My New Blog Adventure!

I wanted to share with you my inspiration for this blog. When my oldest daughter (now 4) just started eating baby food I noticed that the expiration dates on those little jars was 3-4 years out. Gross! What do they put in them to make them last so long?!?! And even more importantly, Do I want that going into my precious little baby?

So, I pulled the blender out from under the cabinet and started making my own baby food. It made me feel a little better about the situation. But as she got older and started on table food and our lives got busier I apparently stopped worrying about processed food with all those additives.

What's changed now? Well, a lot! Just before our second daughter was born I made a bunch of "freezer meals" to make my life a little easier in the weeks leading up to and after her birth. I AM SO HAPPY I DID! I found that not only were these SOOOOOOO much easier and healthier but they were saving me BIG MONEY on my grocery bill. Add in the fact that the little one is almost 4 months and starting on baby food soon... and the idea to mix my "freezer meals" with much healthier, cheaper, less processed versions was born!

The other thing that has changed is our finances. We are raising 2 children ... and we don't make a lot of money. While our finances haven't changed, the way we look at them has. Right now we rent... and we want to buy a house in a good school district before the girls start school (which is just over a year for the oldest). So we have weekly "budget meetings" to get on the same page and look at ways we can cut our costs. *On a side note, this may be the healthiest thing we could have done for our marriage*.  So for me this has meant really looking at our grocery budget and trying to cut it down as much as possible. I always thought eating healthy was expensive... I'm finding out that we can make small changes that are healthier and cheaper.

I am by NO means a health freak. I'm not big on organic foods- I have a strong agriculture backround and have worked on organic, non-organic and even kosher farms and I just can't be sold on slapping the word "organic" on somethings. I am however I HUGE supporter of "buying local". The food is fresher and cheaper, you can actually meet the farmers who produce and see their passion for it and you support the local economy.

Here's a run-down of the type of things I will likely be posting here (although I make no promises!):

Freezer Meals- cut out preservatives and additives, cost break down
Recipes
Menu Planning
Crafts
Fun things to do with the kiddos
And maybe someday when we buy our house I'll post some home do-over stuff :)

I hope you guys come on this journey with me! I know so many of you are in the same boat as me and have a lot of great advice to share so please do!