Square Foods

I stumbled upon these images.  I couldn't stop thinking they were facinating.  It was possibly due to the narcotics I've been taking for the past week.

via Lernert & Sander

A Dutch newspaper, De Volkskran, commissioned the design studio, Lernert & Sander, "to make a photograph for their documentary photography special, with the theme Food. We transformed unprocessed food into perfect cubes of 2,5 x 2,5 x 2,5 cm."

via Lernert & Sander

Some of these seem to be easy to identify, but others...  I am so lost.  A reddit user decided to take on the task of labeling them all.

via ChanguitaShadow on reddit 

I don't know why I find all these tiny, perfectly square foods strangely satisfying, but I do. And apparently tons of other people do too because the reddit discussion is just as awesome.

Tiny Garden Success

Remember that cute little okra from the other day?  Turns out it wasn't okra.  It was a bloom!  It was awfully pretty too, but I thought I'd have time to go back the next day and snap a quick photo.  When I returned the next day, it was all closed up and fell away when I touch it.  Instead there was a tiny little okra bud.

Aw... it's so cute! (said as if you were talking to a weetle baby)


We've got little okras everywhere!  I'm so giddy.  But I'm terribly worried.  It's October and the temperatures are starting to show it.  Last night, the temperature fell to the high 40's (Fahrenheit)  This mornings temperatures were 25 degrees colder than yesterday morning.  Yikes!  I'm scared for my little okra babies!  I'm trying to find the right spot in the house to move them indoors where they'll be able to get plenty of sunlight.  Crossing my fingers and toes that I don't traumatize them!

Everything else in this years garden attempt failed.  I'm desperate to make these okra pods grow like there is no tomorrow!!

Sabotage

My husband is a pain in my ass.  I love him, but he's a pain.  I made the mistake of taking him with me shopping this weekend.  

Every item that was organic or non-processed in any way was shot down.  Too expensive, he said.  Even though they were only a dollar or less more than the "conventional" items.  Last week, my food items only totaled $78.  We had food for the entire week.  In fact, we had food left over because NO ONE WOULD EVEN TRY the new recipes that I baked/cooked.  All it took was one stink eye look from the Dad and every one backed away slowly.  

At the store, he insisted that we must buy Hot Pockets for after school snacks.  Ugh.  They contain imitation cheese. Imitation?  Gross.  He at least conceded to let me get Lean Pockets instead.  And potato chips.  Like three bags of them.

I've made my views about getting rid of processed foods very clear, but it's just not getting through.  I feel so defeated.  I want to keep pressing the issue, but I also feel like I should just give up.  

I did have a few successes.  I made our own cereal and it was approved by the teenager.  I think I cooked it a little too long, but that's an easy fix the next time around.  I also made whole wheat waffles and muffins that were warmly received.  

Have you tried to switch up something in your house and been shot down by the other inhabitants?  Did you overcome it?

Real Food for Real Families

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was attempting a switch to "real" food from all the processed mumbo jumbo we normally eat.  The kids are heading back to school this week (Thursday) so I figured now was a good a time as any to transition.

I'm not making the official pledge just yet though.  We still have cabinets (and a deep freezer) full of items that I'm not just going to throw out.  I'm simply replacing those items with non-processed equivalents when it's time to buy them.

As a mother of three in a one income household, I understand how hard it is to buy the better food.  It's just easier to buy what's cheaper.  That's what I thought.  We normally spend an average of $125 (sometimes more, sometimes less) at the grocery store every week.  For us, "grocery" store is Wal-Mart.  It's not ideal.  It's not my first choice.  It's what we are stuck with.  We have an IGA close to our house, but their prices are horrible.  Horrible enough that we drive 30 miles to shop somewhere else.  I would love to shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.  I would even be willing to pay a little more for better food, but those guys are in Nashville, 100 miles away.  Plus Tennessee has a sales tax on food.  Bad form, Tennessee.  Next week I think I will shop at Kroger (also 30 miles away) just to compare this weeks cost to shopping there.

I used one of the meal plans from 100 Days of Real Food.  Her total was $167.41.  That was shopping at a place called Earth Fare (we don't have those) and Trader Joe's with a 2% sales tax on food.  

My food total was $77.54.  

Much less than the original because, like I said before, I am working in the new non-processed food.  Some things I didn't buy:  rolled oats, rotisserie chicken, fish, sugar snap peas, sunflower seeds, honey dew melon, white potatoes, mushrooms, and fresh ginger.  Several items I had replacements for.  Some things (honey dew and sugar snap peas) I couldn't find.  One item, bok choy (never used that stuff), was only in a bunch that weighed about 3lbs.  I only needed 3/4 of a pound so I just snapped off what I needed.  I'm certain I wasn't supposed to do that, but honestly I didn't want to waste it.  

And while we are on the subject of weighing things... I weighed the bok choy on their scales.  It was close to zero before I put my goods on the scale.  They weighed just under a pound, but when I checked out, the register scale measured them as being 1.13 lbs. Maybe just coincidence, but one has to wonder.

I also realized that I forgot a few things.  However, I still think I could have purchased all the items for the same amount or less than what I usually spend and I didn't buy any processed food!  I will be so glad when I get rid of all the processed stuff!  It feels like such a weight lifted already.  

I'm so relieved that buying food that is good for my family CAN be affordable.