2012 changes

2012. The new year has begun and people pledge to change their behaviors during this month. Whether, it's eating healthier, going to the gym, quitting smoking, losing weight, whatever it is. This is the most popular month for changes. I am not one of those people. :) Then why am I writing a post labeled 2012? Well, because I'm going to continue implanting the changes I made in September. I will however be a lot more aware about what I'm eating then I have been the past month or so. I figure next holiday, I should be feeling much more comfortable with converting my holidays with "whole foods and clean eating". I wasn't entirely too comfortable this holiday season with converting everything I ate. When I did host a meal in my house though, I did make my food clean, healthy and yummy. I got many compliments. :)
For Christmas, I did get the Omivore's Dilemnia by Michael Pollen. If I wasn't already converted before, this book further confirms that I am doing the right thing for myself. (I also read his book In Defense of Food. Both very good reads and recommended if you want to understand why I feel the way I do about my food habits now) I also got a bread machine and a yogurt machine. YUM. Already used both machines. I tried the whole wheat bread and it came out fabulous. Yay to having bread again in my house. I had avoided all the breads in the store because they all had high fructose syrup which is something I avoid like the plague if possible. I couldn't find bread that had less then 5 ingredients and did not contain high fructose syrup. I made the yogurt which was significantly more difficult to make then the bread. I plan on trying the yogurt tomorrow with the homemade granola I make.
On to the new year and my plans. I would ideally love to be completely comfortable with being a clean and whole food eating life style. I would love to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen making food from scratch. Yes it is a different taste and time consuming but it's a lot better for the body. I find it to be more tastier and filling. (Sugar is addicting!!) I also want to spend more time out of the supermarket and a lot closer to those who supply me with my food. Here's my plan. I'm open to suggestions as well.

1. Join a CSA - A CSA will most certainly allow me to know where my fruits and vegetables come from. It will come directly from the farmer. ( I will also be supporting my local farmers with this plan) If I do this, I will definitely be forced to eat seasonally as the farmers can only grow what is in season. It will also give me a variety of choices. I must do my research and see which ones on Long Island is the best choice for me. I do know it costs money but in the long run, its a lot cheaper then going to th supermarket weekly. The reason I plan do this instead of a garden is simply the fact that I don't own a house. I live an apartment and do not have the space for a garden. (One day!)

2. Make my own bread/pasta/grains (All 100% whole wheat) - I've already been buying beans and grains whole wheat. I buy my beans and wheat dry. I have to soak my beans and cook before I use them (I forget this sometimes!) It's a lot better then canned beans which have a ton of sodium in them. I recently got the bread machine so I can make my own bread. I'll be looking forward to playing around with this machine all year! I would ideally also love to make my own pasta too.

3. Meat and Fish - Ideally I would like to get my fish from the fish market where they catch fish on a regular basis. My other meat is a different story. I need to find a local farmer/butcher that can deliver my meat to me in the way I would like it. This means, beef is 100% grass fed, chicken is free range, etc. (read earlier post for my criteria). I'm able to find this at Whole Foods but the selections are limited. (I also refuse to spend an obsene amount of money on food just because it fits my criteria. I simply won't buy meat that week then)

4. Can my vegetables and fruit - Eventually I would also like to learn how to can my own fruit and vegetables. I'd like to make my own preservatives, jams and sauce, all home made and fresh.

So after all this, ideally I would only need to go to the supermarket to get basic ingredients that I would not have on hand, such as spices and flour. I have however been reading other blogs and they will order in bulk online stuff that they use frequently. I'm pondering this idea. Once I have a list of resources I use, that will be another post! :) If any of my readers have resources that they currently use and would like to suggest it, please leave a comment below.

Once I have my ingredients in the kitchen, I will be experimenting with my regular recipes as well as trying many different new ones. I'll keep you posted as I find yummy recipes. Readers may post requests and I'll get to work on trying to find/create a clean and whole food recipe.
So don’t take just any wave that comes along. The greatest surfers, they all have this sixth sense. They know when the best waves are coming. They can feel it. It’s a gift. You have that gift too. - Soul Surfer