Here we go...

I was raised a lacto-ovo vegetarian-- aside from obvious vegetarian foods (plant-based), I eat eggs and dairy.  When our first daughter was born, my husband and I decided we would raise her (and any subsequent kids) l-o vegetarian as well.  We had a number of reasons for this from health (we're terrified of all the antibiotics and additives found in so many meat products ) to practical (as someone who has never intentionally eaten meat or meat products in my life, I can't prepare meat for anyone else to eat either- I've tried and it's been pretty disastrous).  My husband does eat meat, just not in the house.

Like most moms, I struggle with finding healthy foods that appeal to my kids- Maia will be 4 this August, and Cecily just turned 1.  Both can be picky eaters.  Additionally, Maia had three bouts of pneumonia this past winter.  We're working with some specialists at Boston Children's Hospital to prevent any recurrences.  We're also doing everything we can to improve her health- from making sure she gets enough sleep to trying to improve her immunity and overall health from the foods she eats.

I have a few rules when it comes to our food- I won't buy anything containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (I've done lots of research on HFCS and I really think it's bad stuff) or added Trans Fats (some food items, such as butter, have trace amounts of naturally occurring trans fats.  I'm okay with these, but I avoid anything with the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list).  I try to avoid refined flours and refined sugar whenever possible (though I do believe in a fabulous chocolate chip cookie now and then).  I try to only buy dairy products that are RBST (the growth hormone given to cows to increase their production- there is a fair amount of research linking RBST to early puberty in girls, as well as some other health issues) free.  I buy organic when I can, though I sometimes prefer "conventional" (in the case of granny smith apples for example), and it can also be prohibitively expensive.  Lastly, I try to use as many ingredients as possible from the fabulous book: 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by David Grotto (it's really an outstanding book).

As a result of these rules, I do the majority of our grocery shopping at Whole Foods, with some occasional trips to Trader Joe's.  It's crazy how much money I spend on our food, and I'm determined to get it down.  I've tried shopping at other stores (Shaw's, Stop 'n Shop, Market Basket) but I often end up spending more at one of these on our basics (organic soy milk, one of our staples, is considerably cheaper at both WF and TJ than at any of the others), and I can't always find what I want (RBST-free butter that is not organic for example).  I also don't have the time, energy, or patience to make multiple stops at various stores, particularly when I'm doing the shopping with the kids.  It's not rare for me to spend at least $150/week on groceries.  My goal is to see how low I can get this...