It's March! Time for a Challenge!

Quinoa with veggies sauteed in butter and garlic salt--a yummy lunch!

Over the last few weeks I've been interested in feeding my family more natural foods.  Part of it is the fact that we are now fortunate enough to get Bountiful Baskets, which has led to a more healthful diet and a lot more variety with our produce.  Also, it seems every day I see an article like this one circulating, causing me to think about where our food comes from.  Lastly, part of it is because one of my closest friends, Amanda, has been on an organic/healthful eating kick since August, after returning from a trip to Africa and seeing a stark contrast from the healthful foods they ate there as opposed to the overly processed foods we eat here, even though we are wealthier and have far more choices when it comes to food.


Amanda has challenged me to blog about this so that I can stay accountable.  I'll be linking to her blog as well over the course of the month as she posts new recipes.  My plan is to post my menu for the week and an update on what we ate and how things are going.  I would LOVE if you would share any tips/recipes/online sources for eating quality foods.  I can't afford to go all-out organic, and I'm not going vegetarian, but looking for food ideas that are made from quality, whole foods, preferably non-GMO and as unrefined as possible, and organic whenever possible.  This doesn't mean I won't be eating some quality chocolate or won't bend a little bit if we happen to be eating out at some point in the next month!  I don't want natural living to become an idol, which can happen easily as it's easy to get focused on yourself when you are thinking about the products you use and the things that you eat.


Do any of you want to do this challenge with me?  If so, I'd love to have you join me!  Link to your blog in the comments or leave a little note telling me what changes you would like to make in this area of your own life!

Here is my menu for the coming week.  Friday is pay day and so I usually shop on Friday or Saturday.

Breakfasts:
Homemade granola x3
Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice x2
Whole-wheat pancakes (topped with organic PB, honey, or homemade yogurt) x1
Farm-fresh eggs purchased from a friend x1 and organic bread toast


Snacks:
Our family rule is that morning snack is fruits or veggies (thanks to BB!)  So the kids can have apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, mangoes, etc.
Afternoon snacks can be homemade bread and butter, smoothies, quesadillas, baked goodies, etc. in addition to fruits and veggies.
String cheese
Herbal vitamin smoothie (My friend Nicci taught me to make these as an alternative to whole-food vitamins and I LOVE them!  I've been doing them daily for a few weeks and I feel a HUGE difference in my stamina, attitude, overall health, etc.)
Green smoothies with yogurt, spinach, fruits


Lunches:
Black Bean and Cheese burritos on ww tortillas x2
Leftovers x3
PB & J (organic peanut butter, raw honey, organic bread) x2


Suppers:
Crockpot Chicken/Veggie Curry served over Forbidden Rice
Quinoa/Elk/Veggie casserole, homemade 9-Grain bread
Whole Wheat Pizza and salad
Tabouli (a long-time family fave!), homemade pita bread, salad
Baked Potatoes (organic), roasted veggies (whatever comes in our BBasket on Sat.), fruit salad
Hearty Lentil Chili and cornbread
Leftovers


I'm wondering if anyone knows of a brand of ww tortillas and a brand/type of cheese that is less-processed and natural?  We go through a lot of tortillas and it can be hard to keep up when I make them from scratch.  We also go through a lot of cheese and I'm wondering which cheeses are genetically modified/filled with artificial colors, etc.

Over the course of this month I'll report back on how our week went and talk about cost of food and how to get the best deals on healthy foods!