Real Food, for Real People, on a Real Budget (new series)

Yo, I'm starting a new weekly series - Real Food, for Real People, on a Real Budget (Rx3).

If you want to get started with real food, but don't know where to start, this series is for you.

If you are already dipping your toe in the water of healthier eating, this series is for you.

If you hate to cook and dishes scare you, um...well, keep reading and maybe you'll change your mind?

This series is all about breaking down what seems to be overwhelming, to make it, uh, welming(?).  I know you can be overwhelmed, and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?  (Name that movie).

Let's break it down, shall we?

Real Food - what is it?
Well, in a nutshell it is something you can make yourself, has a list of ingredients that you can pronounce and recognize, and something that makes your body happy.  That last one is entirely subjective, because for some people, wheat can wreak havoc on their innards.  For people like me with a goat's gut, wheat does nothing but make me happy.

If you take a look at the ingredients on a loaf of store-bought bread, even organic expensive bread, do you know where to buy all of those things?  I sure don't!

Sorry, I've rotated this photo landscape, but it refuses to upload to Blogger in that direction.  :kicks blogger:
Whereas I make bread at home and know every single ingredient that goes in to it: flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, honey, water, and vital wheat gluten (a product from wheat that makes whole wheat bread nice and fluffy).

Next time you're at the store, pick up a container of yogurt - even the fancy $2 yogurt.

Dang, that is a LOT of ingredients, and unless you're a chemist, chances are the words don't just roll off your tongue.  Homemade yogurt ingredients: yogurt culture, and milk.

In addition to having fewer ingredients (and ones that you can pronounce), real food makes your body feel nourished.  It gives you more energy and doesn't sit like a brick in your belly, and make you feel like a slug.  There is not one person in earth who doesn't know that smoking isn't bad for them.  Not one.  In the same vain, it's impossible to look at a bag of Doritos and think "yep, this is exactly what my body needs to perform at its best".

Real People
I don't live on 30 acres of private farmland.  I don't grow all my own food, raise my own meat animals, and use fiber from those animals to spin yarn and then knit clothes for my own brood of Von Trapp children.

Between work and commuting, I'm gone from the house at least 50 hours a week. My husband is only home one to two days a week, which means I do pretty much everything (and I mean everything - cleaning, laundry, mowing, gardening, chicken cleaning up after (it's a thing), cooking, etc.,) around the house.  Basically, I don't have a cleaning person, yard person, or any other outside help to get my stuff done.

And if I had the money to hire anyone, it would be someone to rub my feet and brush my hair for an hour every night.  Hair first, and then feet, because who wants their hair to smell like feet? 

I mean, really.

Real Budget
I'm not making it rain at the clubs.  No one would accuse me of a lavish lifestyle.  I don't have any tigers on a gold leash, and I'm only driving Cadillacs in my dreams.  So, I'll never be a royal if you will.

My budget for pretty wholesome, mainly organic, and local when I can get it, for three people is about $350 per month.  How do I make it happen?  Well, I'm not going to give away the entire series now, but basically it comes down to a lot of farking dishes, cooking from scratch, and changing how you view your eating habits.  My $350 per month might look different than your family's amount, but please understand that you can likely eat wonderful and wholesome food at a lower price point than you are currently spending.

What It's Not
Nothing in this series is designed to make you feel bad about what or how you eat.  My goal is only to show you healthy and yummy food can be made on a tight budget.  I read some "real food" bloggers out there, and I walk away thinking that I must be a horrible person because I'm not making cod liver oil pancakes, or fermenting my toothpaste.  Sheesh, real food is a great guide, but food is not a religion and shouldn't consume your life.

I'm excited about this series, and I hope you enjoy future posts.

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