Food Budget, The Beginning

I am passionate about providing the best possible foods to my family.  For me, I define "the best" as fresh, local, organic, whole, real food.  I also know that this can be intimidating to many people.  It can seem daunting to prepare all your food from scratch.  I understand that people have busy lives and do not have the time to spend the whole day in the kitchen to prepare one meal.  I also know that it can be hard to get your family to try and like new foods.  I also know that it can be expensive to eat this way if you do not understand how to make it work.

For the month of September I am going to follow a food budget plan.  I am going to show you how I make it work for my family.  I have set aside a budget of $20 per person/week as my food budget.  We are a family of 5, so that means for $100/week and $400 for the month I will feed my family primarily all fresh, local and/or organic foods.  I will provide recipes, cooking tips, budgeting ideas and shopping resources along the way.  I will also be doing this in a way that is accessible to the average family.  I came up with this budget because it is actually less than the amount a family would receive from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps) in the State of Oregon if they are receiving full benefits. According to Oregon DHS, the average person receiving full benefits on SNAP, receives $25 per person/week.

If you have any questions along the way, please post a comment to the blog and I will answer.  I hope to be as detailed as possible.

Welcome to my Food Budget Journey!

Food For Thought Stand-In

I had the opportunity to participate in the Food For Thought Stand-In in downtown Salem tonight.  This was sponsored by Women Ending Hunger and the Marion Polk Food share.  The goal was to get 3,700 people standing along a street in downtown Salem to represent the 37,000 children in Marion and Polk counties that are eligible for free or reduced price lunches at school because their families are living in poverty.  Sometimes this is their only meal of the day.  This is such an important topic.  I stood in line with two of my children holding our plates.  A small gesture to represent a huge problem.  The goal of the Stand-In was to raise awareness of this issue.  I hope it made people think as they drove home and prepared dinner for their families.

As a family, we recently did a small gesture to help the Marion Polk Food Share.  We threw a party to celebrate the 1st birthday of our son.  We asked the guests to each bring a can of food instead of a gift for our son.  This small request resulted in over 100 pounds of food being donated.  With almost no energy we did something positive for somebody else.  This donation is the gift that we will remember from his birthday, not some toy that will be forgotten about in a few months.

Imagine the possibilities if more people created their own food drive!

Introduction

So who is The Mama Verde?  I am a wife and mother who is just trying to make it all work.  I am passionate about decreasing my footprint on Planet Earth, feeding my family the best that I possibly can, doing this all on a budget and having some fun along the way.

I was raised with a strong influence from my Grandparents.  I was taught from an early age where my food comes from and how to respect the land that we live on.  I was raised with fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden, grass fed meat, fresh eggs and real bread.  This was not a political statement from my grandparents, but rather a way of life that was financially frugal and comfortable since it was the way in which they were raised.  I learned from an early age how to preserve food, make bread and how to make due with what was available.

When I had my first child it all started to click in my mind.  I wanted her to have the best and I quickly realized that the best was not necessarily from a store.  It was prepared with love and attention to nutrition.  The processed foods were quickly out of our house.  No white flours or sugars.  Food was made from scratch.  I started to dabble in cloth diapering, making my own cleaning products and removing the plastics from our house.  I have come so far over the years. 

I became passionate about birth work and have supported many families as a birth and postpartum doula.  Many families asked me about ways to make their homes healthier, what products to use on and around their new babies and budgeting advice.  I saw so many families that were desperate for this information that I felt was so basic.  The idea for The Mama Verde was planted.

I have sought out training in all things "green."  I have been trained as a Master Recycler, Master Food Preserver and Healthy Home Ambassador.  I am constantly reading and researching to expand my knowledge.  I am passionate about fresh, local and organic food, supporting my local economy and making my home as healthy as possible.

I am also a realist.  I know that I will never incite change if this change is seen as drudgery.  I want to show how easy it is to make small changes that can have a large ripple effect on your life.  I want homemaking to be fun.  I want to introduce you to new foods that will decrease your budget and waistline and taste great at the same time.  I want you to learn along with me.

Welcome to The Mama Verde...Adding The Spice To Going Green!