A few months ago, I was sitting in my little apartment as a newlywed and a brand new homemaker and I was deeply contemplating the role of a homemaker. I've really tried to take seriously the role of managing the house, because I think it's a big responsibility. According to Proverbs 31:27, a godly wife “looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Some of my job description includes: creating a happy, healthy, warm and safe environment, providing good meals to nourish my family well, keeping errands, appointments, bills, and paperwork organized, among many other things.
Thinking about nourishing my family well tripped me up a bit, though. I've got the cleaning and the decorating down. I love budgeting and coupon-ing and scoring good deals. I'm the keeper of the calendar and the source of schedules. I'm good at keeping the fridge stocked and making meals... But I started thinking about the quality of those meals. And I started to have a mental conversation with myself:
"What am I actually putting into my body right now? Have I ever stopped to think about what I am actually eating? Is this hurting me more than it is helping me? What are these crazy looking chemical names on the list of ingredients here? Has watching Food Inc. and Supersize Me not taught me anything?! Okay. We need to eat healthier... But how the HECK can I do that on our budget?"
It felt a little hopeless, I must confess. But my desire to eat better and nourish my family well was worth some trial and error, some financial sacrifices, and some grace. We're now over a year into marriage and I have a few tools in my toolbox I'd like to share with y'all.
If you've never visited a local farmer's market... holy cow, you're missing out. I'm privileged to live in Dallas, where we have an excellent and abundant source of locally sourced, organically grown foods. When I visit, I just take a reusable grocery bag or two and some cash, try to get there early to have the best picking, and start wandering around. The farmers sell their food right there, and they sure are proud. They want to get their food into your hands, even if that means handing out generous samples and bartering a bit. I've scored all kinds of delicious goodies here. And not just produce! This is where I buy meat and eggs, pies and bread, even green tea, honey, herbs, and guacamole! There are farmers and artisans alike who have a lot of good to give. You've just got to get up and get out there.
2. Artizone
Artizone has saved my life. Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but if anything, it's sure changed my life! Artizone caters to two areas of the United Sates right now - Dallas and Chicago. They are a grocery delivery service that works with local farmers and local artisans to provide healthy, local, organic food at a TOTALLY REASONABLE cost (definitely comparable to your local grocery store) and a tiny delivery fee. (Seriously, I think it only costs me $6 to get my groceries delivered to my kitchen!!!) The food they offer is not just random, obscure choices. It's like an online grocery store with all of the essentials along with some specialty items. Artizone gives me no excuse. I can nourish my family organically. (ALSO HEADS UP - USE THE PROMO CODE "REAGAN BAKED COOKIES" AND GET 10% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER!)
Green Polka Dot Box is also a great resource! They can't deliver cold or refrigerated foods to me (my shipping address is too far), but they have a great selection of healthy and organic snacks, canned goods, DOG FOOD (your pup really shouldn't be fed chemicals, either), and a ton of other staples. When I can't find what I'm looking for through Artizone, GPDB has it. What I've really utilized this service for is swapping out Robby's snacks for healthier options. Cheezits? Beef Jerky? Candy? They've got healthier, organic, all-natural options. And with GPDB, these items get mailed straight to you.
4. Urban Acres
Urban Acres is a service solely serving the Dallas area, but I have to mention it anyway. This group of incredible people that has created a co-op style produce pickup (plus they have coffee, eggs, meat, and the most delicious granola I've ever eaten). 50 local farms work together to bring together more that 1,500 pounds of produce together every week and disperse it amongst the community by creating pick-up stations. You don't live 5 minutes from the Dallas Farmer's Market like me? I bet you live near one of their 17 Dallas-area locations? Again, there's no excuse!
Let me also mention one more thing. Maybe you got through this whole post and thought, "Okay, but what's the big deal about 'organic' stuff anyway?" I should mention real quick what that means. Organic produce contains fewer pesticides, organic food is often fresher (aka it tastes better), organic farming is better for the environment, organically raised animals are NOT given antibiotics, growth hormones, or fed animal byproducts, and organic food is GMO-free.
Nourishing yourself and your family organically is worth it. And it doesn't have to be hard or costly. If I can do it, you can, too!