Chubby Diary: The Grass Isn't GREENer???

About a month ago I rented the movie "Food Inc." from my library, and I was quite taken aback by it! I kept renewing the movie over and over from the library, and I kept watching it over and over again at home. I just really wanted to make sure I understood exactly what I thought I was understanding. And once I realized that I WAS understanding what I thought I was understanding, I then wanted to watch it over and over again to engrave in my mind the severity of the situation. Food is so much a part of my life...my family's life...well, everybody's life...and if I am to believe (which I do) the things that are said in this movie, I needed to do a food make-over in our home.

I had heard about this movie a couple of years ago I think, and at that time I had purposely turned a blind eye to what friends had been saying about it. They too were enlightened by the movie. But at that time, we were practically poor, and we had also just begun our debt-paying agenda...there were ZERO extra funds to be spending on healthy foods. We were practically living off 57 cent boxes of mac-n-cheese...and not Kraft...57 cents gets you the generic Target brand, lol...and 23 cent Top Ramen...and don't forget, tap water, NO more Aquafina bottled water for us! I'm not saying those food choices at the time were wrong...oh no, that's just life! When you don't have the money, well, you just don't have the money.

But now, at this point in our life, we buckled down and sacrificed luxuries for 18 months, and we have been rejoicing in the effects of being debt-free for almost a year. :0) And when you are no longer a slave to your credit card company, or the lender that holds the pink slip to your car, you get to pad your budget...your grocery budget! :0)))

We are a one-income family, and that one-income isn't anything extraordinary (compared to others, that is. For me, it is MORE than extraordinary!...that pay check affords us some luxury, and the gift of me being able to stay at home with my children! But back on track...), so I have come to find out, that my weekly grocery budget is still rather small compared to what some of my friends and family members get to spend on their groceries.

BUT even with my (what others would consider to be smaller) budget, I have been able to fulfill my new years resolution of eating healthier, all the while staying within our means!

After initially watching the movie, I felt burdened by it. I thought, "Ugh, now this is going to be so much work...in research...to change the way we shop...to change the way we eat." But then I kind of felt like the Lord slapped me across the face...but in the sweetest was possible, of course, lol. He said, "Elizabeth...this.is.your.job. Your job is to feed your family. Your job is to care for your family. You drive all over town meeting people for playdates...you can't be inconvenienced to drive to a farmers market to buy your family fresh produce!? You spend x-amount of time on facebook, or even blogging, and you can't spend time researching the best food at the best price for your family on the computer!?" My response: (gulp.)

The first bit of research I did was completely unintentional...I just started chatting with some of my friends about the movie Food Inc.

They had all seen it, and of course, they are all "healthy, and natural eaters." Even though they are all at different degrees of what some consider to be "healthy and natural," they are all a million paces in front of me in the game!

I gained SO MUCH information from those ladies, just by having a conversation...just in 20 minutes...all the while our kids running around and through us, lol.

That conversation got me mostly motivated (about produce, and eggs)...and a little discouraged (about beef and milk). I mean, I can't buy a whole (grass fed) cow...and then have it butchered for $2,000...A. I don't have that kind of money just lying around, and B. Ummmmm, I live in a condo...I don't have the freezer space for an ENTIRE cow, lol! The girls did suggest maybe going in with friends or family members on the cow, which would cut down on cost, and on storage...but I still was completely overwhelmed by the idea.

After that conversation, it was time for the kids to do their quiet time at home, and it was time for me and Google to have a SERIOUS date!

I started off basic...I just googled the location and schedule to our local Farmers Markets. Easy Peasy.

And then, because I am a SERIOUS ARMATURE, and I truly believed that tomatoes grew naturally year-round, I googled what produce is exactly "in season" in a particular season. Easy enough.

And then I began my quest for a cow, I mean beef...grass-fed/grass-finished beef. I found a butcher shop in La Jolla that sold cuts of grass fed beef, but that was SO expensive! I knew (ok, I hoped and prayed that) I could do better! And after sifting through many, many, MANY websites, I came across this grass-fed/grass-finished beef co-op! After calling the company, and speaking with a direct person...and then after friending the company on facebook so I could see what other people had to say about this company, I became so excited! This was something I could afford!...this was something I could put in my freezer, lol! So I signed up. :0)

As far as organic dairy products go, I am still interested in finding a better (cheaper) situation. I stopped shopping at Target and Albertsons for our dairy and eggs, and have now switched back to Trader Joes. I LOVE Trader Joes, but had stopped going there because that store isn't in my Rancho San Diego "bubble"...I actually have to go on the freeway to get there...sigh...lol. But after I was set-straight, I have now put Trader Joes back into my weekly errands. :0) Buying organic yogurt, and cottage cheese, and eggs, and...isn't a horrible price jump. I was surprised to find that those items were only slightly more expensive than their non-organic products. But the milk...oh, that milk...is DOUBLE the price of "normal" milk! :0( It kills me. Even though we can afford it, there is still this mental block inside of me, (the "poor" Elizabeth from 2 years ago), that screams when I put the $6/gallon jug of milk in my cart...twice! Gulp.

So what is my budget???

I have $125/week for groceries...

$17- Beef (although, the beef I just picked up is going to last us a LOT longer than I had expected it to...so really that number will go down.)

$23- Fresh Produce

$85- Everything Else (dairy, toiletries, poultry, grains, etc.)

Last week we had gone to our local produce stand by our house, which has SUPER cheap produce, but this week, since we had to pick up our beef from the Golden Hill Farmers Market, I purchased our produce there as well.

It has been about a year since I have been to a farmers market, and before that, I had never ever gone to one before. I think this location is a rather small farmers market, but it was still loads of fun!

They had such beautiful produce...

And they had interesting new foods to try...some of which we didn't buy...but would like to another time (I mean, who doesn't want a butter-toffee-peanut-butter-sandwich!?)...

...And some things we DID buy. Oh my word, this stuff was SO good! It's like hummus...but it's not....because it's not made from garbanzo beans, but from ALMONDS! Oh, it was so savory! Mmmmmm!...