Many months ago I discovered Lisa and her blog “100 Days of Real Food“. Here was a wife and mother of two who decided to go cold turkey and pledge to eat only real food for 100 days. She chronicled the entire journey on her blog and I was immediately taken in. I’ve been eating a “real food” diet for several years now so it’s always interesting for me to read and hear about others who are just beginning the journey. Lisa and I began to email back and forth and then I decided it would be best for you to hear her story from her own lips. I hope you enjoy the first-ever guest post on Deliciously Organic! - Carrie
After being inspired by one of Michael Pollan’s books, I went from being a white bread and Chick-Fil-A loving mom to one who would only eat ”real food.” And I took my husband and two young daughters along for the ride. Starting in May of 2010 the four of us took a pledge to go 100 solid days without eating a single ounce of processed food or refined ingredients (including white flour and sugar!). I blogged about the highs and lows of our journey as we attempted to seek out the real food in our processed food world. Readers from all over the globe followed along, and we asked them to join in by embracing our same real food rules for only 10 days.
The response (and interest in eating real food!) was absolutely amazing, but there was one thing we could not ignore. People thought that organic, whole, local, non-processed, real food sounded too expensive. So we just finished tackling another 100-day real food pledge, but this time on a tight budget. We had $125/week to spend on our family of four, which is less money than we would have if we were on food stamps! It was quite an interesting journey, and it forced me to make a lot of sacrifices and learn a lot along the way.
Before I share some valuable “real food on a budget” tips that got us through our most recent pledge, I want to share a little more on why we’re doing all this in the first place. We think our list of ten reasons to cut out processed foods is pretty convincing, but aside from that, check out what has happened to us personally since we changed our diets at the beginning of 2010…
1. Our youngest daughter’s constipation was completely “cured” within 5 days of cutting out highly processed food. And things continue to be pretty regular in that department…for all of us actually (how embarrassing to share).
2. In 2009, this same daughter suffered from five separate episodes of wheezing (due to mild asthma) as well as croup and bronchitis. She did not have a single occurrence of wheezing (or croup or bronchitis for that matter) for the entire year of 2010, after we cut out the highly processed foods.
3. All four of us have made it through this winter season (thus far) without getting any fevers or significant viruses. Neither child has missed a single day this school year due to sickness. Our youngest had one 12-hour stomach bug the day after a plane flight, but this has luckily been the only bug we’ve dealt with so far this season (knock on wood)!
4. Overall I feel like I have more energy and need less sleep.
5. My husband and I both lost a few pounds.
6. My HDL (the “good” cholesterol) jumped from 52.9 to 79, which is almost a 50% increase! This is not to be confused with your LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), which should be a low number. If your HDL level is above 60 (which mine was NOT in 2009) then it is considered to be a “positive risk factor” when it comes to your cardiac risks. A level above 60 would essentially cancel out a “negative risk factor” like smoking cigarettes, for example. So as you can see in my case, consuming processed foods was basically equivalent to smoking (and eating real food) when it comes to having an increased risk for heart disease. Shocking, huh?
7. Just imagine what else has changed in our bodies that we don’t even know about yet…like reduced chances of developing certain diseases even including some cancers.
8. And in addition to these changes in our health we’ve also all been lucky enough to experience a change in our palates (for the better) including less desire for the junk. My husband and I also seem to need to eat a lot less food in order to feel full…because real food is filling!
Now I don’t think I need to convince anyone why they should try to save money while food shopping. So let’s dive right into some “real food budget tips” that helped us stick to real food and keep it cheap.
1. Be organized and plan out meals for the week
2. Minimize waste (i.e. put uneaten food back in the fridge instead of throwing it away)
3. Know and use what you have on hand (especially if it’s perishable)
4. Make substitutions in recipes to reduce the number of things you have to buy
5. Maximize “cheap” foods like bananas, beans, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice
6. Make sacrifices (i.e. water instead of milk or juice)
7. Reduce your consumption of meat and desserts
8. Buy produce that’s in-season and don’t be afraid to negotiate at the farmer’s market
9. Check your receipt after you get home to make sure your money was well spent (most grocery stores accept returns!)
Banana Ice Cream with Salted Maple Caramel Sauce
To change things up you can blend in 1/2 cup of peanut butter, chocolate sauce, or chilled herbal coffee.
Serves 6
5 bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen overnight
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup pecans, for sprinkling
Place bananas and milk in the blender. Blend until creamy. Store covered, in the freezer.
Salted Maple Caramel Sauce
Makes about 1 cup
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in maple syrup and bring to a boil. Whisk constantly for about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in cream. Bring to a boil, whisking often. Boil until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, (or reaches 220ºF) about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in salt. Pour into a glass jar or bowl, cover and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To serve: Scoop ice cream in bowls, drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with pecans.
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I rave about myself every night at the dinner table, “Honey, can you believe I made this??” And it’s all thanks to you!! (and teaching me that organic butter is welcomed and embraced! No more fat free, yay!!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
If memory serves me correctly, Lisa is from the Charlotte area — right around where I live
This ice cream looks delicious! Love your sweet glasses.
Yum! I was really hoping for a delicious dessert as the next post, and I definitely got it! This special guest post was a great idea, Carrie!
Lisa: your story is wonderful and inspiring. Firstly, I’m thrilled that there’s another blog like Carrie’s – one that uses unrefined ingredients and minimal amounts of sugar. I had been looking for another blog like hers – they’re surprisingly rare – and it seems like I’ve finally found it. Secondly, I love how you made your blog into a journey – it’s captivating. I will definitely check out your blog for more recipes like this one! Thanks for the creative recipe – it looks amazing. By the way, your girls are adorable
Oh my… this looks amazing! So simple, too. Great recipe. And I bet the chocolate sauce with it is divine.
It is wonderful to meet Lisa and hear about her great success. In our house it is Real Food only. The only way to keep great great energy levels, healthy bodies and smiles on our faces. Love the ice cream recipe too!
Thanks so much for the recipe & link to Lisa’s website! I LOVE your blog and just subscribed to Lisa’s. You both are an inspiration to me – I’ve been doing the “organic” and “real food” thing for almost a year now and following sites like yours helps keep me on track & gives me great recipe ideas. Thanks!
I’m a mom of two small children as well and I had been a “real food” believer for quite a few years before my first child was born. But what a shock it was to me when I had my daughter to realize that almost every food directed towards children is so highly processed! I made all of her baby food from scratch and she’s the most adventuresome eater I’ve ever met at age 6! My kids eat a lot of yogurt and fruit (especially my son who would eat it three meals a day if I let him). I buy plain yogurt and mix up whatever flavors they want. It’s so much healthier, cheaper, and better tasting too! Great Post!
This is a GREAT post! I love the concept of doing 100 days of real food! I’ve tried ice cream made from just bananas (without even adding the milk) and it’s surprisingly delicious!
Thanks for sharing this blog! I love to read about other families that are working hard to eat whole foods and teach their kids about making good food choices. We’ve been at it for a couple of years now, but can always find ways to improve (especially where desserts are concerned). Glad to have another great source!
Great post! I can’t wait to read your blog. I began making changes some seven years ago, first my eliminating HFCS and then made other changes after that. I noticed that foods with HFCS never made you full. I got rid of most of the processed foods a few years back and continue to make changes. I started baking my own bread, buns and pizza dough a few years back so I know what goes in my food. I also saw the difference between fullness when you eat “real food” versus “fake food”. Real food fills you up. I saw the documentary Food Inc. last year and it changed my life. I switched to organic foods, or as much as my tight budget allows and it’s been great. When I added green spinach smoothies to my diet last year, my arthritis pains disappeared and now I manage my arthritis with green smoothies every other day (4 cups organic spinach, 1 organic banana, ½ cup organic berries and 1 cup of water). I still have more changes to make but I try to research food and make changes as I go.
Interestingly enough, I am a Professional Organizer and I see people’s kitchen and the food they eat; I can almost always see a link between the food in their kitchen and their health issues. I have a client now who has a child that suffers from constipation, is gaining weight , has frequent bouts with pneumonia and has signs of early puberty at 8 years old. I know many of these issues are caused from the processed foods: cans of Chef Boyardee in the pantry, boxed t.v. dinners every night, sugary cereals and very little fresh fruits and vegetables. I know that most, if not all of these issues would disappear with real food. I have other clients that eat nothing but expensive t.v. type dinners, filled with soy and other genetically modified foods. The bottom line is that if you want to eat healthy, you have to cook and make your own food. Not only do you need to start with organic food, but your choice of cookware (no Teflon, aluminum or plastic) makes a difference too.
The glass you used to photograph the ice cream in is so pretty and unique. LOVE it! I cannot wait to make this banana ice cream.
Oh I need that salted maple caramel sauce in my life! This look fantastic.
We have a very similar testimony for eating real food. My daughter as well had eczema and bathroom issues. Cases of strep and all around sick girl until I knocked out processed foods, got her on a real food diet of enzymes and probiotics. She has not been sick once this year! The rest of the family is doing better too. This ice cream and caramel sauce sounds heavenly wonderful. I have some bananas and cream in my fridge right now, perfect!
I would say 80% of what we eat is whole food. I only buy organic, I make my own bbq sauce, ketchup, pasta sauce and salad dressings. No packaged baked goods for us, but I still use the “white” stuff. I really do need to take the time and try and convert our favorite baked goodies, omitting the white stuff. What it comes down to is that I fear failure. That is really the bottom line! Carrie, help! Thank Lisa for inspiring the budget friendly grocery list. I am so going to try the $150.00 challenge(I have one more mouth to feed)…I will let you both know how it goes.
sounds like an awesome flavor combo! going to make with coconut milk instead. bookmarking with my cookmarked.com account.
This is a wonderful blog and I support your journeys completely. Real food ROCKS! As a permaculturist I strive to grow a lot of my own food on my city lot, and love to incorporate what I’ve grown into my recipes. I can’t grow bananas (in Seattle!) but they are a reliable find in my organic produce section, especially when they’re really brown. I’ve taken to roasting them and then making ice cream out of them, using raw eggs and whole milk and cream. This increases their sugar-y taste without adding extra sweetener. So much yum! Also, rhubarb ice cream is especially good, and a great way to use a little-appreciated and easy-to-grow perennial plant.
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