tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post1420759982699015970..comments2011-10-26T18:34:32.979-07:00Comments on My adventures as a Mom: On my way to 80/20Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16089125690884799449noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post-959077728748140012010-11-30T20:15:27.497-08:002010-11-30T20:15:27.497-08:00Hi Melanie, I took a peek at your blog and love it...Hi Melanie, I took a peek at your blog and love it! We are also trying to move toward living a simpler life. :) Although I'm not how much we've simplified sweeteners, lol.<br /><br />Right now for sweeteners we use a few... molasses for some sauces, honey for tea, maple syrup for ice cream, less refined sugars for random things like kefir water and baking (I've tried sucanat and panela and prefer panela) and I've also used palm sugar for baking. I have found lots of different information on agave, some say it is too refined and contains HFCS. I was discussing it with my sister the other day and she has been told that you need to look for minimally processed brands and to go with clear (not blue) agave as blue is cut with HFCS. I have to look into this more as I do like agave but haven't used it for a long time, it's fantastic in homemade chocolate. :) <br /><br />It seems like a lot but they all last a long time, except the maple syrup as I make a lot of homemade ice cream. We've had a lot of fun experimenting with different sweeteners in different foods, it made it easier to give up refined sugar.Ginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089125690884799449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post-75533450403074165322010-11-30T01:20:58.439-08:002010-11-30T01:20:58.439-08:00Thanks, Gina, for the information and for the grea...Thanks, Gina, for the information and for the great link on the right, "Nourishing our Children"! I'm excited to keep up with your real food journey. By the way, what sugar/sweetener do you use now (honey, agave, less refined sugars)? Thanks again! <br />Blessings,<br />MelanieMelaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18234669148259756988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post-75600026776049847112010-10-22T09:43:47.474-07:002010-10-22T09:43:47.474-07:00SebbieDue - I'm not quite at 80/20 yet but to ...SebbieDue - I'm not quite at 80/20 yet but to me it means eating whole foods like our great grandparents did the majority of the time. Cutting out processed foods, refined sugars & oils, eating better sources of meat/eggs/dairy/produce and forgetting a lot about what have been taught about nutrition. Right now I think 80/20 in my house just involves implementing things we've learned and new recipes. We're eating more eggs, and they are from pastured chickens. We try more traditional recipes for dinner with no processed components. But I still have days where I break down and eat chips or want pizza from the local pizza place. But I'm satisfying my chocolate craving with homemade ice cream. I no longer use white sugar and traded in all the newer oils (ie. vegetable oil) for more traditional ones.<br /><br />It can be overwhelming if you try to do everything at once so I think taking little steps is important. This also gives you a chance to figure out priorities and budget constraints. For example, maybe a family can't afford or can't find lots of organic produce. Then you can look at the dirty dozen list of produce and try to buy those organic or local and not worry as much about the others.<br /><br />There is a real food community and they are an amazing resource. If you look under my Nutrition and Food Links on the side I've listed a bunch of blogs that I follow. I've gotten tons of recipes, tips, ideas and resources from these sites. <br /><br />One of the hardest things for me was that there was so much information all over the place. Nourishing Traditions is a great book to get, it has lots of information in one place about fats, meats, dairy, etc. Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food for Rookies Course has been the biggest help (http://kellythekitchenkop.com/classes/). If you can take it I definitely would. It puts all the information in one place, one week/topic at a time. It has made things a lot easier for me.<br /><br />As I mentioned above taking it one step at a time makes it a lot easier. You can focus one week on learning about good fats, another on trying to find local pastured meat, etc. This worked great for me and made me feel more confident and less overwhelmed. It also makes it more fun as it’s like little mini adventures every week! <br /><br />Good luck on starting your real food journey! Feel free to email me if you have any questions, are looking for resources or just need some support! ginasmomadventures@gmail.comGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089125690884799449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post-45183803775301821712010-10-22T09:19:42.468-07:002010-10-22T09:19:42.468-07:00Crystal - The information that you share is so hel...Crystal - The information that you share is so helpful! It was some of your posts that started the ball rolling for me. They are informative and interesting and I keep sharing them! I only wish I had started this journey before Kaiden's birth. PS. As you probably guessed it was your pastured meat info that I referred to in my farm your post!Ginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089125690884799449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post-841951949685078662010-10-22T09:02:07.315-07:002010-10-22T09:02:07.315-07:00So, what does 80/20 look like in real life? I have...So, what does 80/20 look like in real life? I have no idea where to begin this journey. Since you have so recently begun, can you share what has and hasn't worked for you?SebbieDuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08838871312031565871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581990965588000394.post-36757206981639173122010-10-22T08:56:30.127-07:002010-10-22T08:56:30.127-07:00You are doing SO great Gina! I can't tell you ...You are doing SO great Gina! I can't tell you how much reading your journey inspires me. Sometimes I question the work that I do and the message I share because it feels like no one is listening! Then I read stories like yours and I'm inspired to keep at it, so thank you for sharing your journey!Crystal - Prenatal Coachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14429569277224680373noreply@blogger.com