Over the past six months, Ray and I have made some changes to our lifestyle. We have turned a little bit granola. It all started when we watched the documentary Food Inc. and realized all the pesticides and hormones and other harmful things that end up on our plates. We have made slow and small changes but we feel much better about it.
The most shocking and first hand experience I've had with pesticides is on strawberries. I thought I was allergic to them when after eating them every time my lips would swell up and get these really painful bumps all over them. The last time it happened was the day before I started a new job. Pretty embarrassing. I went to the doctor and the first thing he asked was if I had eaten strawberries. He told me to try some organic ones 'cause they don't have all the pesticides on them since that was probably what I was actually allergic to. I had always washed my strawberries before eating them but that's one of the fruits that really holds on to all the bad stuff. That really creeps me out. I now eat organic strawberries and they actually taste a thousand times better, and I don't look like I just kissed a swarm of bees.
There is an amazing local company called Old Soul Organics that we have been getting organic produce from. We get a large 40 lb. crate of food delivered to our house and split it with two other families and it's only $45. One of our friends went to Walmart and did a price comparison on regular produce and Old Soul was cheaper per lb. The quality is always incredible. Most of their food is from local farmers and they have a pretty good selection of meat now too. You don't get to choose what comes in the box so it's made me try new things that I wouldn't have ever bought. We just got some red chard and I have no idea what to do with it!
Here is all the food divided out.
Two weeks ago my friend Stephanie and I had the domestic itch and decided to try and make our own laundry detergent. It was SO easy and fun.
Here's the recipe:
2 cups grated soap Fels Naptha, Ivory or handmade
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda Arm and Hammer makes this
Mix it all together and add 2 tablespoons to a large load of clothes.
All the ingredients were at Harps in Centerton.
Stephanie had some handmade soap from the healthfood store with essential oil in it so our stuff smells awesome. I've read that you can add a few drops to the wash but haven't tried it.
It was real fun and super cheap to make.
We aren't planning on going crazy with the whole organic/green living thing. We still eat processed food and use paper towels but we are trying to be more aware of what we eat and how we are living. We realized that we can do better. I don't foresee disposable diapers in our future anytime soon, though.
Anyone else out there a little bit granola?
