Eating in 2012

Boy have I been a bad blogger so far this year. I guess that's because there's been a lot of doing, but not much writing about it so far.

With the Mister making a commitment to eating more vegetables this year, I've been cooking up a storm. I also joined the Cook From Your Cupboards challenge on the Frugal Kitchen message board at iVillage. Our goal is to get the processed, boxed, prepackaged junk out of the cupboards and start eating (mostly) freshly prepared foods. With only one week of the CFYC challenge under my belt we've made a noticeable dent in our pantry - and our grocery budget too!

In addition to committing to fresh, organic produce only, hubby has agreed to purchase meat from a local farmer who raises grass-fed beef. (Huge victory!) Factory farmed meat is something we've known the harsh back story on for so long, but have chosen to ignore, based solely on the high price of organic, humanely-raised meats. Ignoring how our meat is raised is something neither of us feel we can do any longer.

Factory farmed chickens (above) and cattle (below).

In general, meat is something we hope to eat a lot less of this year. When hubby and I first met, we ate meat for dinner every night, as the main attraction. Over the years we've decreased our meat consumption by about 50%, but we hope to decrease that by about 50% again this year. It has seemed unappealing - to prepare and eat - to me for about two years now and, just tonight, hubby remarked that "...it kind of makes [him] feel sick" lately.

Last night we watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, a documentary about a man who went from obese and ill to quite healthy in the matter of a year by reforming the way he eats. While it seemed a bit like an advertisement for juicing, the point really hit home with hubs: you are what you eat. Put organic vegetables into your body and you'll reap a lot more health benefits than you will with additives, preservatives, antibiotics and growth hormones.

Between that, my years of nagging, and this Ted talk (below) by Dr. Terry Wahls, who {claims to have} cured her Multiple Sclerosis through a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, the Mister is ready to make a change. I couldn't be prouder and more excited!