food. an endless search for truth.

Now, I don't really write about food. Years ago, when I was single, I rarely thought about food. I remember my sister coming to visit. I came home from a day at school and she was completely starving. Shocked I asked why she didn't eat the food in the cupboard. She declared - "Angie, theres only a bag of dry lentils, and jar of raw almonds in the cupboard and a yam in the fridge...I thought you said you just went shopping."

exactly...don't you just love raw almonds?

I could live off those three items for weeks on end...and, well, I practically did...before I got married.

Well, now I am responsible for the health and nutrition of a little boy... (and even though I am not a typical house wife I still share in the duties of cooking and grocery shopping) ...myself, and my husband. I have since learned that there is more to food than lentils and rice, and I am no longer a vegetarian. They just wont put up with yams every meal of the day (though try as I might to feed it to them!)

In reality we cook every day - mostly in my beloved crock pot.



I make things more on the simple side, (my husband usually sees that the food gets some spices and sauce before we leave in the morning)...for I like my food pretty bland. (and he doesnt...)

Anyways, all this is to get to the point that I am thinking I would like to rearrange the way I buy, prepare and consume food. This is a big change and will take time. Im trying to figure it out...can use some help...and support. I feel like I have lost a little of the control over what we eat, and its not always for the good. We've been eating fairly poorly recently. Not that I have anything against treats, but I feel they should be just that ..."treats" ..not meals.



The fact is that I live in a place where convenience is the ultimate god, and I guiltily admit I've succumbed to it. Not that I want to chastise myself for this, but I feel that its making me unhappy, and overall, my family less healthy.

So, despite the odds I want to make an effort to do what I can, where I am, to improve the quality of life in what we eat....but where the heck do I start?

First thing is I really need a new place to shop. I don't want to shop at Superstore. (which is where I shop every week) I don't like most grocery stores in general. I would prefer to shop at community natural foods and I do, but for every day shopping its quite far from us. I also have to realize that if I am going to make efforts to improve the quality of my experience with food, I have to avoid it costing more.

We cant spend more on food, but there has to be ways of doing it efficiently. If it was summer I'd go to the farmers markets. Maybe there is a way to find markets in winter. I am going to research local ranches for some meat for our freezer. I used to buy from Spud which was awesome, I just found that we were spending more on food, and it got to be too much.

Food is something I have to buy (I cant make it myself - except for tomatoes..), its an industry that has real and physical effects on the environment. It is a direct way that my values and beliefs can have an impact on the world around me. It is an everyday exchange with the world. I want to make it joyful in every way, to match the rest of my fulfilling life. This is difficult where I am...But I'll keep you posted how the progress goes.

Oh, and I am going to paint the kitchen this weekend...the wall is waiting!