Organic with money and such

I wish trying to feed my family and teach my kids how to eat well and healthy wasn't so darn expensive. (And by well, I mean really great tasting fun and exciting food. I want them to be adventurous with food.) I wish stores made it easier. I wish time made it easier. I wish money made it easier. Man reading this, I sure don't like to work very hard. ha!

I don't like the word "organic" but love everything that it means. I just hate how trendy it sounds. It almost sounds pretentious because you know how expensive it is. When in reality, it's the way food ought to be. Clean without chemicals, no preservatives and supporting the farmer who chooses to grow healthy, natural food with a little carbon foot print. It's the way it used to be and should be. I love cooking and making food, but the expectation of it three times a day gets a little daunting. I mean, if I'm not cooking, at least three people aren't eating and as a parent, its kind of my job. I think I would get arrested for not feeding them. One thing I really hate is washing dishes. Oh man there is nothing I like about that. And cooking and making food from scratch means dishes. Not just plates, but pots and pans.

These things are always on my mind. My kids are always hungry and I need to be thinking about what they are going to eat. We have a rule, fruit and/or veggies at every meal. My kids know words like dairy, protein, whole grain, vegetable, fruit, balanced diet. I say those things not because we are perfect, we are FAR from that, I just think, this is the only body we have, and we are shaping these little minds to understand food and what it does for you. I want them to have a healthy idea of what food is. That it is a gift. Something to be enjoyed and not filled with regret after eating it. I want them to love good food and enjoy the experience of eating.

I wish there was a better way to balance money and healthy eating. We always have fresh fruit and vegetables, but then we have to make sure we eat them all before they go bad. In order to have them around at convenience, they have to be frozen. (Convenience is a huge deal to parents of multiple children. Its hard to keep dragging three kids around to the store in 5degree weather.) I prefer frozen over canned because of more preservatives. However, it sure is tempting when money is really tight and there is a big sale on canned soups, veggies and fruit.

My son asked me about a squeeze jelly he really wanted. I told him no because of how bad it was for him. There was almost no actual fruit or berries in the jam. He asked why if it was so bad for us, would the store sell it? Why would they want to hurt us he wonders? Good question. Isn't there anyone we can trust in providing good real food? Yes, the Co-ops. I love Co-ops, except for our budget.

Then I think, how much is our health worth to us? Maybe I can decrease our finances somewhere else, to increase the food budget. That means I have to address our budget. I hate that almost as much as dishes.

Ahh. I heard a super model say once, she eats healthy 80% of the time. She felt that was a good effort. If it works for her, maybe it will work for us.

Looking at a lifetime of balancing that out.