Food Revamp

Well, since I tend to write a lot about food on this blog, and from what I can tell, that is what some of you are interested in when you visit here, I'll just go ahead and give you my thoughts. I confess I feel a bit frivolous putting such thought into such a basic thing (food) that we take for granted when so many are without... so I have been trying to not obsess. I guess it is just kind of my hobby of mine to learn about healthy eating and trying to be a good budget-er at the same time. Not that we are unhappy with how we are eating or anything, but I just feel like we are at a point to reassess things with the new year and all. OK, enough with the rambling disclaimers.

Milk
My raw milk idea is a no-go. The one dairy close by that sells raw milk is completely booked with shares. They even have a completely full waiting list. Must be good stuff! I was kind of bummed because I had figured out (on paper) how to fit it into the budget. My husband was relieved though. He was not into it. So the next best alternative is organic milk that is pasteurized, but not ultra-high pasteurized. I am checking prices on this... I think it might be Whole Foods store brand? There has been much drama in the organic milk business these past few years I have learned after a little (OK, a lot) of googling. I can't explain it all here, but basically, there has been some fraud regarding which suppliers are adhering the the organic standards. So I don't think I will be buying Horizon or Costco brand "organic" milk.

Organic Produce
I am going back to Door to Door Organics on a biweekly basis (we had quit for the winter). I just love their company. It will be a challenge with this back in the budget, but having the delivery come every 2 weeks instead every week will keep it $65 per month cheaper, though. (We wanting to stick with the $300/month grocery budget for now. That may increase when our baby boy starts eating food in these next few months. I'll keep you posted.) On the in between weeks I plan to fill in with frozen organic fruits in smoothies, bananas from Costco or Aldi, local fruit when in season, and organic salad and frozen vegetables from Costco. I am freshly motivated to stick with organic produce since I plan to make some homemade baby food from it. (If you are a local friend and want to try Door to Door, email me and I will give you a coupon code for $5 off.)

Meat
I am going to continue buying beef and any pork from Whole Foods. It is just so much better, in my opinion. And if it is $3/lb. instead of $1.50/lb. (my old target price for beef), that is only a difference of about $6 - $10 a month which I think I can swing. I want to look for the whole organic chickens at Costco... I don't know if they carry them in our part of the country?? I found some Smart Chicken ground chicken on sale for half price at HyVee today, so I snatched up two packages . I've never used ground chicken before, but I am guessing it is similar to ground turkey?

Egg & Cheese
We have not gone organic here, yet. I would like to know from anyone who has tried it, is there a big difference in the eggs? Aldi eggs are hormone free and pretty inexpensive, so I usually buy those. But we don't eat a TON of eggs, it seems to go in phases, so I would be willing to try some more expensive ones. I just don't know that it would make a huge difference when that main thing we use them for is baking. And cheese? Yikes. We eat a lot of cheese. Organic cheese seems SOOO expensive. Any recommendations there?

OK, I don't care if you aren't interested in organic foods. I still have some more questions about things myself ... I'll save those for another day. I just get into it because I feel like it is an area where I feel like I can make choices that make a difference for my family and for others. Stewardship.

Thanks for humoring me.


Oh, and one more thing:
Personal Care
Any easy/affordable tips in this area would be appreciated.
Is there a natural soap or shampoo out there that works? As in, soap that cuts the man stink and shampoo that lathers? I used to love the reasonably priced Whole Foods store brand stuff but they have changed it some, I think, and it is just not effective anymore. Lately, I have been buying the cheapo toxic antibacterial stuff from Wal-Mart because I don't care, B.O. is not acceptable. We are sweaters and require something strong. I have done some research and read the best review on Burt's Bees Men's Body Wash so we will try that next. I love the Burt's Bees Baby wash for our kids. Don't worry, I am sticking with conventional antiperspirant/deodorant. I will not take that risk. And I think we'll go back to conventional shampoo because that doesn't concern me as much since it doesn't sit on your skin.