Real Food and Hobbies

What started out as a way to save money has completely changed how we eat. I guess it began when Lily started eating solid foods and I started making her food. I could not believe how expensive pre-made baby food was. If I could save that much money on baby food, how much more money could I save if I made food that was typically conveniently packaged or pre-made? I know the concept sounds simple, but this is coming from the woman who before college didn't know you could make brownies without a box mix. Jiffy isn't the only way to get corn bread, cinnamon rolls didn't have to be popped out of a card board tube, pumpkin doesn't have to come in a can, and green beans could actually be bought fresh. Who knew? The list goes on and on. I know, I know. Craziness!

The first step was probably baked goods. My mother gave me her bread machine and I began making yeast breads for the first time. Did you know yeast didn't have to be purchased in individually measured packets? I didn't.

There was a time when I thought it amazing that you could buy pre-made pizza dough at Trader Joe's. Now, I make our own. I was truly shocked at how easy it was. Granted, I still cheat and let the machine do the kneading and rising. It's about working smarter, not harder, people. Today we have upgraded to whole wheat - we love it!

Pie dough was always purchased in preformed pie shells in the freezer section. If I was feeling really ambitious, I bought Pillsbury which I actually rolled out and pressed into my own pie pan; which before now I only ever had a leftover tin from Marie Callendars. And while I have yet to actually make a dessert with my pie shell, last week our lovely whole wheat pie shell turned into a quiche with spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and blue cheese. (Very similar ingredients to the pizza above which we had the night before.)

Later, after adding new foods to our diet, and trying all kinds of new recipes, I made pita bread. I was shocked to find it was just as easy as pizza dough (and the same recipe with less oil.) It was so fun to see them puff up in the oven and form their delightful little pockets. Maybe I'll even bake them again for some yummy chips to go with our homemade hummus.After the baked goods came the garden. Not big for a first year. One beef tomato plant, one cherry tomato, a handful of pepper plants, and a random eggplant bought by mistake. But for a newbie, we got a bumper crop of tomatoes. After looking up all kinds of recipes for lovely summer dishes, my mother and I canned about a dozen cans of crushed tomatoes and froze some homemade marinara sauce. I have been using them all winter!

This fall and winter I got an awesome deal on apples and made some apple chips and canned up some sauce. Here is the little wooden stand my father-in-law made me to use my grandma's apple corer-peeler-slicer. Lily eats the sauce in her oatmeal almost every morning.

But my newest addition to our homemade list of goodies, was homemade yogurt which I incubated in a camping cooler in my downstairs shower. The other day our insurance company came by for a home inspection and looked at me a little odd when I explained why the cooler was chillin' in the shower. Kevin is still getting used to the taste of plain yogurt without all the additives that come in his little yogurt cup with the blue foil lid, but I strain off the whey a little to make it creamy like a Greek yogurt and top with fresh fruit and a touch of honey.

But Bekah, what is the point of this post?
First, it is to share how good I feel about feeding my family real food with ingredients I know and can pronounce. No artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. No preservatives. We eat more vegetables than I ever thought possible and there are only three of us. Lily is learning that fruit is a treat, and vegetables come with every meal. We talk about the food we buy at the store and the farmers markets. Oranges, strawberries, 'cados (avocados,) and broccoli are her current favorites. She may always favor the tortilla chip or the wheat cracker, but I typically don't have trouble getting her to eat her veggies, including the brussel sprouts, and she always gobbles up her fruit. I am showing Lily how to protect the body God gave her with the food He has given us; which Coke and Capri Suns are not included in.

Second, and not any less important is that after 30 years, I have finally found my hobby! I love trying new recipes and making healthy meals to stay within our tight budget. This means remembering to soak the beans the night before I want to cook them, remembering to start the dough in time for pizza that night, and setting a timer so my yogurt doesn't sour in the incubator. All things I have learned from experience. But I am having so much fun, and let me tell you, scrap booking in it's height of popularity was never this enjoyable for me. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about recipes I want try. I rush through the bathroom cleaning, probably not doing as good a job as I should, because I want to get back in the kitchen. I let laundry pile up. And once or twice, I have put Lily down for a nap early so that I could finish a project. It's a blast! I may not always have this much time, but I am enjoying it while it lasts.