First, you have to watch this video:
I love this so much, mainly for
its stereotypes. But, I also love
it, because it shows at the end that we are all moms, putting kids first. While I think this commercial is
hilarious, I honestly don’t think there is that much judgment going on in the
world, but then again, maybe I don’t see it, because I honestly don’t give a
sh** what others think of my parenting.
I think it’s awesome, and The Boy is happy. End of story.
And yes, I’m the granola mom, a
hippy, a parent that cringes at the thought of my child eating Red Dye 40. It happens, and the world doesn’t blow
up, and The Boy continues to grow, but still, I cringe. The food in our house is organic
(or at least, to the best of my ability), because I believe in food being in
its natural state. No, I’m not
going to tell you some crazy Gwyneth Paltrow raw food diet. I just believe that bread should be
made of flour, milk, eggs, yeast and salt. I don’t want that unnatural garbage that makes bread last
for a month on the grocery shelf.
Organic is EXPENSIVE. Goodness, I just returned from the
grocery store to the tune of $275.
Yikes! Though, my disclaimer
is that I often run our house to the wee min, like, the only remaining items in
the ENTIRE house are a cup of flour, one egg, a carrot and some sausage. Sometimes, I still make a meal out of
that and refuse to go to the store.
That was kind of the case today.
Still, just under $300! I smiled politely at the cashier instead
of yelling, “Yikes!” and steering the grocery cart out before they could grab
me. I think I could at least
load one bag in the car prior to being caught.
For other granola moms like me,
and wear that badge proudly, here are a few money saving tips:
1) Make your own
bread, muffins and granola bars. A
bag of organic flour only costs about $5, and you can make a whole slew of
things with it. Plus, you can
choose whole-wheat flour or a 50/50 mix to health things up. Instead of buying the fruit bars that
my husband loves, I usually make whole-wheat berry muffins to pack in his
lunch. For savory snacks, try
making English muffins to be topped with cheese or everything bagels with cream
cheese.
2)
Repurposed
leftovers. I am not a leftover fan
typically. I just don’t like
eating the same meal twice in a few days.
If I make pork green chile or chicken tortilla soup, I turn the
leftovers into to-go burritos or enchiladas. Simply drain off the excess liquid (keep it if you are
making enchiladas), mix some plain rice in with the leftovers and wrap in a
burrito. Top with sour cream,
cheese, avocados and salsa, or use that excess liquid to make a sauce to go
over enchiladas. Ta-da, new
meal!
3) Buy organic chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Dark meat has a bad rap, when in reality, it is chalk full of iron and tastes delicious. There is a reason kids always ask for the leg and not the dry breast! Chicken thighs can almost always be found on sale, and you can even find them boneless and skinless, so you cook them up just like chicken breasts.
4) Buy organic fruits, especially apples, in bulk. Not only do you get more bang for your buck here, but also apples can be used in baked goods recipes. When you buy apples in bulk, you tend to get a few apples that have seen better days. Turn these into applesauce (peel, chunk, throw in a pot over low heat with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, put the lid on and simmer until apples can be easily mashed with a fork), and use that applesauce to replace the oil in recipes. Of course, if your family is like mine, the finished applesauce is typically devoured before I can even use it in a recipe. I do the same thing with pears.
5) And the last tip I have is that the more packaging it has, the more expensive it is! Those individually wrapped cartons of broth, milk or snack-sized crackers are a rip. Buy the full size and put them into a reusable container.
Whatever kind of mom you are, here’s
to healthy and happy kids, ones who eat dinners without any complaints (that
happens, right?).
Time to fly,
Liz
No comments:
Post a Comment