Family Food Challenge

Last week I was watching a TV program with the general message of “think about what you eat” and it got me thinking. When my now 2 ½ year old Moses was younger I was very aware of the types of foods we fed him; all homemade baby food and never packed snacks. After watching Food Inc I even tried to change my eating habits however since then we’ve all drifted from our original intent. We are more lenient on what snacks he eats and I can say I’ve know I’ve made some bad decisions myself.



Jumping back to late last year our town got our first Earth Fare. Opening weekend Moses and I took our first trip inside to see exactly what is they had to offer and it was love at first site. It was large but still had a homey feel to it. They offered everything I expected plus more featuring a bulk nut section, cosmetics, and a large premade deli section which included a cold bar, fresh pizza, and massive Panini sandwiches. We were in heaven; so many samples and smiling faces and the best part was someone was already doing the thinking for me. They have a policy which includes a long list of things that are NOT in their store and have boiled it down to this simple list:

• NO hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (added trans fats)
• NO High-Fructose Corn Syrup
• NO artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives
• NO antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones or animal by-products in the feed (fresh meats & milk)
• NO bleached or bromated flour
• NO irradiated single source spices, produce or meat
• NO animal by-products in foods
• NO inhumane treatment of the animals providing us with dairy, meat, and eggs

Meaning I can walk around the store and throw things into my cart without thinking about the extras that might be added in. Ever since they’ve opened I make it a point to stop by whenever I can to pick up a few things but continued stick with my major Grocery store because it’s what I’m used to.


So putting my love with Earth Fare and my new desire to think about what I’m eating I decided to challenge my family. For one week we would center every meal on thinking about what we were eating. This was going to be a challenge for my coupon loving self because I knew a lot of times the “good for you” stuff isn’t always on sale. This was going to be a challenge for my husband because he doesn’t like to try anything out of the ordinary and lastly a challenge (or more so a test) for Moses to see if he would be receptive to the new snacks.


I created a weekly menu and shopping list then headed out to Earth Fare Saturday for my big shopping day. I took my time comparing products and picking out some already adorned favorites like Chobain yogurt and Anne’s bunny snacks. Like always it was such a pleasure shopping at Earth Fare. (I have tried to shop at the other similar store in town that has been local to the area for years but every time I go in there I get an uncomfortable vibe like I'm not welcome; after having repeated positive experiences at Earth Fare I stopped shopping at the other store all together.) For instance when I was there Saturday they had samples going on and store manager was even walking down the aisle offering samples of jelly beans for the Easter season.


We started the challenge this morning but I am going to post the days meals and opinions the following day in case we have to mix things up unexpectedly. I will say we all seemed optimistic this weekend talking about it and I even had to keep Davy away from the Earth Fare frozen pizza I bought for this weekend.


To kick start the challenge I made a big batch of bite size zucchini muffins made with healthy, thought about, ingredients and I’m happy to report Moses LOVES them.


I’m looking forward to what this challenge is going to teach our family and generally how we feel emotionally and physically by the weekend.