My return...the beginning.

So, here I am again...have taken too much time off from this blog, was way too busy for my own good, and in just three short days will have way too much time on my hands with both my kids at home from school for the summer. I have begun to make plans for us in my head. We *will* visit the library every week. We *will* contact friends to meet at the local playground to get wet in the water play area. There is no way we will be bored this summer!

I have also been planning and scheming about our meals and eating habits this summer. I will have extra time! I can try new things without having to worry about when DD needs to be at dance!

So, I am getting ready to start a new food adventure: clean eating. This is basically a shift away from processed foods and towards homemade items and simple ingredients. No more sugared yogurts, granola bars, boxed mac and cheese...lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains. This is a no-brainer. DH needs serious food help and the kids and I need to eat more fruits and veggies, and I think this will be the summer to do it.

I found a blog all about clean eating that includes some great recipes: www.thegraciouspantry.com. I will let you know if I find more...but this seems to be a great start. She has ideas for 30 ways to do oatmeal. There is a crock-pot chicken and dumplings recipe. This is great.

Almost immediately you are probably thinking, "But Katie, now you won't be able to use coupons! Your grocery bills will be OUTRAGEOUS!"

I am here to reassure you that I will still attempt to remain within or below my budget. I may not be able to use as many coupons as before, but I can concentrate on saving money on personal care items. And I can buy produce in season to get the best prices.

That is why I am strongly considering purchasing a subscription to a CSA farm. I tried this last summer, too, for a short time. (CSA = Community Supported Agriculture.) A box of fruit and veggies comes from a couple small organic farms in Temecula every other week. Last year the price per pound was about $1.80. That's pretty good for organic produce! This is highly seasonal produce; you can't choose what you get. But that can be good for kids who don't know any vegetables beyond corn and broccoli. It was like Christmas every time we got that box. We learned about passionfruit, Armenian cucumbers, and heirloom tomatoes. We discovered that the kids love cucumbers dipped in ranch because of the CSA box. See? I have already convinced myself to subscribe again. You can check it out: www.inlandempirecsa.com

So I will let you know how my menus go this summer. I will expand the menus listed here to include breakfasts and lunches too. I will show you how much I spend. Do you have more time this summer? Make that budget. I can help. Start making meal plans. Use mine. You've got three months. It takes 66 days to form a habit. GO!

--Katie