Whole Chicken Value Cooking

My Husband and I have been trying to keep food costs relatively low as well as getting the most bang for our buck and being able to experiment a little in the kitchen. I've talked about how much we love to make an easy dinner put of a pack of chicken wings or thighs, but I have recently discovered how much fun it is to cook a whole chicken. You can get many great meals out of it, up to five (or more!) depending on the size of the bird, not to mention some rich chicken stock to last for many more meals.

We purchased a medium sized bird from one of our local farms. A little pricey, but the quality is better than a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's chicken, although they can be good deals as well. Pastured chicken is much more flavorful and can even be slightly gamey. I like to cook it for a long time so that it has a fall off the bone texture. That takes about an hour and a half at 375 degrees. We cover it with lots of spices; sea salt, black pepper, thyme, oregano, parsley, cayenne...just to name a few. We love the skin when it is crispy and very flavorful.

We got 4 full dinners out of this one little bird. We could have been more stingy and gotten more out of it, or we could have filled up a little more at once and gotten less. Regardless, we had very good eating for almost a whole week...

The first two nights, we typically get to enjoy full pieces on the bone. Afterwards we make stews or sautes out of the meat we can pick off. And by the last night, I bake whatever is left of the bird at 350 again for 20 minutes or so and we pick every last bit we can off. And as always, we save every bone for stock making.

Dinner One:

Not sure what cut this is but it includes the wing and surrounding areas, served over veggies that were prepared in the slow cooker for two hours while the bird was cooking as well.

Dinner Two:

Thighs for each of us, served over sauteed rise and black beans (soaked and prepared in advance) with some frozen broccoli thrown in. Nice easy meal...

 Dinner Three

White meat stew, we don't love the white meat so the easiest thing to do is to chop it up and slow cook it with some veggies so it gets really soft. We had some cabbage in there that complemented things nicely. And yes, those are jalapenos in there, we like things spicy around here. Also while not local, Whole Foods has been carrying a lot of organic hot peppers recently which I have never seen before and am super excited about. We also buy some local ones here, although I doubt they are organic.

Dinner Four:

Like I said, Picked whatever we could off the bones and made a saute with the leftover black beans and some frozen broccoli and peas. This was the end of the week and we were running out of fresh veggies. I keep frozen organic veggies on hand to supplement with in a pinch. There was actually a lot of meat left over and it was so tender and delicious from the long cooking. We probably could have stretched it into two meals or had it for lunch the next day.

And nourishing stock!

Not sure why it is so dark (I don't bother to filter it that well). I actually got a mason jar and a half and froze the whole one. I even had bones left over that couldn't fit in the slow cooker and I double stewed this round of bones and plan to use the weaker stock to cook rice and beans with. So even though the whole bird was more expensive, it really gave us a lot more nutrition than buying parts separately.

I should also mention that cooking the whole bird is the only time I have ever seen any visible gelatin form. I had never seen the clear big pieces, either in finished stock or as a by-product of cooking before. The bird ends up stewing a little in its own juices and when I take it out of the fridge the next day (I just store it in the glass bowl I cooked it in) it has a nice big layer of gelatine on the bottom which I take out and add to the bones for stock making. Maybe that is why the stock is so much more cloudy?

One day it would be great to do the whole process with a whole stewing bird and get to use the liver to make a nice dinner also. I definitely could have been more creative, but we tend to keep things simple and I eat dinner after getting off of work late most nights so these meals were perfect and easy for us. Do you enjoy cooking whole birds? Any suggestions for better, easy dinners?

Lifestyle Changes Part 1: Clothing Concerns

I have been eating organic food for really as long as I have been shopping for myself. It took me a little longer to catch on to the "local" scene, but it has been already a few years since I went to my first farmer's market and never looked back. However, all these years I never really gave that much though to the clothing that I was buying and wearing. To be honest, I did give it thought, and some guilt at times; I always assumed it would be something that I would change eventually in my life and in my own time. One of the great reasons to go local is to support the local community and to ensure that farmers receive a good wage for their hard work. It makes sense that this philosophy should natural extend to other purchases one would make. However, most clothing is full of toxic materials and made in factories far away by abused worker's hands. Aside from the occasionally organic shirt from companies like H and M and American Apparel, I have pretty much worn whatever I wanted and tended to stick to big, known companies for most of my clothing.

About a year ago, I decided I would slowly start to change the way I saw clothes and how I shopped. I would not say that clothing and appearance are a huge part of my life, but I can say that I do like to feel good about the way I look every day and enjoy getting "dolled up" once in a while. I started giving myself 3 month, seasonal increments where I would not allow myself to buy any clothing. I also started shopping more for used apparel, mostly on ebay, that I could obtain for a much lower cost. I started to change the way I saw clothes. I tried to get out of the "more is better" mentality and focus on finding used clothes that I really liked and felt reflected my personal style and taste. I started going to thrift stores and trying on many different things, focusing on the way they fit me instead of whether they were the current style or color. Before long, I discovered that I really enjoyed myself and found joy in searching for hidden treasures or items that I could make work but other people may have passed over (before I would mostly purchase things online and hated shopping in stores).

By nature I am a bit of an extremist (probably no shock, as I have noticed a lot of people concerned with food issues are), so at first there was a little of a "yay! now that I am buying used clothes I can buy as much as I want!", but that waivered over time and now I am actually more frugal than ever. I should also mention that I was living in NYC at this time, which is pure thrift store heaven and it is a lot harder to control oneself while shopping there.

In addition to buying used, I also have started buying from small organic shops as well, trying to have an attitude that it is okay to buy new if it is either from an organic or "sweat shop free" company. One that I really like is Alternative Apparel (similar in style to American Apparel) that sells Alternative Earth which makes very cute organic basic tees. Also, Whole Foods recently started carrying a line called Threads for Thought which has cute inexpensive basics as well. Workout clothes tend to be the hardest because quality and fabric really matter, but I did find a company called Green Apple Active that I have been generally happy with, although they don't seem to have a lot of "high intensity" workout gear.  Things like sports bras and sneakers really should be bought new, but I tend to take really good care of them and make them last a long time so I feel less guilty about that. 

So generally that is my plan so far. It could obviously be improved tremendously. I greatly admire people who do things like make their own clothes or people who generally don't care about clothes and are okay with throwing on whatever covers them (I don't mean to sound sarcastic, I really think that is a good way to go and makes a lot of sense). I have a lot of nice clothes that I really don't wear that much as they are no good for homesteading and we don't generally go out too often, AND I wear a uniform to work, so I expect over the next few years the amount of clothes I buy will drop dramatically still. I even have a few basic tees with a couple tiny holes in them that I keep wearing. I even like it a little because I feel like I am really "wearing" my clothes and they are really my own (this is one of those "if my old self met my new self shock type of things"). I do have a little guilt over fueling the whole cycle of people buying from large companies. For example, I have a Kate Spade purse that was a great thrift store find, but by buying it am I encouraging the consignment store to keep buying them, and in turn encourage consumers to keep buying them? Maybe a little.As far as I know, there is not a lot of "local" clothing companies really getting started around here and buying domestic is probably as close to "cottage" as one can get in terms of that. But for now, I think as long as I also support some other companies who are doing good, and support thrift stores in general because they reduce waste, I think I am good with this plan for now. What about you? Did it take you a while, like it took me, to improve your outlook on clothing? What is your general plan? 

Easy Cottage Project: Baby Herb Garden

 As we do not own the house that we live in and do not know how long we are going to stay here, I have been very limited in my ability start a garden even though I yearn to. Planting in pots has been a decent alternative, so I have been starting a few little plants lately. One project I did was to start a mini-herb garden in the backyard and it has truly been a lot of fun watching the little plants sprout and grow everyday!

I purchased the seeds from Amazon, organic and only for about 5 dollars. Not my first choice of course, but I have been having trouble finding independent nurseries that sell seeds; most of them are outdoors and have no temperature control. I have heard of really good heirloom seed stores online, but I figured I would just start with something inexpensive and easy and move up from there.

I also found the pots in the shed, so really the 5 dollars and the soil that I had purchased previously was the only start-up cost I had. I really have not done much gardening so I need all the (small scale) practice I can get. I did not soak the seeds as the package suggested, partly out of laziness and partly because it is pretty humid here and I did have some good organic planting soil on hand so I figured they would be okay. Most of the seed packets say they should be about 1/4 inch into the soil so most of them I placed right on top and just lightly dusted some soil on top with my fingers. I have them tucked to the side of a fish pond that is in our backyard so they are somewhat protected by the elements. I have been watering almost everyday and waiting a day or so if we have heavy rain, which has been happening a lot here. I also protect them with an old shower curtain if the rain gets to be too much during a storm. I also have a good organic fertilizer tea that is made locally that I splash into the watering can every few days. Right on schedule, the little seeds started budding and then growing into beautiful little plants. The mustard greens started first and have continued to be the most anxious. The sweet basil also looks very lively and the cilantro and dill are catching up.

My poor sage toppled over the second day or so and some of the seeds got knocked out. They sprouted on the ground at the same time they lone survivors did in the pot. I was going to replant them but I think I will just wait and see how they little guys on the ground do.

It has actually been a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I am going to bring them into our side porch once it gets cold outside and hopefully be able to keep some going throughout

the winter. I have harvested the bigger ones a little bit; my

culinary uses may be limited  on this scale.I should have used much bigger pots to be able to cook with them every day. But it is therapeutic, if not a little bit of a pain, to trim to little baby leaves and they are fragrant enough to add a little something to stocks and dishes.

In addition to my little herbacious ones, I also am trying to keep alive two blueberry bushes that are heading into hibernation. We plan on growing some more pot-plants soon and maybe even some cold weather veggies during the winter.  What are your experiences with small scale gardening? Any advice for very limited space?

Homemade Chicken Stock: Slow Cooker and Single Diner Style

I have been using my slow cooker non-stop lately. I have a Vitaclay, which has a clay bowl. It is a natural material that is also naturally non-stick, a lovely alternative to ones that contain teflon or lead. I have a small, 6 cup one which is great for one or two people. Generally if I make dinner for myself and fill the pot all the way, I have plenty left over for the next day as well. Neither my husband or I have set schedules and he has been very busy with grad school lately that we do not always eat dinner together or at the same time; so some nights I eat alone and some nights with him, but the slow cooker is perfect for either. I have been making a lot of dinners composed of just veggies and protein in it. Basically just throwing cut up veggies, any combination I have, and adding protein on top. It is great for a number of reasons. It is the ultimate lazy dinner, as it takes very little time to prepare and only uses up a couple of dishes. I have never been one for cutting veggies evenly or developing my knife skills at all, and you don't really have to with this method. For the most part, you can cut as haphazardly as you want, making sure tougher veggies are small enough to keep up with the non-tough ones. The combinations are endless and pretty risk-free, as the flavors blend together much more than they would if everything was cooked separate. I also love the texture of the prepared foods. The way mine have turned out so far (I am sure I could experiment more and keep the veggies a little less tender), the veggies and meats are very very soft. However, they are so much more flavorful than they would be otherwise because everything is contained in the pot, making it impossible for flavor to escape. All the liquid is contained in the pot as well, and I make sure to consume all of it together to retain all the nurtrients that would be lost with other cooking methods. However, the most important thing I have made so far with my slow-cooker is home-made chicken stock. 

I could do a whole post on why you should make chicken-stock and why it is so good for you (maybe I will?), but I think for the most part it is a given. What most people might not know is the BIG problem with store bought chicken stock. They can contain added sugar, flavorings or MSG (natural flavor is an acceptable term for MSG also). They are also always pasteurized, which kills any heat sensitive vitamins. They also do not taste great and it is impossible to trace where the chicken came from that was used for it. There are of course some great recipes and "how to" guides for chicken stock from various sources, but mine is a little different because it is adapted for small spaces and single diners. 

I use left-over chicken bones from dinners I make regularly. Since I tend to buy small cuts of chicken, like wings or thighs, these tend to be small but plentiful. Larger bones contain more nutrition, and using a whole carcass is ideal; but this way works well too, and I figure as long as I consume it regularly I am getting plenty of added nutrients to my overall diet. I usually freeze the bones as I go, in either glass or plastic, and make the stock when I have enough. When I am ready, I throw the bones in the slow-cooker pot. Than I add whatever veggies I want. I think carrots and celery are always good basics. Also, any non-sulfer veggie can be thrown in. The sulfur veggies, like broccoli, tend to have an overpowering flavor when used for stock. The great thing is that you can use veggies that are just past their prime, like some wilted kale that you do not think will saute up nice. Add some garlic cloves, no need to chop, and some course cut up onion if you want. Next, I add some spices of my choosing. Lots of herbs and some cayenne pepper, as we like things spicy around here. And don't forget to add a good amount of sea salt and some apple cider vinegar, just a small splash, to help draw the nutrients out of the bones. Add pure water to just under the lid. The first time I did this, I ended up having a less-flavorful stock because I added more water than bones, figuring my yield would be small; but after discovering I had much more stock than I thought I would, I ended up cutting the water significantly the next time.

 

Side note: Pleas forgive these horrible pictures! I am working on adding good pics to all my posts soon but for now I just wanted to have something to show so I used my cell phone camera...

I set the timer for 12 hours, which in the Vitaclay means using the "stew" setting and adding eight hours to the timer. It will stay in "warm" mode 12 hours after cooking so at most you have 24 hours to drain the liquid.

The Next day, I strain the stock through a small metal sieve while saving all the bones and veggies. Normally I add the stock to a mason jar for storage. You can also freeze it if you are not going to use it within a week. The way to make it extra frugal, and what I do, is save the bones and veggies for the next batch and just "refresh" it with a little more bones and veg and then repeat the process all over again. If you want to be REALLY frugal (who doesn't?), you can add the veg to a pureed soup after you use it for stock a couple of times. The stock I end up with is not as solid as it would be if I used a whole carcass, but like I said it still has plenty of nutrients and does become cloudy and have some solid pieces in the fridge, so I know there is some gelatin in there. You could also add chicken feet to the stock to add nutrition and still be able to use a small slow-cooker. That's it! You can then use to stock for cooking or drinking. Drinking stock with protein-rich meals helps with digestion and adds flavor and nutrition. Yummy!


http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/slow-cooker-rules
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/why-broth-is-beautiful
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2011/09/bone-broth-take-frugal-to-a-new-level.html

Great Lessons I've Learned: Phytic Acid

When I started on a path towards "Real Food" a few years ago, one of the most important discoveries I made was the necessity to soak beans and grains, and sometimes nuts, to make them more easily digestible and to release vital nutrients. I do not plan on having a lot of "basics" explanation on this blog, mostly because there are so many wonderful explanations on other blogs already. However, I thought I would share my experience with soaking grains and beans because few other changes have had such a profound impact on my health.

Grains and beans are sprouted or fermented to remove a variety of compounds that make them hard to digest and that make the nutrients in them hard to absorb. Some of these compounds are; phytic acid, lectins, enzyme inhibitors, and gluten. I would like to focus on phytates because they are written about and debated a lot, and there have been many studies done that focus on them. 

What are phytates?

Phytates, or phytic acid is the storage form of phosphorus in many plants. Phytic acid not only binds the phosphorus in the plant, but will also bind with other minerals such as; iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium which makes them unavailable for absorption during digestion. According to Ramiel Nagel, who has become an expert on phytic acid, it also binds important enzymes required for the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates. In addition to phytic acid, grains and seeds also contain enzyme inhibitors which can also be neutralized by soaking or sprouting.

Mark's Daily Apple has a really good explanation of why people soak, sprout or ferment grains, as well as some good study links here:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/soaked-sprouted-fermented-grains/#axzz1l4vByg73

Also a discussion of whether fermentation is traditional is here on The Nourishing Gourmet:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/is-fermenting-grains-traditional.html

Fermentation is also supported and discussed in Nourishing Traditions, which tends to serve as an intro for many people to traditional diets so I think it is safe to say many people learn about it there first.

"The well meaning advice of many nutritionists, to consume whole grains as our ancestors did and not refined flours and polished rice, is misleading and often harmful in its consequences; for while our ancestors ate whole grains, they did not consume them as presented in our modern cookbooks in the form of quick-rise breads, granolas, and other hastily prepared casseroles and concoctions. Our ancestors, and virtually all preindustrialized peoples, soaked or fermented their grains before making them into porridge, breads, cakes, and casseroles."

-Sally Fallon Morell, Nourishing Traditions

I like this quote because, personally, I can attest that when I was studying nutrition in school, there seemed to be some mixed feelings surrounding whole grains. I think it is safe to say that the professors and students generally felt that the 50% whole grains a day that the food guide pyramid recommends is healthy. However, there was a general sense that eating too many whole grains was something that was both unpleasent (due to the fiber), and something that most people would just be unwilling to do. Also, since nutritionists often work in hospitals or for community programs, whole grains were often considered to be unavailable. In my pre-WAPF days, I was outraged by this and thought that whole grains should be the only type of grain promoted and consumed (of course this was partially why my digestion was a mess, more to come on that).

From what I understand (which may not be a ton, I admit), people do not really argue about whether fermenting grains reduces phytic acid. I found some good abstracts from studies that seem to confirm this.

One from a study using wheat and buttermilk (a good method for muffins and biscuits) : http://www.springerlink.com/content/uwt0kxw702857103/

One from lactic-acid and corn: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1983.tb14938.x/abstract

And this one is really fun because it deals with sourdough bread: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf000061g

So in short, fermentation reduces phytic acid. It does this because it activates the phytase in the grains or legumes. Basically, phytase is the enzyme that "digests" phytic acid. The acidic medium serves as a warm comforting bed for the grain and it thinks that it is safe to sprout and mature into a new plant (grains either are seeds or contain them). Phytase levels vary and it is good to have a rough idea of them because it can affect fermentation time. But all it takes is a little time and an acidic medium to enjoy your grains. That being said people do seem to argue about A)whether it reduces the phytic acid and other compounds enough to warrant being able to eat the grain and B) whether we should be really be eating grains at all.

Ramiel Nagel has a really great article where he lists the phytic acid content of a lot of grains talks about experiments he has done himself, which I think definately prove the effectiveness of fermentation. 

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/living-with-phytic-acid

He tends to be a little more "hardcore" about the fermentation process, which I think differs a little from the WAPF perspective. Only in that the foundation is a little more forgiving (of phytic acid maybe?) about soaking times and methods. Also, Nagel tends to even recommend sprouting and fermenting together, while the foundation generally does an either/or type of thing.

I think it is a very personal choice whether to eat grains or not, but for me, I choose to and I can say without a doubt that without fermenting first I would not be able to tolerate them nearly as well. When I was a vegetarian, my digestion became really bad. I was bloated all the time, especially after eating grains, and had flatulance frequently. I felt my intestines distended after eating, something very foreign to me now. The first time I made beans with the method of soaking in acid first, I felt amazing! I was not bloated at all and had no gas. I kept up this method and was soon baking regularly with soaked flour. I remember being amazed at how "not full" I felt after eating a muffin I had made. I actually think I overate carbs a little at first because I was so used to a full bloated feeling that a "lighter" full feeling confused me. I also switched from buying whole grain pasta to brown rice pasta, which is still high in phytic acid, but easier on the stomach (it is a once in a while treat now); and soaking brown rice, quinoa, or any other grain I wanted to have.

So for me, I would say fermenting grains (and legumes) has been a wonderful discovery and the best option for me if I want to keep consuming grains. 

The next post I will do from a more nutritional perspective on grains.

Losing Power, Taking a Break and Regrouping

                             http://www.freefoto.com/download/15-54-25/Storm-Clouds   Ian Britton


Recently, most of Baltimore lost power during a brief but crazy storm. I was one of the unlucky ones who actually did not get it back for about a week. Other times ranged from a few hours to a couple days. However, I was lucky in one way because my in-laws, who live very close, are fortunate enough to own a generator so they could provide us with a comfortable place to stay over and also a place we could bring our perishable food.

I would like to say that the time without power made me realize how much we, as people in the modern world, depend on having electricity. I heard a few people mention that they were surprised by this. I feel as though that is somewhat redundant though, and I have already becoming extremely aware of how dependent I am on modern living. However, it did make me long for having a more independent lifestyle. For example, I remember reading in one of Joel Salatin's books about the storage cellar his family has and how they have hundreds of jars of home canned goods and dried meats. They could probably live for months without power. I, however, had to forage through local grocery stores which were quickly running out of everything. I have been wanting to start home canning (eventually) and the extreme weather patterns that are happening are making me think that this is a project I need to start immediately! Bottom line, the experience did make me sad for not having a different life; and having moments like that actually make me sad in themselves because I end up feeling ungrateful for the good life I do have.

The truth is that I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately with all the new "chores" that I find myself doing on a daily basis now. Since we have a much bigger space than we used to (and not even a whole house at that), I find myself doing exponentially more work. More cleaning and organizing, but also more cooking and food prep. I have been able to do much more than I could, but with every increase in "food quality of life" comes a decrease in my free time. Lately, I have been making slow-cooker chicken stock, homemade ice cream, and tons of soaked beans and grains (a process I have been doing for a long time, but now I can do a lot more at once and save it). Also, still maintaining my water distiller; cleaning and refilling. 

As I am writing this I am wondering if I sound very "complainy" (and after saying how I hate feeling ungrateful...ooops). But the truth is that I would not trade any of it. I love having more space. The closer my husband and I come to owning our own home, the more I realize how much I deeply want one. Homemade chicken stock is really one of the most nourishing, good-for you things you can make and an easy way to add nutrients to other dishes. And for homemade ice cream, forget it, I would not give it up for anything! I feel like I started on this path a long time ago and have to keep trucking down it, as there is no way I am turning back now. In fact I plan on just keep adding more, starting with bread making very soon.

All in all, the break from all this when the power went out was not exactly unwelcome. It made me think that I may have to incorporate some breaks in for myself along the way. For example, doing a lot of prep one week so that I don't have to the next week. Or making things in large quantities and freezing them. All things many other people do who have much busier lives than me! But alas, I am still learning. There are so many great blogs out there from people who are "doing it all" and maintaining a great home life while raising kids and/or working. There is also the other side of it, which is what I used to do, which is dealing with a small space and having to buy a lot of things and the frustration that can come with that (finding good products, high cost etc.)

So I assume we are all just figuring it out...but I would love for this to really become an advice blog and a place for people to share their struggles, so any comments would be greatly appreciated!

The True Cost of Foods

I recently came across this article about food costs in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics daily newsletter (formerly ADA) about the cost of healthy food versus unhealthy food:

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science/Academic-Sorry-USDA-but-more-nutrient-dense-diets-do-cost-more 

The article was a rebuttal to a study done by the academy in which they measure the cost of healthy food, not as price per calorie which has been done in the past, but as price per portion, edible weight, or cost of meeting their dietary guidelines. 

The study provides a good discussion of all four methods of measuring food cost and I think the authors make a good argument as to why studies that compare only cost per calorie were essentially useless in determining the overall healthfulness of a food. However, the study is based on a few very important and, I feel, incorrect things:

1. They assume that in order to eat healthy, one must follow either the USDA dietary guidelines or the My Pyramid guidelines (essentially the same thing in a different form)

2. Because of #1, they define "unhealthy foods" as those containing excess saturated fat, sugar or sodium.  

3. They are assuming that everyone in the country shops at a grocery store, not only that, but a "normal grocery store" ie., not one that would specialize in healthier foods, such as Whole Foods. The food prices came from a food price database, which of course would eliminate the wide range in cost of living and food prices all over the country.  

The study found that, following their guidelines, healthy foods can cost less than unhealthy or "moderation" foods as they call them. The above article was based on another study conducted around the same time. The authors of that one used food frequency questionnaires (because we all know how reliable they are) in the Seattle area and then measured the cost of each meal consumed by the participants. The idea behind that study actually makes more sense to me, but of course they are using the same guidelines for "healthy" foods. 

  

      Of course, neither of these really apply to me, or people who choose to follow a similar diet as myself. But the articles highlight what is wrong with the way we look at food cost. Besides my problems with the government's idea of healthy food, there are also other factors that affect the way we perceive food cost. For example:

1. The true cost of food, anyone who has studied factory farming or big agriculture can tell you that the cost to the land is enormous and that the cost of FF food does not reflect that cost.

2. The cost of labor, you may pay more for food from small farmers but you are supporting their family as well. Instead of buying food from places that pay their workers poorly or treat them badly, you can give that money to farmers who pay their workers a fair wage and provide a good life for them.

3. The lower cost of health care: If you eat better, you are almost guaranteed to be less sick later in life. It is one of the most simple laws of nature. Your children will benefit as well and be sick less often.

4. The authors of this study, and ones like it, and not really comparing "food" they are essentially comparing "food" with "non-food" items such as processed food. Once I started to think of those items as non-food, ie. not providing anything your body needs, these comparisons became (even more) useless.

      So if you are convinced to pay a little more for higher quality food, what is the best way to keep food costs down? Some ideas that I would like to see promoted by the government are:

1. Encouraging people to grow their own food- probably one of the most, if not the most, important thing people can learn how to do to keep food costs down. You can even promote an even more cottage mentality by encouraging neighbors to grow food together or take over city plots that have been abandoned. Growing your own herbs can add flavor to foods while eliminating the need for store bought spices.

2. The keeping of livestock or chickens- chickens need very little room, even to be considered pastured and eggs are really one the healthiest foods. Of course the meat is also nourishing, but keeping laying hens could also be just as important.

3. Cooking from scratch- In my opinion, there is no cheaper way to cook. It may take more time and energy, but there are plenty of ways to make it easier, such as slow cookers or cooking a large quantity at once.

4. Promoting foods that can be inexpensive but nutritionally dense such as butter. Butter is an incredibly healthy food, and even if you can not get the best (organic, grass-fed), you can still reap some of the benefits.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/07/why-is-butter-better.aspx

      As I have been between jobs recently, my husband and I have been trying to be very frugal in the way that we eat. We have been eating lost of chicken; unfortunately not local but organic none the less. We have been making veggies stretch further than we normally would and finding some good deals on local produce, both at Whole Foods and at local stores. We bake the chicken with spices and a little olive oil (bought in a large container at a good price) and then use the fat that drips down as a sauce for the veggies along with a little butter. This is an incredibly nourishing and satisfying meal that costs very little. I think you could even skip the olive oil and just use the chicken fat and make it even less expensive. I save the bones and make stocks in my slow cooker when I have enough, reaping even more nutrition from them. Last week we tested whether we could go without buying bread (I am going to start making my own soon but have not gotten in the habit yet), and had our local eggs in the morning with rice and beans instead. Very cheap and delicious!

      I have thought a lot about what I would do if suddenly pressed for money. I think grains would probably be the first thing to go, as I do consider them a luxury because they can be expensive and time consuming to prepare. With them would go homemade sweets. I think proteins and veggies would be most important. Buying seasonally of course helps a lot, even with meat (chickens in spring and summer, beef in winter). And of course sticking with the (I think better) cuts of meat that are very frugal, such as chicken wings and thighs. I think staying away from the grocery store would also save lots of money!

What do you do to keep food costs down and do you agree/disagree with me?

* One of my favorite bloggers keeps a healthy dollar menu on her blog, contributed to by other talented bloggers:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/category/nourishing-frugal-recipes/the-healthy-1-menu