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We have had some great guest writers over the past few weeks and I have really enjoyed reading and learning new tips on green living. Today I wanted to chime in a bit on something I have been thinking of a lot lately!
Through our One Small Change Project I have learned that many of you are trying to reduce your waste by being careful about what you purchase at the grocery store. Then I read about what Jennifer is doing over at Unearthing This Life. She is taking part of a Real Food Challenge where..."During the month of March we're challenging ourselves and our readers to eat fewer processed foods and focus on eating Real Food." You can read more about the challenge at Not Dabbling in Normal.
Now, going cold turkey on the processed food can be very overwhelming! My family has decided to join the challenge by choosing one item that we normally buy processed, learn how to make it ourselves, or give it up, then move on to the next item. We started with making our own granola, which lead into making granola bars...I have yet to buy either of these in 3 weeks! Think about all those boxes, bags, and wrappers that we are saving from going into the landfill and/or recycle center by simply making our own.
The kids and I have also been experimenting in the kitchen to come up with other healthy and delicious homemade snacks that will lead to creating less waste. I have a link on my blog called "In the Kitchen" and will post all of our recipes there that pass the kid test (must taste good). 
I challenge you to take a look at the food items that you bring into your home. See if there is just one thing that, instead of buying processed, you can make yourself, purchase in a reusable container (such as bulk items), or if there is no other option just give up. Try it and see where it leads! Not only are you reducing your waste, but you are also doing wonders for your health as well as giving your kids tools they will use for the rest of their lives!
I also encourage you to follow along and join The Real Food Challenge over at Not Dabbling in Normal (I have a few links to some of the participant blogs on my links page)
**Since we are on the topic of food, I wanted to direct you to a really great video that a friend showed me yesterday. Jamie Oliver discusses the need for a food revolution and it is definitely worth watching (it is 20 minutes, so grab a cup of tea and pull up a chair!). You can watch the video below or click here to watch the video.
This got me really thinking about the amount of processed food we bring into our home and the amount of waste it creates. Sure, we tend to buy organic processed food with minimum ingredients, but anyway you look at it, it was still made in a factory and packaged with a ridiculous amount of waste.
Now, going cold turkey on the processed food can be very overwhelming! My family has decided to join the challenge by choosing one item that we normally buy processed, learn how to make it ourselves, or give it up, then move on to the next item. We started with making our own granola, which lead into making granola bars...I have yet to buy either of these in 3 weeks! Think about all those boxes, bags, and wrappers that we are saving from going into the landfill and/or recycle center by simply making our own.The kids and I have also been experimenting in the kitchen to come up with other healthy and delicious homemade snacks that will lead to creating less waste. I have a link on my blog called "In the Kitchen" and will post all of our recipes there that pass the kid test (must taste good). I challenge you to take a look at the food items that you bring into your home. See if there is just one thing that, instead of buying processed, you can make yourself, purchase in a reusable container (such as bulk items), or if there is no other option just give up. Try it and see where it leads! Not only are you reducing your waste, but you are also doing wonders for your health as well as giving your kids tools they will use for the rest of their lives!I also encourage you to follow along and join The Real Food Challenge over at Not Dabbling in Normal (I have a few links to some of the participant blogs on my links page)
**Since we are on the topic of food, I wanted to direct you to a really great video that a friend showed me yesterday. Jamie Oliver discusses the need for a food revolution and it is definitely worth watching (it is 20 minutes, so grab a cup of tea and pull up a chair!). You can watch the video below or click here to watch the video.
love the Real Food Challenge. I'll be clicking over to your recipes next. My girls are incessant snackers and I have trouble coming up with healthy options that do not include a bag or a box.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great change, we just recently started making our own granola and it is a huge hit. Great video, we are big fans of Jamie and all the work he does.
ReplyDeleteI'd seen the short clip of the kids unable to identify all the vegetables, but hadn't watched the entire talk.
ReplyDeleteIt was fantastic. And sad.
I gave my 3 year old nephew the test and he knew most of the vegetables I put in front of him, though he did think that cabbage was lettuce, but I'll give him a pass on that one.
We currently make our own granola and yogurt. I'll be keeping tabs on all your recipes.
Love this! This is actually my March goal for One Small Change, thanks for the link it'll help me get started: ) Also, I love the apron in the picture..super cute!
ReplyDeletewow this is so great. i really wish that everyone would just get it! i mean how cool would it be if all the fast food places and all the crappy food isles in the markets just disappeared?! the marketing alone really makes me angry. i think i have seen frozen pbj (who can be that busy that they can't make that?). arghh....we do what we can, right?!
ReplyDeleteI've been making our granola bars for several months now and my little boys LOVE them. But beware, whole oats have a lot of fiber and can easily cause bathroom issues for little bodies! (we found out the hard way... lol)
ReplyDeleteTina J.
You are too sweet! I'm so happy you'll be tagging along with us on our adventure.
ReplyDelete- Jennifer
I would never have thought of this for a one small change, but it's a great idea. Thanks to food allergies, I make most things from scratch, but I'll certainly be watching your recipes for more ideas. My daughter bought Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook and we love it. Working on getting my son to cook from it. One of these days I'll blog about it, too.
ReplyDeletegreat suggestion, I will be posting this video to my blog too.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I knew I have been missing you! Your blog changed, but here you are! I feel like we are always thrown into the un processed foods situation cold turkey with gluten sensativities and now my husband has high blood pressure and we are going to start eating as raw as possible and very little sodium intake for him. I know it's a good thing to be cutting out stuff. I truly would make everything from scratch, but it is tough. One step at a time is good.
ReplyDelete:)Lisa
ps-I love your apron. very cute! and glad I found you over here.
i love those ted talks! i just caught wind of the 'real food challenge' on facebook - here's a link to a cnn story on the matter: http://tinyurl.com/yalyevf great, huh? we're looking to change our snack food too!
ReplyDelete