Dinner Evolved From Process Food to Cooking with Raw Ingredients

Evolution of Dinner: Part 1 - Raw Ingredients

    2016-05-0705/07/16   
Blog Post Series  Cooking  Family  Financial  Nutrition  Personal Growth  

We weren't always the "healthy eating family". We used to eat plenty of processed foods and fast food including frozen foods, sugar laden desserts, and plenty of processed junk. So, I'll be blogging for the next few days on our Evolution of Dinner...

unhealthy processed food including hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs and fries
  This is the first post of a 5-part blog series that shares how a stay-at-home mom transitioned her family from processed foods into natural, whole foods nutrition that radically improved her family's health for the better.

My motivation to change our eating habits came from the meager budget our student loans provided, and my desire to be a stay-at-home mom. Things were tight financially with two kids and my husband in medical school, so I dusted off the 1960s copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook I swiped from my Mom's stash. I discovered I could cook from raw ingredients and radically slash my food bills. This was not organic food- it was simply raw ingredients. No more pancake mix, frozen meals, or helpers. No! My cart at Aldi overflowed with flour, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and small amounts of meat. I learned to freeze veggies and fruits in the growing season, and how to stretch each ingredient to the max. Nothing was wasted- I was on a mission to be with my babies. My mom and grandmothers had all cooked homemade, and after much practice, I was getting the hang of it.

We noticed our food tasted better, and we were enjoying my role as stay-at-home mommy. But as anyone who knows Jamie and me can attest, we just couldn't leave good enough alone. We began to wonder, "What else could we change?"

  Evolution of Dinner: Part 2 - New Traditions

  Please see the related Wellness Resources we have provided to support the Evolution of Dinner series. You will find recipes, grocery shopping list, shopping tips and other useful tools to move you down the path of better nutrition.
Libby Wright, author of Your Healthy Life Concierge blog
Author

Libby Wright, mother of four who homeschools, is an original founder of SupplementRelief.com in 2010. She suffered through challenging diseases including Interstitial Cystitis, Graves and Lyme. After years of little progress with traditional medicine, she pursued integrative medicine, applied what she learned, and got healthier. She became passionate about wanting others to experience the same "relief" she had come to know, and SupplementRelief.com was born. She is now managing her illness with a lot of prayer, a lot of nutrition/supplements, and a little prescription medicine. She has been able to resume her normal life and, while there is no cure for her particular conditions, she is able to cope, enjoy every day, and encourage others.

Learn more about Libby Wright.

  Related Content

We encourage you to take advantage of these FREE Wellness Resources on our website.


drawing of retro woman with a grocery list

Affordable Healthy Grocery Shopping in 30 Minutes

Ever wonder what a healthy grocery list would look like? One of the things many people tell us is that it seems too hard to change shopping habits. They feel eating healthy is harder or costlier. I can tell you shopping for whole, natural foods is less expensive, easier and much faster in the grocery store than dealing with a bunch of processed foods.


Evolution of Dinner: Part 2 - New Traditions

Break out of the Standard American Diet (SAD), and get happy with new healthy food traditions.


Hispanic Family Eating Together

Evolution of Dinner: Part 3 - Hunter Gatherer

Have you ever considered team meal preparation? By cooking large volumes, and trading with friends, you can reduce your meal preparation time significantly!


Gross Fat Food

Evolution of Dinner: Part 4 - The Dark Ages

Yes, we too lived through the "Dark Ages" of dinnertime. We went for convenience foods, and that set us back a few centuries!


Assorted Fruit and Vegetables

Evolution of Dinner: Part 5 - The Renaissance of Mealtime

Learning I had an autoimmune disease changed my life. One practical way we changed was mealtime!


Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook displaying wooden cooking utensils and recipe notepad.

Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook

The foods we choose to put into our body should be helping us live more vibrant and productive lives but for many are they are the leading contributor to chronic disease.

Many people know "what" to do to be healthy, but HOW do you do it? One of the best ways we have found is to show people how we eat as a family. This customizable, whole foods cookbook features healthy, affordable, great-tasting recipes that are easy-to-make.

We hope you enjoy these recipes and encourage you to share them with your family and friends!

We also encourage you to browse through the Related Content section on this page to find great articles about nutrition and healthy living.


modern grocery store with gluten free and dairy free foods on the outer isles

Help for Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Living

Eliminating or minimizing Gluten and Dairy from your diet isn't necessary for everyone but some certainly benefit from making these lifestyle changes. Regardless, we all benefit from eating more natural, whole foods and less processed foods. Learn more about gluten-free and dairy-free nutrition options and take advantage of the educational resources, shopping list, and recipes.


How to Grocery Shop and What to Eat

We are what we eat. Studies from reputable health organizations suggest that 40-60% of Americans are living with one or more chronic diseases, which negatively impacts their quality of life, reduces employment productivity, and drives up health care costs.1 Lifestyle choices, in particular, the foods we choose to put into our bodies, are making us sick. However, we do have choices regarding our nutrition.

Learn practical tips for healthy and affordable grocery shopping and consider using a list similar to the recommended natural, whole foods grocery shopping list provided to get you off to a good start!


young boy in suit holding money

You Can Eat Healthy Without Spending More!

One of the big myths we like to dispel is to talk about the real cost of foods. Most people believe that eating healthy is a lot more expensive than eating processed. The truth is, they cost about the same. Try this experiment and see for yourself!

  • Blog Post
    unhealthy processed food including hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs and fries
      This is the first post of a 5-part blog series that shares how a stay-at-home mom transitioned her family from processed foods into natural, whole foods nutrition that radically improved her family's health for the better.

    My motivation to change our eating habits came from the meager budget our student loans provided, and my desire to be a stay-at-home mom. Things were tight financially with two kids and my husband in medical school, so I dusted off the 1960s copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook I swiped from my Mom's stash. I discovered I could cook from raw ingredients and radically slash my food bills. This was not organic food- it was simply raw ingredients. No more pancake mix, frozen meals, or helpers. No! My cart at Aldi overflowed with flour, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and small amounts of meat. I learned to freeze veggies and fruits in the growing season, and how to stretch each ingredient to the max. Nothing was wasted- I was on a mission to be with my babies. My mom and grandmothers had all cooked homemade, and after much practice, I was getting the hang of it.

    We noticed our food tasted better, and we were enjoying my role as stay-at-home mommy. But as anyone who knows Jamie and me can attest, we just couldn't leave good enough alone. We began to wonder, "What else could we change?"

      Evolution of Dinner: Part 2 - New Traditions

      Please see the related Wellness Resources we have provided to support the Evolution of Dinner series. You will find recipes, grocery shopping list, shopping tips and other useful tools to move you down the path of better nutrition.
    Libby Wright, author of Your Healthy Life Concierge blog
    Author

    Libby Wright, mother of four who homeschools, is an original founder of SupplementRelief.com in 2010. She suffered through challenging diseases including Interstitial Cystitis, Graves and Lyme. After years of little progress with traditional medicine, she pursued integrative medicine, applied what she learned, and got healthier. She became passionate about wanting others to experience the same "relief" she had come to know, and SupplementRelief.com was born. She is now managing her illness with a lot of prayer, a lot of nutrition/supplements, and a little prescription medicine. She has been able to resume her normal life and, while there is no cure for her particular conditions, she is able to cope, enjoy every day, and encourage others.

    Learn more about Libby Wright.

  • Related Content

      Related Content

    We encourage you to take advantage of these FREE Wellness Resources on our website.


    drawing of retro woman with a grocery list

    Affordable Healthy Grocery Shopping in 30 Minutes

    Ever wonder what a healthy grocery list would look like? One of the things many people tell us is that it seems too hard to change shopping habits. They feel eating healthy is harder or costlier. I can tell you shopping for whole, natural foods is less expensive, easier and much faster in the grocery store than dealing with a bunch of processed foods.


    Evolution of Dinner: Part 2 - New Traditions

    Break out of the Standard American Diet (SAD), and get happy with new healthy food traditions.


    Hispanic Family Eating Together

    Evolution of Dinner: Part 3 - Hunter Gatherer

    Have you ever considered team meal preparation? By cooking large volumes, and trading with friends, you can reduce your meal preparation time significantly!


    Gross Fat Food

    Evolution of Dinner: Part 4 - The Dark Ages

    Yes, we too lived through the "Dark Ages" of dinnertime. We went for convenience foods, and that set us back a few centuries!


    Assorted Fruit and Vegetables

    Evolution of Dinner: Part 5 - The Renaissance of Mealtime

    Learning I had an autoimmune disease changed my life. One practical way we changed was mealtime!


    Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook displaying wooden cooking utensils and recipe notepad.

    Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook

    The foods we choose to put into our body should be helping us live more vibrant and productive lives but for many are they are the leading contributor to chronic disease.

    Many people know "what" to do to be healthy, but HOW do you do it? One of the best ways we have found is to show people how we eat as a family. This customizable, whole foods cookbook features healthy, affordable, great-tasting recipes that are easy-to-make.

    We hope you enjoy these recipes and encourage you to share them with your family and friends!

    We also encourage you to browse through the Related Content section on this page to find great articles about nutrition and healthy living.


    modern grocery store with gluten free and dairy free foods on the outer isles

    Help for Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Living

    Eliminating or minimizing Gluten and Dairy from your diet isn't necessary for everyone but some certainly benefit from making these lifestyle changes. Regardless, we all benefit from eating more natural, whole foods and less processed foods. Learn more about gluten-free and dairy-free nutrition options and take advantage of the educational resources, shopping list, and recipes.


    How to Grocery Shop and What to Eat

    We are what we eat. Studies from reputable health organizations suggest that 40-60% of Americans are living with one or more chronic diseases, which negatively impacts their quality of life, reduces employment productivity, and drives up health care costs.1 Lifestyle choices, in particular, the foods we choose to put into our bodies, are making us sick. However, we do have choices regarding our nutrition.

    Learn practical tips for healthy and affordable grocery shopping and consider using a list similar to the recommended natural, whole foods grocery shopping list provided to get you off to a good start!


    young boy in suit holding money

    You Can Eat Healthy Without Spending More!

    One of the big myths we like to dispel is to talk about the real cost of foods. Most people believe that eating healthy is a lot more expensive than eating processed. The truth is, they cost about the same. Try this experiment and see for yourself!


The information, knowledge, and experience shared on this website is the opinion of SupplementRelief.com. This site and its content is intended to enhance your knowledge base as YOU MAKE YOUR OWN HEALTHCARE DECISIONS in partnership with your qualified health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any products referred to are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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