Where to Start? HEALTHY, ORGANIC MEALS!!

Hello B.!

Have fun!

you can find wonderful recipes in the following websites:

http://www.hacres.com/
http://www.rawfoods.com/
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/
http://goneraw.com/
http://www.healthfree.com/raw_food_recipes.html
~C.~

We're in a co-op. Love it. Here are the details. And we are trying to start a Saturday pickup in Corinth-let me know asap if you're interested! ____@____.com
http://yourhealthsource.org/

Hello,

Good for you in taking the first step. You will find that as you change your diet that your cravings will change as well. You and your family will feel better and not want to go back to the processed stuff or at least only in moderation.

I do belong to a produce co-op. Go to www.yourhealthsource.org to find out more. The family that runs it is very knowledgeable and great to work with. There are locations all across the metroplex and it is quality organic produce. It is great since it exposes you to different produce that you may not otherwise try and provides convenience.
Best of luck!
G.

You don't say how old your children are, but I can tell you from having 2 bio children (ages 6 and 4) and 2 foster children (ages 3 and 2) in my home that food preferences are set early in life, but can be changed. I can also tell you from firsthand observation of children who have eaten very differently in their short lives that good nutrition makes a big impact on all areas of life: sleep, elimination, immune function. My kids still get homemade birthday cakes with buttercream frosting, but they consider that a huge treat, whereas dessert may be some frozen blueberries, or nothing at all.

My favorite cookbook right now is Clean Food
http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Food-Seasonal-Recipes-Sustain...

It's also a favorite with the kids (especially Cranberry Coconut Balls). There are delicious desserts. I can find all the ingredients at Central Market or Whole Foods.

Congratulations on taking the first step to wellness!

Peace and Joy,
M.

Where I live we have a group that collects all different types of organic produce and they basket it up per week for customers, it's all fresh from farms within a 200 milie radius. Here is there website www.flaglerorganics.com, you probaly don't live near, I am in Florida, but I thought at least you might be interested in what it involves.

I also love Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. You fortify everything with fruits or veggies, and everything is made from scratch. There are some things you can adapt if you want (for example, I'll add the veggie puree to a boxed mac n cheese to make it a little healthier sometimes- of course, in your case I know you're getting away from "boxed stuff" but just an example). I also have adapted things to fit my own recipes, but it gives lots of ideas and is VERY user friendly. Also, with only a very few exceptions, my family has LOVED the recipes I've made. A few we have thought we just OK, but none have been bad.

I really like Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious. Her main concept is to secretly pack healthy veggies and fruits into almost everything her kids eat. I have adjusted many of the recipes to fit our family or what I might have in the pantry so you could tweak it however you like. It's worth taking a look. Good luck!

I am a fan of the simple. I cook almost every meal that we eat and it makes life so much simpler to go healthy.
Where to start. If you have a local farmers market, great. Buy your veggies there. I would also recommend planting a square foot garden to get your own veggies. Otherwise, look at your local stores and find out which ones offer organic locally grown produce. There are even some walmarts now that do this. HEB carries an array of meat in their butchers display that is "organic".
I generally cook my meals based around a protein, veggie and starch. My kids eat plenty of fruit for snacks during the day so I don't worry about that. It is super easy to season a chicken breast or steak, chop up some fresh veggies and cook some rice or a potato. It's actually much cheaper.
You might look into any CSA's near where you live. This is where a farmer sells you part of their produce and you go every week and pick up your share.
One thing that has helped a lot here is making my own snacks. I make giant batches of healthy muffins and granola bars then freeze what we aren't going to eat immediately.
Good Luck!

"Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld is a good cookbook geared towards getting your children to eat healthier.

I am also in the produce co-op yourhealthsource.org that's been mentioned on a few other post. You pay $50.00 per share and get 1 share every other week. I split a share with someone because I have 4 in my family and 1 share was too much food. In fact, I'm getting my order today. Here is a list of what is in the share I will be getting (this is in a full share):
Local, Organic Greens
Broccoli, 1 bunch
Carrots, 2 lb
Chard, Green, 1
Lettuce, Romaine 2
Peppers, Sweet Mixed 1 pt
Tomatoes, Cherry, Grape, 1 pt
Yams, Medium 2.75-3LB
Apples, Braeburn, 3 lb bag
Avocados, Hass, 2
Banana, Yellow 3.75-4 LB
Berries, Strawberries 1 lb
Oranges, Navel, 4 lb bag
If you sign up, they also have a yahoo recipe share group you can sign up for as well. HTH!