Getting the Family On Board with a Sustainable Lifestyle

Our weekend was spent celebrating Stephen’s birthday on Friday with a culinary explosion of the best chocolate cake (and frosting) any of us have ever ate. On Saturday we enjoyed the beautiful warm weather with a stroll through the farmer’s market where I learned about creamed honey and green eggs. My wannabe homesteader nerdness definitely showed through talking about bees!    

Which reminds me of a comment we overheard at the market.

“No chickens! I don’t want to take care of them when you are out of town. Besides, I already let you turn our front lawn into a vegetable garden,” the man declared to his wife.

It’s a funny thing when you get involved with a sustainable living lifestyle how it can turn into falling down a rabbit hole.  You start by shifting to a whole foods diet, learning about organic produce and GMO’s and before long you are growing your own little garden. Thankfully Stephen and I are on the same page with a lot of things, particularly our vision for a family homestead in the future. The goals have been part of a natural evolution in our family’s development as we have shifted our desire to a healthy and self-reliant lifestyle.

But differences are bound to come up, heavens knows when Stephen and I first started living together he was quite skeptical about organic food. I know a lot of people who start to make these sort of changes to their diet and routine and hit a roadblock with the rest of their families. (ex: "You want me to give up Oreos?!")

If say you are moving from the Standard American Diet (SAD) for instance to a strictly whole foods diet then be conscience of what you are asking of your partner and children.  Changes in diet such as that (even if they are for the best!) can sometimes feel a bit radical for the unprepared. There are a few things though to make it easier on everyone but it starts with one simple word: Patience.

Patience goes a long way.  Not just with others but with yourself too. Physically it takes time for tastebuds to adjust, especially if you have been eating a lot of processed foods with artificial sweeteners.  But also mentally people may have grown attached to certain products so give everybody time to adjust.

Another tip: make a yummy alternative to their processed food favorites. The fastest route to getting them to give up certain unhealthy snacks is by introducing something better! I switched out the granola bars we used to get at the store with a recipe I came up with. Not only is it healthier but it helps cut down on waste by not buying something that has a gazillion packaging which would just mean more trash for the landfill.

I think in the end what works best for your family is going to vary depending on your needs. And those needs might including taking baby steps towards the lifestyle you want.

6 Reasons to Eat Local

I have waxed poetry about the benefits of supporting your local farmer market and that’s because I truly mean it when I say that knowing where your food comes from is an awesome thing! So let’s talk a little bit about the locavore movement, aka the idea of eating locally grown and locally made food.

Home gardens, local co-ops and farmer markets are all driving this force to get better food to your plate. This movement has a two-fold mission: get people to eat food that comes from less than 100 miles from its place of purchase but also to help the environment. So you need a little more convincing? Here are six reasons to eat local.

1.) Well for starters, it tastes better!

2.) The less distance your food has to travel, the fresher it will be. I find this to be particularly true with peaches and strawberries. The stuff you get in the store might have been in transit for days or even longer.

3.) Speaking of distance, that basket of organic raspberries from Mexico? It didn’t get to your supermarket on the wings of a sparrow. It was flown in a huge jumbo jet; offset your carbon footprint by limiting the distance your food has to travel from its point of origin.

4.) You are supporting your local economy by keeping your money in the community, helping farmers and small businesses thrive. That’s a win for everyone!

5.) Eating local keeps us closer to the natural pace of the seasons by using produce when it is most abundant (and therefore cheaper).

6.) And lastly by eating local food you are helping maintain that green spaces and farmlands stay in your area. Because seriously, do we need another Walmart?

And with that said, I want to add that eating locally doesn’t have to mean a huge overall to your lifestyle. Start small, go the farmer’s market or visit a farm and figure out what you eat regularly that can be bought locally. Also, take out the guess work and use the locavore app! This handy little app will help you find the closest places that sells local and in-season products. 

Or you could start your own garden. I am so glad that we did this past spring, it truly gave me an appreciation for the hard work that goes into growing food. I can't wait to do it all over again next year!