This giveaway is now closed. Check back soon for the winners!
With farmer’s markets underway, backyard gardens planted, and the warmer weather getting families outside, many of us have clean and healthy eating on our minds.
We began discussing In Defense of Food
Stephanie is the voice behind Keeper of the Home, and she’s also a contributor for Simple Organic. Her passion is to help families live as naturally as possible for God’s glory. And in her new e-book, Stephanie shares her wisdom on how to eat whole, real, nutritious foods without breaking the bank.
That’s the hang-up many of us have about eating well. We know it’s best for us and our families, we love the taste, and we’re willing to take the time to cook from scratch. But it’s expensive. We’re all watching our wallets, and this economy certainly isn’t helping.
Stephanie’s book aims to help us eat well and live frugally. What a great idea.
We chatted online recently — here’s what Stephanie had to say about her latest work. (And look for a giveaway at the end of the post!)
Interview with Stephanie Langford
Photo by Marco Lazzaroni
Me: What inspired you to write the book?
Stephanie: With food prices rising, our family growing, and our own budget tightening this past year, I found myself feeling more and more stressed each time I came down towards the end of the month with precious little money remaining. I was really feeling that pinch on my grocery budget, and I could only imagine that if I was feeling it, so were most of my readers and so many other moms and homemakers out there. The recession hit a lot of families hard.
I love teaching women how to eat whole and traditional foods, and how to use more natural products in their homes and on their bodies. None of it makes much difference, though, if they don’t feel like they can afford to buy better food and products in the first place.
This book arose out of my desire to not only teach families about positive changes that they can make in how they steward their health and the earth, but in order to enable them to make it happen financially as well.
Photo by David Shankbone
Me: I love that you tackle two of some of my favorite home management topics — whole foods and personal finance. Explain to me why in today’s culture, these two things don’t often play well together, as though we have to choose between being good stewards of our bodies or being good stewards of our money.
Stephanie: I think it comes down to one word… convenience.
Our culture is one that craves convenience and that has unfortunately translated into mainstream food that is cheap and readily available, yes, but at the cost of our health. Over the years, the economy has molded itself around this desire for convenience in the form of processed, packaged and generally unwholesome foods.
The result? These are the foods that are being highly subsidized by government and large corporations, and thus they are the temptingly affordable foods on the grocery store shelves.
Enter the whole foods, slow foods movement. Farmers are raising animals and crops the right way, but they are having to fight against the mainstream culture in order to give us these high-quality foods. The cost of production is greater for them, and that means that it is greater for us if we want to purchase these nourishing, whole foods to serve our families.
As you said, they really don’t appear to play well together, forcing us to feel like we have to choose. The wonderful reality, though, is that we don’t really have to choose. I think we just have to be more intentional and proactive in where and how we spend our dollars, and in determining what the food culture of our homes will be.
Our family has learned how to purchase and prepare simple, wholesome foods that we feel really good about eating, even on a tight, single-income budget. Our own experience is what spurred me on to learn the skills and lessons that I share in my book.
Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt
Me: Be it from your farmer’s market, your neighborhood store, Costco, or wherever, what is one great deal your family enjoys currently? In your book you mention your discovery of the best places for organic apples, brown rice, and salmon. What’s been a surprising find as of late?
Stephanie: Can I share two? The first is one that we’ve actually been receiving for a while now, but it never ceases to amaze me what a great deal we’re getting.
Our eggs are organic eggs that receive pasture every day, from a local farm 30 minutes away. We’re worked out a deal with the farmer to purchase his “seconds,” the imperfect eggs that he can’t sell to stores, but that taste just perfect in our scrambled eggs and quiche. The price is amazing and it’s a win-win situation for us both.
The second is a more recent thing. We’ve begun to order five-gallon tubs of organic coconut oil through a wholesale natural foods company. A group of families get together through my mother-in-law’s church and by placing a large enough order, we are able to purchase these tubs (which last our family about one year) for a mere $55!
Suddenly my most expensive oil has become my least expensive. There is so much power in a group of people getting creative together.
Photo by Jodiepedia
Me: Share with us one tip you use to save time on cooking homemade from scratch.
Stephanie: Stop washing your dishes! I say that in jest, but only sort of. Since having my third baby this past summer, I have had to learn to be much more efficient in my kitchen if I am going to continue to cook from scratch with three little ones underfoot, while homeschooling and running a business.
I am learning to spend short but focused amounts of time (a half hour here, an hour there) doing as much food prep as I possibly can. I try to arrange it so that I am making things that are similar, using the same dishes and kitchen appliances, to minimize my need to get out and dirty more stuff.
An example might be to spend half an hour making two double-batches of power bars in my food processor, giving it a quick rinse and using it to chop all of my veggies for my next two dinners, and then shredding a block of cheese in it right after that. It’s quick and convenient and saves me time later on.
Another example is to commit to making a double dinner two evenings a week, so that I can have two ready-made meals in the freezer for busy days, but with very little extra time, effort or clean up.
Photo by Rene Ehrhardt
Me: If you could pick one main piece of advice for someone who wants to feed their family well, what would it be?
Stephanie: It would be to meal plan. I know that this is sometimes harped on, but I cannot emphasize its value enough (so much so that I devoted an entire chapter of my book to it).
When you intentionally plan out your meals, several things happen:
• You have the ability to choose healthful meals during a calm moment, rather than making a poor decision when you are tired and frazzled at 5pm.
• You will spend less money (and time) in the grocery store when you go with a detailed list in hand. (Check out Simple Mom’s excellent grocery shopping checklist, a very handy tool.)
• Making a plan helps you to use the food you already have. Did you know that Americans waste 14% of their food, averaging a loss of $600 worth of food each year?
• Cooking becomes more enjoyable when you already know what you’re going to make and that you have all of the ingredients on hand. Meat can be thawed ahead of time, food prep done during a few extra moments earlier in the day. Making meals becomes simplified.
Giveaway Time
Stephanie wants to give three Simple Mom readers a free copy of her e-book, Real Food on a Real Budget: How to Eat Healthy for Less! Here’s how to enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post, answering the following question: What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to eating (or feeding your family) well?
2. If you’d like a second bonus entry, tweet about this giveaway using the Retweet button above. Include @simplemom and @keeperhome in your tweet. For example, your retweet could say:
“I’m entering to win @keeperhome ‘s new ebook on @simplemom. It’s all about eating #realfood on a budget.”
3. Blog about this giveaway on your own site, and include a link to this giveaway (http://simplemom.net/real-food-on-a-real-budget).
This giveaway will end on Sunday, May 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST, and I’ll announce the winner soon after. I hope you win!
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My challenge is menu planning. It seems to take so long.
I struggle with the time to make everything from scratch vs the money. I love to cook, so I can go a little overboard wanting to make everything from scratch, and sometimes my quality time with family gets cut. I just finished In Defense of Food this week, and it really made me ponder a few things!
My biggest challenge is the small window of time I have to make dinner at night. I’m doing better at having meals planned and elements prepped and ready when I get home but its a lot of work!!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner =-.
My biggest challenge to feed my family well is getting my kids (age 5 and 3, especially the 3 yr old) to eat different things. Although we rarely eat mac-n-cheese or chicken nuggets that is the mantra from the little ones when it’s time to eat. Very frustrating for Mom
The hardest thing for me is coming up with a meal plan that is healthy with a houseful of picky eaters. My kids don’t seem to like anything like my mom made (casseroles, pasta dishes, meatloafs, etc.), and I don’t know how to make healthy dishes that they will eat. They rarely like what I cook. The book looks great!
Looks like a wonderful book! My biggest challenge in feeding my family well is probably the fact that they’re all pretty picky, especially when it comes to vegetables. And of course, cost is a problem too. I do make up a meal plan before I go grocery shopping each week, but this is sometimes very difficult, trying to come up with a variety of meals that are inexpensive, healthy, and that everyone will actually eat!
.-= Laura´s last blog ..More sprouting adventures. =-.
I think my biggest challenge is finding enough variety to keep me satisified. I’m a vegetarian and try to eat local and organic as much as possible, but am finding that I need to spend more time to find new recipes to change things up— and there isn’t always time for that when, as it is, it takes me a good portion of Sunday to prep my meals for the week.
I really struggle with meal planning. I have recently resolved to improve.
My biggest challenge is not being able to plan a definite dinner time because I’m never sure when my husband will get home from work. Also, trying to get dinner for my toddler before bed AND dinner for me and my husband once he’s home, which don’t always line up.
My biggest challenge lately is just planning….rather than going to the store and buying and then figuring out what we are going to eat afterwards, I need to make a meal plan first. I think we would save a lot of impulse buying that way.
My biggest challenge is time. I work full time, dh works 24 hrs. on/48 off and the two kids are in a variety of after school activities and clubs. We spend most week nights eating on the run and by the time the weekend arrives I’m trying to play catch up from the week. I need an 8th day where I can sit down and plan out meals, prep them and then have faith that I’ll have the ability to stick to the plan. We’re over scheduled, which I will NEVER do again, but I’d like to make it through this season without eating at the drive thru every night.
My biggest challenge is planning. I have 4 children under the age of 5, so I feel as though I’m constantly playing catch-up.
I think my biggest challenge is meal planning for sure. I dread that part of the day when I have to figure out what we’re all going to eat. And then I feel horribly guilty when it’s either not as healthy as it should be or not varied or just not tasty!
I posted about it on my blog sidebar.
I aspire to prepare healthful meals for my family, but since healthful primarily equals vegetable, I have yet to figure out how to make those meals satisfying. Half the time the kids (1 and 3) won’t eat them, which is to be expected of any meal, but I know that my husband and I are both going to be starving by the time we’re headed to bed, and that’s disheartening. It wouldn’t be if we were tryinfg to lose weight, but I’m actually trying NOT to lose any more weight. Maybe I could fill us up more successfully if I added more and more side vegetables, but I seem to be incapable of preparing a meal with multiple components. Every time I plan a meal with a salad on the side, I discover as I’m cooking that there is no time to make the salad. Unless I’m willing to risk the children eating my legs while I make the salad. I am not a convenience cook by any means, but when people have to eat, they have to eat!
My biggest challenge is space and finances. I am on a very limited income (due to paying off student loans
) and live in a small space. I have a 4X4 raised bed that I try to garden in but when it comes to buying more local and organic foods the price really adds up. I would love to read this book and get some more insight!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Hillary
My biggest challenge is that I’m not good at making baby steps, I want to make all these changes at once, then get overwhelmed by the cost and balancing the best deals, but not wanting to run around all over with 3 little ones, and a baby on the way. I would love this book!
My biggest challenge is a tight budget. My husband is very sick right now (has been for over a year) and his medications cost us more than our mortgage each month. I’ve gotten really good at the coupon game too so it’s so easy to get crap food for practically free. I struggle so much each month with getting crap food for super cheap or spending a bunch of money we really don’t have on good food. It’s the biggest struggle in my life as a wife and mom these days…
My biggest challenge is trying to buy quality products on a budget and also planning. I am getting better about doing meal plans but I am still not where I want to be with it!
My biggest problem is probably the cost. I have just recently begun to notice that when organic food is on sale, it can indeed be cheaper than the non-organic!
My biggest challenges are picky eaters and not really feeling like I have much of a selection. I’m not aware of different produce stands and such in my area and I just feel kinda trapped in my one store.
.-= LaToya´s last blog ..Real Food on a Real Budget Giveaway @ Simple Mom =-.
I blogged about the giveaway: http://christian-momma.blogspot.com/2010/05/real-food-on-real-budget-giveaway.html
.-= LaToya´s last blog ..Real Food on a Real Budget Giveaway @ Simple Mom =-.
Wow – my biggest challenge is TIME. With three under the age of five, late afternoon is clingy time, and trying to make real food with a crying baby, clinging toddler and grumpy preschooler seems impossible!! Maybe I should cook dinner at 5 AM – ha!!
My biggest challenge is multiple small people with different likes/dislikes and finding a healthful option for everyone – that coupled with homeschooling and a husband gone sunrise to past dinner most nights. Finding brain space to feed all of us well is hard for me. But today we lost the fourth special person in our life since January. Three out of four due to heart disease. Which has been a tremendous wake up call for me to take our family’s health by the reins, regardless of how challenging it might be.
.-= karissa´s last blog ..Multitudes on a Monday… =-.
Money is always an issue. Other times it varies from poor meal planning, going to the grocery store without a list, being too tired to get meals started, the list goes on. I guess it mostly comes down to being more organized.
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Weekly shopping & meal planning =-.
It hard for me to buy the organic fruits and veggies when I see the regulars right next to it at such a lower price.
Your book sounds wonderful. It takes commitment to plan ahead and a helping hand to motivate and teach me would be welcome.
Right now my biggest challenge is that I am 13 weeks pregnant with my third child. Food in general does not appeal to me right now, so convenience food would be so easy. Instead I am trying to prepare healthy foods for me and my family on a tight budget. It can be quite challenging.
My struggle is a mix of laziness and a lack of know-how. I’d love to read this book!
Our biggest challenge as a family is time and money. With four young children we are looking for ways to save time and money and use what we have wisely.
My biggest challenge is keeping “green” foods in the house. I live 20 minutes away from the nearest grocery store and have to really plan every excursion because I only have 1 chance to get it right each week.
Even though I live in a fairly large Midwestern city, I don’t have an organic/health food store closer than 25 minutes from me. My closest grocery store has a small organic/health section, but I find it difficult to find everything I need.
Planning. When I do it, I rock it. But I often get caught up in too many other things and just don’t get it done. I’m working hard to change that.
.-= bdaiss´s last blog ..Spring! =-.
my biggest challenge right now is having enough $$ for “convenience” foods since i’m preggo and don’t have energy to make everything I technically can.
.-= Jen @ Happy Little Homemaker´s last blog ..Book Review – The Bible Blueprint =-.
Tweeted!
.-= Jen @ Happy Little Homemaker´s last blog ..Book Review – The Bible Blueprint =-.
My challenge is time…finding the extra minutes for menu planning, weeding my (newly created) garden–trying to cook double a few nights a week.
It would be wonderful to read how one mom manages all this, and with healthy foods to boot!
Thanks!
My biggest problem is I am a vegetarian, so our the little ones, but my husband is a meat and potato kind of guy. It is always a challenge to make vegetarian dishes that the whole family will enjoy.
I have picky eaters that don’t like a lot of healthy foods. We are growing a garden this year and each child will pick a veggie to grow and plant it and care for it and I hope this will help them want to eat it!
Jennifer Jackson
Oregon
jenjackson@wvi.com
My biggest challenge, unfortunately, is laziness. But just reading this interview got me inspired. Thanks for the great article and giveaway!
My biggest challenge is myself and money. What I mean is that I have food intolerances that make it a little more difficult to plan meals and to find products that I can have. I’ve getting much better and am beginning to branch out and finding other products to use but what I’m finding is they more expensive. i.e. the organic and pasture fed foods. I love them but then the money part comes in, our budget it so tight! But again, I’m learning about saving money all the time and reading articles and blogs like this help me figure out new ideas for meals and ways to cut the cost overall on very healthy product.
My biggest challenge is meal planning. Argh!
My biggest challenge is time and also being too exhausted to cook after a long day at work. I’ve challenged myself to fill up my freezer with meals I’ve prepped ahead, but I still find time to be a BIG hinderance to this as well.
.-= Terri´s last blog ..Mother’s Day… =-.
Great article! I was just talking with a friend yesterday about how expensive (and frustrating) it is to feed your family healthy and nutritious food. Unfortunately, convenience foods can be so inexpensive in comparison.
We were also talking about how the incidents of stomach cancer are rising dramatically and it’s hard to not see a connection with how we eat.
I would love to read Stephanie’s book.
.-= Kimba´s last blog ..Favorite Things =-.
The biggest challenge for me at this time is working around food allergies for my youngest daughter and myself.
The biggest challenge I face when trying to feed my family well is finding motivation. I can talk myself out of making salads and grilled veggies with tofu just by thinking about how much easier it’d be to make grilled cheese with a can of tomato soup instead, or thinking about how much easier it’d be to use the canned and packaged items in my pantry vs. going out and buying, then preparing fresh produce. It can seem a little daunting before I get my hands dirty and my nose power energies deliciously activated from some sauteing onion.
I think my biggest challenge is that although we get a CSA box every other week, we don’t really know what we’ll be getting ahead of time, so it makes menu planning difficult.
My biggest challenge is keeping cost down. I love Stephanie’s advice from today’s post. I started putting together a weekly meal plan about a year ago when I first came to Simple Mom, it has made such a big difference in our grocery budget. I would love to win this book!
Our biggest challenge is probably finances. My husband has been basically unemployed for several months (just a few side jobs here and there), and I stay home full time with our daughter. Nourishing food is certainly a priority, but when it comes down to it, it can be difficult!
I’m in my third trimester with my second baby, and I’m currently preparing for a move, which also includes overseeing some pretty big remodeling projects. My biggest challenge is time! I wish I had the kind of time I had a few months ago to make whole foods a priority for our family. Lately we’re going out to eat quite a bit. My solution right now is to make one big meal a week with leftovers that are easily translatable for reuse in a different meal. Last night I made Mediterranean wraps with leftover couscous, garam masala tofu, spinach, fajita veggies and feta cheese.
.-= Shannon @ AnchorMommy´s last blog ..My first Mother’s Day as a stay-at-home mom =-.
Right now I would say that my biggest challenge is time. After working a 6 hour day at school, I am beat. My husband is a manager of a lab and there are always changes with staff being ill and etc. We just never seem to know what we will face each day and I find planning a challenge. Our children are grown and you would think it would be easier but frankly, I find it more difficult because I am not a stay at home Mom any longer. We do eat most meals at home and I try to cook plain meals from scratch. That does help with the money issue.
My biggest challenge is coming up with the meal plan and sticking to it. I usually don’t have all the ingredients, so I end up having to make something else, and in the end it is sometimes not the most healthy. I also teach piano in the afternoons, so I have to plan way ahead, and that is really hard for me.
Our biggest challenge is saving up for the organic strawberries. I know it’s critical for the summer fruits with soft skins, but it’s so hard to look at the prices at our farmer’s market! We try to eat to get the good stuff, just less frequently. Our dream is to grow some of our own someday.
You name it, I have a problem with it….food going bad too fast, need for easier recipes, tight budget, making something everyone will enjoy. Thanks for the giveaway!
My biggest challenge is finding organic foods that are feasible monetarily. I’m in the heartland and I have to go to several different stores over a 20 mile radius and see what different stores have that week…when I do find something it is often triple the cost for 1/2 the quantity; a challenge when feeding a family of 6 with one income.
I’d have to say that lack of knowledge is #1 for me, followed by a tight budget…would love to receive a copy of this great book!
The hardest thing for me is that I have a two year old THAT WILL NOT eat fruit or veggies… come to think of it, his dad only eats corn. I would love some new ideas on how to incorporate these healthy, vital, dietary components into our meals.
My biggest challenge is making it work on my budget and keeping the kids and hubby happy while they go to school and work and see all the processed badness that the other kids have. It was much easier before the kids started school.
My greatest challenge is my lack of cooking skills. I have a hard time making “real” meals that my husband actually enjoys eating. The “throw a can of cream of mushroom soup on it” meals I know he likes are hard to avoid. My “real” meals are often flops. It has been a pretty big learning curve for me.
.-= Debbie´s last blog ..The start =-.
My biggest dilema is trying to accommadate SIX different taste buds. Some family members like certain things and some like others, which makes it VERY hard to cook and please EVERYONE! Also trying to keep healthy food in the house is expensive, but a necessity.
My greatest challenge is a picky husband who isn’t on board with eating more real food. I’m trying to make small changes for now, like making more things from scratch (chicken stock, tortillas, bread, granola, fruit leathers) and incorporating more veggies. This is such a great giveaway! I think this book sounds fantastic, and I’ll probably order a copy for myself (assuming I don’t win, of course!).
.-= Cara´s last blog ..Strawberry Fruit Leather =-.
My biggest challenge is getting my two year old to slow down enough for the healthy dinner I made her! And getting it on the table with a newborn.
I have really picky eaters in my house – that is my biggest challenge – to find healthy food that they will eat (my husband and my 9 yr old son). I feel like we waste so much food because there are few things they will eat, but my daughter and I are just not willing to eat the same five things over and over again. It is a daily struggle with the meal planning.
My biggest challenge is budget and picky eaters equally.
Wow I really like your blog and glad I stumbled on it. My biggest challenge like many others is lack of planning and two young children underfoot. If I don’t plan I forget to take the meat out of the freezer etc etc. I do cook dinner 99% of the time. The times I tend to go for fast food or convienience foods is lunch time because I’m running errands and end up starving.
I would love to get this e- book. My husband and I are on a very tight budget because he’s going though law school right now and we are trying to keep our debt to the absolute minimum.
We’ve already found that by cutting back on quick and unhealthy foods our budget has improved tremendously. We’re actually eating healthier than when we had 4 times the salary!
I’d say the biggest challenges are: Time and Consistency. I try to make as much as I can from scratch which helps a lot but time is such an issue with a small child. Also, I try to get fruits and veggies consistently but it seems that the end of the month we’re eating more carbs (whole wheat ones but still..) and less fresh.
Any help to figure out these issues would be awesome!
.-= Rhiannon´s last blog ..What kind of mama are you? =-.
My biggest roadblock to eating healthy would have to be my own laziness and procrastination. If I stick to a menu plan I do much better. Im still learning, I would love a copy of this book, to help me get on track!
It sure feels like the biggest challenge is a money /time war. To eat healthier but cheaper foods I feel like I must shop lot’s of places for lot’s of individual items but heck, who’s got that kind of time while homeschooling 3 and keeping a home? Then, if I try to buy the purest, healthiest I can from the usual places I already need to go ( Trader Joes, Costco, Safeway) my grocery budget is busting at the seams. SO- to feed my family the healthiest possible feels like a tug of war between money and time.
My biggest challenge is when I am missing one or two ingredients that I thought I had to make a meal. Then, I run to the grocery store or Trader Joe’s for that “one thing” and end up with 10. UGHH!! We also have dietary restrictions with allergies to wheat, dairy, peanuts, eggs, and citrus in our home so trying to work through those also adds lots of cost.
My biggest challenge was depression. I’m emotionally happier now and can give more attention to our food prep. Also having a cut in pay the past few months has encouraged me to start making meal plans. I must admit, it’s so much easier now! I know I have food and don’t have to worry if we have something to eat or not at each meal. I’d love that book! Thanks, Simple Mom, for a job well done on every single post.
I give in to pressure (from myself) too easily… I menu plan, but then I waste time & “forget” about supper. I hate that, and I really want/need to stop!
The money… I just can’t figure it out!!
My biggest challenge in feeding my family well is the expensive price of organic food. I want to make the transition to organic food, but I wish it wasn’t so expensive! I think it just has to be a priority.
I think the thing I stuggle the most with is cooking for ONE! I feel like i waste sooooo many leftovers because every recipe out there severs 4 or 5 people… by the time i get around to eating them, they’ve passed their prime.
Getting myself organized and not overthinking meal-planning are my challenges. Sounds like this e-book can definitely help!
It seems like I have always meal planned, however it would take forever until I found a really great inexpensive site relishrelish.com and that really helped cut down the time I would spend on that little issue. I however noticed this last summer that with our CSA, our own community garden plots, and Farmer’s Markets that we ate really well, and the pounds just dripped off of me without having to do any extra effort. However in the winter I have packed them all back on, not because I am cooking more processed foods or anything. I am still meal planning and cooking like I always have but I think the lack of good veggies and what not have lead us down this path of just more unhealthy foods during the winter. Any ideas how to combat that?
.-= Nichole Carter´s last blog ..Tonight’s Dinner / Tomorrow’s Lunch =-.
My biggest challenge is planning. If I don’t take the time to plan out what meals to make and what I need to have on hand and then prep the ingredients, then I find myself too short on time after work and fall back on not so great convenient options or totally random meals. I know we can eat well and feel much better when we do as long as I take a minute or two to plan out for the next day, but once I get out of the habit for a few days it feels like an overwhelming task to try to get back on track. With a hungry 12 year old and a full time job I could sure use some help!
I would say my biggest challenge is getting my (almost) 4 year old to want to eat the good stuff. Until just recently, if it was green, he wouldn’t touch it! We are making progress, slowly. Thanks for the great blog post and the book sounds so interesting! I am going to go blog about it now for my 2nd entry.
My latest post pretty much somes it up…I’m swallowing my pride and giving in to the trend toward healthy eating!
.-= Carrie´s last blog ..Spring…time to git ‘er done! =-.
Definitely finances are the biggest challenge for us to eat the healthy foods we’d like.
Biggest Challenge – TIME and organization. I feel I need the time to organize….so I can save TIME. I want to do all the really “plan-ahead” things…but I can never seem to catch my breath to get there and even plan something.
Money and time. That includes trying to get the best deals by going to multiple locations (stores based on weeklies, farmer’s markets, etc).
My biggest challenge is trying to ensure that everyone in our little family – from my meat-and-potatoes eating husband, to my extremely particular 6-year old, to my adventurous 2-year old, has food on their plate that is nourishing and tasty and good for them!
I hate to cook and my husband–a French-trained chef–travels all the time, leaving me to actually do the cooking. My biggest challenge is finding food that I can cook to please my children while still being healthy and not the same thing every night. I can only cook mac and cheese and “breakfast for dinner” so many times before someone catches on!
Our biggest challenge is eating whole foods, doing it on a budget and accommodating the multiple allergies that my children & I have to foods (nuts, wheat, berries, apples, rice). I also have difficulty with “quick” and whole foods – the food I need to send to the sitter, in the lunchboxes…It feels like a full time job and we truly want to reduce the amount we spend on food.
My biggest obstacle is time! With two very active kids and a husband who are picky eaters, the last thing I want to do at the end of a long day is to cook a meal and then clean it up afterward. That’s an extra 1+ hour of my day!
We live in a big city with great, inexpensive & healthy restaurants in the neighborhood so it’s easier to just go out most nights. It’s usually quicker AND I don’t have to clean up late at night after the kids are in bed.
Taking the time to make home-cooked meals and also finances. Thanks!
I tend to get a little crazy when buying cheese. And it’s hard to sneak in more veggie recipes past DH.
I’d say my biggest challenge right now is knowledge. I didn’t grow up in a healthy family, so I didn’t grow up with the benefit of “knowing” how to make brown rice or wheat bread or even healthy eating. We just ordered out or ate convenience food. I feel like there is so much info out there that, at times, it can be daunting.
My biggest hurdle is purchasing grass-fed beef and pastured chicken. So
good but so pricey!
my biggest challenge is money!
.-= onemotherslove´s last blog ..Tiny Talk & Bluebonnets =-.
My biggest challenge is time! 3 school aged kids with various after school activities means that I have to plan my meals and cook when I can. It’s a luxury to have time to cook for more than 3o minutes! Gotta go make dinner! Hope I win!
thanks for the opportunity to win such an awesome book! my biggest hurdle is wanting so much to provide healthy, whole foods all the time, but not quite having the budget for it. so, i often find myself stretching our budget a bit too far to make this happen. i would LOVE to learn your tips and tricks! happy mother’s day!
Living on a shoe string budget in an expensive location. Groceries in general are expensive in Alaska, and off-season, fresh, or organic are even more so. I’d love to win the book to read some ideas on how to work around this!
Menu planning and time are two of my biggest challenges. It was much easier before four picky kids joined the mix! My husband travels for work and it’s frustrating cooking good food for the kids and I, only to have at least half of them refuse to eat it. Any helpful advice would be appreciated and the book sound interesting.
The time factor is a huge issue. I work fulltime and dh doesn’t cook…so there are times when I will resort to convenience foods because I’m too tired to do anything else.
.-= stacy´s last blog ..April Clutter Challenge~Update =-.
Getting my husband and especially my children to eat healthy food! Picky, picky and picky!
My biggest challenge is finding good quality ingredients that’s within my budget. Around here it so expensive for good/fresh quality ingredients. If I had the space I would LOVE to have my own garden, but alas I have no room. This is my biggest challenge. I want to make everything from scratch it’s makes me feel better as parent to know exactly what my family is eating.
My biggest challenge is my hungry 13 year old son who sometimes doesn’t appreciate our trying to eat healthy! And, real food does cost more so the title really interests me. (Otherewise I wouldn’t bother to post this!)
My biggest challenge is time. I still have our Easter decorations up and spring sports (soccer and baseball) have started in earnest!!
Biggest challenge…is making myself meal plan! Being prepared….and not wasting produce because I don’t know what to make! UGH…don’t like it when my yummy fruits and veggies go bad and I haven’t even touched them!
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