wow Amy, I just checked out 100 days of real food and I have say that it isn’t as bad as I thought. I’m not a healthy eater at all (cookies for breakfast anyone?) but I really should try to make SOME changes. I’ll be checking her site out again tonight. Thanks. : )
Jamerrill @ Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling says
This is why I can’t wait *hopefully* put a big garden in this Spring. I’d love to have a pantry full of homegrown canned veggies too. I’m so glad your getting settled in. 🙂 Here is a quick guest post that I would have linked up. http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/2012/02/5-steps-to-better-health-for-you-and-your-kids/ “5-Steps to Better Health for You and Your Kids.”
Shannon says
Amy, I was looking for your weekend in the word on Saturday, which got me thinking about you…I’m praying for you, that the holy spirit will give you comfort beyond measure and joy through this time. I’ve followed your blog for a bit, my heart is heavy for you.
Much love to you and your family!
I look forward to any more weekends in the word 🙂
Amy says
Thank you, Shannon…I needed to take off this weekend (and this post accidentally posted early). Thank you for your prayers!
Michelle G says
Thanks for this post:) We should do a blog hop with those of us who are trying to eat healthier:) I purged our kitchen this last week of everything that had preservatives. Honestly, by the end I was appalled at how many foods that are advertised as healthy and good for you (Cheerios for one) is full of chemicals. Blah. No wonder my family and I have struggled with sickness this year.
I sent the week one menu to my husband to get the thumbs up. If he says okay, I may blog about each of the dinners and interview the family on if they like it or not. Could be fun:)
Stay warm today!
Michelle
Amy says
Sounds great! We skipped the fish and I added in some different snack recipes (popcorn tends to really make me feel bad). Let me know if you end up blogging through it!
Michelle G says
Popcorn isn’t a fave around here. And I don’t have any fish on hand and I need to use the healthy food that I have. But I’ll definitely be using this starting next month:)
Laura @ Laura Williams Musings says
We have been shopping Whole Foods off an on for a while but usually just for fruits and veggies. This past week, I went shopping for more than that and had coupons in hand and saved a lot of money! I was happy with that as eating organically costs more than eating junky ol’ processed foods.
Anyway, I have a Whole Foods coupon matchup on my blog that has a lot of printable q’s matched up to Whole Food Store coupons and sales. It’s here: http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2012/02/whole-food-deals-coupon-matchups-good.html
Since September 2011, I have lost 45lbs eating organically and increasing my water intake. I eat no processed foods now and definitely no high fructose corn syrup laden sodas. I am hoping to reach my goal by this Summer.
Amy says
Thanks for sharing! What an inspiration!
Tonya @ My Homey Haven says
We really have been thinking a lot alike. I don’t have the same health issues that you are facing now, but years ago, I had lyme disease. I still deal with affects from it- namely terribly sore joints. I have realized that I am able to manage some of the pain and discomfort from what I eat. It won’t ever go away, but manageable is good at this point. 🙂 I’ve also been making more conscience of the foods that we eat and am trying so hard to eat a healthier diet. One of the reasons I’m so excited about having a garden this year! I don’t have a homemaking post this week but I’ll be back next week. And thank you so, so much for mentioning my book study. I’m starting tomorrow! Blessings! 🙂
Monica says
I have a friend who is doing the GAPS diet to reverse lyme disease. The GAPS diet is awesome for many medical issues!
Tonya @ My Homey Haven says
You are the second person that has mentioned this to me recently. I’d not heard of the GAPS diet. I will definitely look into it. Thank you! 🙂
Monica says
Sure! My son has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis so we know a lot about joint pain! 🙂 We are using a combination of the GAPS diet and homeopathy for him and seeing great results! It’s a short term diet that gives the body time to heal. Here is a couple of my favorite websites that talk about GAPS:
healthhomehappy.com
thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
gapsguide.com/
Tracy @ Hall of Fame Moms says
I have to say, this is timely info for me. I just decided yesterday after reading a post some info about a woman who developed MS and then reversed it by changing her diet that I was going to begin changing things at our house. Last night I found the list of the dirty dozen to avoid and the clean 15. Thats where I’ll start to cut out pesticides, hormones, etc… I won’t worry about doing everything organic, I still need to begin looking into the processed foods we eat to cut down on them as well.
Babysteps, right?! 😉
Amy says
yay! Good for you! I’m sure you’ll feel a huge difference even in the babysteps!
Heather Anderson says
It is so easy to get off track and let life just “happen” in any number of areas. May your efforts to make changes in eating habits be blessed. I just shared today a recipe for “soaked” pancakes here: http://amotherscalling.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/soaked-pancakes/
rebecca says
I’m loving “Real Food for Mother and Baby” by Nina Planck. Got it from the library and it is so helpful!
Desiree H says
I’m so glad you are doing this…I am wanting to head more this way myself. Looking forward to following this!
Natasha says
Here is a link to a great whole grain pancake for those who are looking to get away from refined flour. http://tashales.blogspot.com/2012/02/whole-grain-pancakes.html
Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers says
I need to go check out those resources. We’ve been on a slow, but steady migration to healthier eating, so those menu plans sounds like another step in the right direction.
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says
Cheering you on, Amy! Our family feels so much better since we moved to whole foods a few years ago, and we hardly have any sickness!
The other benefit? I’ve been able to lose weight easier with just good, nourishing foods in the house- and using whole milk, butter, and bacon, to boot!
Honey @ Sunflower Schoolhouse says
I am so excited that garden season is just about here. I am so looking forward to planting all kinds of wholesome goodness in our backyard.
We do our best to feed our large family on a small budget. I will be checking out those links you included in your post to see if I can find more ways for us to eat even healthier.
Blessings
Honey
Amy says
I just planted seeds for cabbage and broccoli and will be adding green peppers and tomatoes soon as well. So excited for the garden space out here!
Jodi says
I’m grateful for a reminder for this. I used to be much better about my kids diet, but laziness and busy-ness has helped junk sneak back into our diet.
Kim @ Everything Etsy says
The photo gave me pantry envy…I have no space around here!
I’ve been thinking about our foods for awhile now and I always get thrown off when I’m tired and just need to make something fast. I’m going to check out some of your suggestions and see what we can do.
Thanks so much for your post! 🙂
~Kim
Amy says
I’m loving all the space! The recipes I’ve chosen have been VERY quick fixes!
Nony (A Slob Comes Clean) says
This post is EXACTLY what I needed to read right now. Hubby came home from the doctor last night with the advice to change our diet. Our “not terrible but not great” diet.
I’ve been intrigued by the idea of whole foods, but have been scared to start. I’m totally going to grab that menu plan!
Amy says
The menus are super simple! I was very impressed.
Jen G ~ Gricefully Homeschooling says
We are doing the same things! Just wish I had a Whole Foods a little closer. And now we are moving farther away from Whole Foods. Would love to hear more…as my health has not been the best either. I’m battling the same as you…hypoglycemia, anemia, plus an unknown auto-immune disorder {that honestly has a lot to do with what I’ve been eating…food dyes, dairy products, etc}. I wrote a post after I went through my pantry…donating all of my “junk”…http://www.gricefullyhomeschooling.com/2012/02/getting-rid-of-all-our-junk.html
Would love to share ideas with you! And will be praying for you and yours!
Many blessings ~ Jen