Week 37 - I will take that chemical free food to go please!

Week 37 - I will take that chemical free food to go please!

(4/27/08 - 05/03/08)

Before Jacob was born I have to admit that I would eat just about anything that anyone gave me without thinking too much about what I was eating, or how it could affect me. Anyone that even remotely doesn't live under a rock knows that the newest craze is "Eating Organic". Well this can be a very expensive thing to do. Since I am a mother to only one little angel, and am lucky enough to be able to be a stay at home mommy I have been making my own baby food for Jake since he was 5 months old.

His favorites from the beginning have been sweet potatoes, peaches, and pears. But there are other things that he likes as well. Most people might think that making your own baby food is time consuming and expensive, but in fact it isn't. I purchased a baby food cookbook (Solely for the age appropriate recommendations and spices), the book also came with two ice cube trays that have 1 ounce sections with a lid.

To let you know how NOT EXPENSIVE it is I will give you a scenario of making vs. buying. If you are looking at the 2.5 ounce stage 1 sweet potatoes (non-organic) they are approx. $.49 (let's round up to $.50), one ice cube tray has 12 sections or 12 ounces in it. So if you do that math you have about 4.8 or 5 jars of baby food per tray. I can purchase 4 sweet potatoes (average size not too big not too small) and once I peel, boil, add some bottled water, and puree it. It will fill up two and a half ice cube trays or make approx. 12 jars of baby food......if purchased that would cost $6.00 and I only spent $1.99 for the raw sweet potatoes. Add that up over months and months and you see my point. Depending on what food you are talking about you could save a little more or a little less.

I then label everything, pop them out of the ice cube trays into plastic bags and when I need them I put them in a little gladware bowl with a lid and head out! Yes it takes a little more time but once you get it made it is worth it.

Now onto the reason for this post.....I was reading the other day about organic foods and how with childhood disease, ADHD, Autism, etc.etc. people are starting to go organic and watch more closely about what they are putting into their children. I found the most awesome website: http://www.foodnews.org. They have a pocket guide (and a link to a full 45 item list) on this website. What blew my mind was the "dirty dozen"!

Well if you look at this list and you remember back to about a dozen sentences ago Jake's favorite foods are in the TOP 12!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!! I thought I was being the best mom in the world by making my own baby food and it turns out his favorite was pears and peaches!!! The WORST ONES!!! The chemicals in peaches alone are enough to make you want to scream, and enough to make me want to breastfeed until Jake is old enough to get a job, move out, and purchase his own ORGANIC Chemical Free food!!!

So this week has been spent researching organics, remaking his "dirty dozen" foods with Organic produce, and purchasing other items that are ALL NATURAL like laundry detergent, cleaning supplies (that come in contact with his toys), and just trying to be more natural.

Yes, yes, yes...I know some of you think I am being crazy, I am mean hell we grew up with metal sliding boards, gravel underneath our swingsets, no helmets, yada.....yada....but hey!! We also didn't have the crazy problems that kids these days have to face and if I can do something that will help make my son, my husband, and myself healthier then so be it!!! CALL ME CrAzY!!