Trying to eat better

The other day I watched the movie Food, Inc. If you haven't seen it, and you want to be able to keep eating whatever you want, for heaven sakes don't watch it! It will change the way you think. It has actually made me a bit miserable, because I'd love to be able to eat healthy, locally made or grown foods, and it's just such a huge undertaking from where I am right now.

But I decided it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I can start with baby steps and change one thing at a time until eventually we are where I would like to be with what we're eating.

So, I decided to start with meat, since that one is a biggie for me. Both in that we really like to eat meat around here and that where meat comes from is quite possibly one of the most horrifying things in the food industry. We've just made our first order for a quarter of a cow at Utah Natural Meat. This is my first baby step. This is just about all I can talk my husband into at the moment. Eventually I'd like to get all of our meat from local sources, but my chicken and fish will still have to be bought at the grocery store. For now. I have to keep telling myself I'm going in little steps. Otherwise my family (and probably me, too) would rebel.

I'm thinking even though I can't change everything completely at once, I still need to make healthier choices for our food. Even if my food can't be completely locally purchased, it can still be as healthy, organic, and unprocessed as possible. This means a big change in our breakfasts. My boys eat the sugary breakfast cereal nearly every morning. It's quick, cheap and easy, especially since my boys wake up between 6:00 and 6:30 wanting to eat right away, and I am so not a morning person. But I need to quit with the laziness and think about what's best for my kids.

So I need help. I need some good breakfast ideas that are not processed, yucky foods. I already have a recipe for pancakes made from scratch that I will do sometimes. I plan to make the pancake batter the night before so it's all ready to go in the morning. But I need more ideas, and I know they're out there. And another big thing for me is that I don't want to spend a ton of money. Eating healthier is more expensive. For some reason, our country has it backwards and the more unhealthy a food is for you, the cheaper it is, it seems.

Here begins my new adventure of eating better while trying to stay on a budget. Anyone want to join me? Start by watching this:



Also, I'm reading and really enjoying Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and I know there are a ton of other resources out there. It's always more fun and easier to do things when you have other people trying to do the same things you are, so I'm looking for a support system. I'd love to hear from other people who are already eating healthy and local, or from those who, like me, want to start.

(Sorry to any of you who read my blog and also read Apron Girls. I'm cross-posting today)