We’re “starting fresh” this January, completing 22 mini-challenges in 22 days for a cleaner, fresher and healthier kitchen and grocery budget. Just joining us? Read about the what’s and why’s on the mini-challenges, as well as the previous days tasks, and jump right on in!
For the last four months of 2012, my family consumed an average of two pounds of saturated fat every week.
Isn’t that wonderful?!
It’s a little lower than I’d like it to be, but it wouldn’t be so bad if quality butter and oil wasn’t so darn expensive!
You’d think that with the nation brainwashed into thinking that this stuff is bad for you, it would be dirt cheap for the rest of us foodies to enjoy!
Pop Quiz
1) True or False – Eating butter is bad for your health.
2) True or False – Frying your food in vegetable oil is better than frying your food in pure animal fat.
3) True or False – Everything you’re reading sounds completely contradictory to everything you’ve been taught about fat.
Day 14 – Eat a Healthy Fat
Today’s challenge is to try a new, healthy fat. Wait a second, “healthy” and “fat” together in the same sentence?!
Yep, you read that right. I’m at Kitchen Stewardship today giving the for-dummies version on types of fat (both good and bad), how we’ve been misled about fat and how we can start righting our eating habits today to include healthy fats.
And I’m not calling you dummies – I’m just keeping it REAL simple. Here’s a snippet:
If we’ve ditched all the trans fat from our first Monday mission, then some of us are left wondering how to make cookies without shortening. How do we fry chicken without oil? Is tossing out trans fat a contradiction to eating peanut butter?
For every trans-fat filled item in our kitchen, there is an applicable and more than sufficient substitute. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that in most cases, the substitute is better than the original!
… We’ve been brainwashed to think that low-fat or fat-free foods are better for us than the full-fat versions. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Ponder this questions: if the fat (which is found naturally in most of these foods) is removed, what is added?
Additives, preservatives, sugar, unnecessary chemicals, toxins in some cases. It’s time to ditch the low-fat and fat-free foods that are lingering in our kitchens. Opt for the full-fat versions instead.
Head over to Kitchen Stewardship to read the whole post. It’s a great way to get an overview of the topic we’re covering after we finish the Fresh Start series!
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I’ll let you guys in on a little secret too.
One day while cleaning out more toxins from our pantry, I stumbled across two Heath bars. No high-fructose corn syrup nor trans fat listed, so they stayed. (I’m not saying they’re good for you, but there’s got to be a little bit of fun in life. ) In fact, I thought they’d be pretty good if used in place of the milk chocolate in this amazing chocolate chip recipe.
I remember how loyal reader Cathie suggested in the comments of this post to try coconut oil in my chocolate chip recipe.
Oh.My.Good.NESS! She wasn’t kidding.
If you haven’t tried coconut oil yet, start with this recipe and make these changes:
- instead of 2 sticks of butter –> use 1 stick plus 1/2 cup coconut oil
- instead of 1/2 cup milk chocolate –> use two regular Heath bars, chopped
You absolutely, will not regret it. The bonus – you’re eating one of the healthiest fats available!!
Day 13 Update
Our grocery budget aligns with our pay cycle, but the pay cycle does not align with the Fresh Start series. C’mon payroll! Don’t you know we’ve got a good thing going here?!
So while last Friday’s challenge was a two-week check-in on your grocery budget (essentially the half way mark within one month), my own grocery budget resets this coming Friday.
With 3/4 of the grocery month over, we’ve spent $297 of the allowed $330 for the month. An 8-pack of toothbrush refills from Costco ($33) and a standing order from Amazon for Cento tomatoes that I COMPLTELY forgot about ($22) are the biggest expenditures. Fortunately we had a fair bit of meat in the freezer otherwise it would be a month of pasta and soup!
Looking ahead, we have PLENTY of fruit for this week – thanks to over 15 lbs of marked down bananas and a big bag of oranges from a friend’s backyard. Our planned meals will come mostly (if not all) from what we already have in the house. Unless something huge pops up this week, the grocery budget for January is looking good!
How do you plan to incorporate healthy fat into your kitchen? Which new-to-you healthy fat are you trying next?
Answer Key: 1) false, 2) false, 3) probably!
Oh, I’m so glad you tried/liked the coconut oil in the cookies. And thanks for the shout-out! Now I will have to throw a Heath bar in there. Together we will conquer the world of chocolate chip cookies!!!!
I don’t think you have Wegman’s over there on the Left Coast, but I just found that their organic butter is only $3.70 a lb. Not great, but considering the cost of icky butter just a few months ago, I’ll take it!
Loving your posts, and you’ve (finally) got me meal planning. This is exciting. Thanks!
Yes we will!
No Wegmans.
But $3.70 is a great price for organic butter. $4.79 is the going rate ’round here. Anything less and I’m over the moon!
Way to go on meal planning! I knew you’d come around!
My husband gets SO MAD, but I REFUSE to buy spreadable butter. Granted, I also refuse to pay premium prices for butter – here in WI, a GOOD butter is $5.40 for a half pound. Sorry, no way. We’d rather use store brand butter (which isn’t bad at all) than no butter, and at $5.50 a pound, it would be no butter in this gal’s grocery budget!).
My favorite fat? Take half an avocado and smash it up on homemade bread that’s been toasted. I use the Buttermilk bread recipe from Artisan Bread in Five minutes a day, and it’s AMAZING. Sprinkle some hot sauce on it, and it’s life changing!
sometimes, I add a tomato slice when it’s in season too.
We never ate lots of bad fats – the only one I really won’t give up is shortening, but I just buy the organic stuff that’s transfat free. As often as we eat shortening based products, I’m not overly worried about it.
Our butter is expensive, but $5.40 is outrageous! There comes a point in which we all have to decide what we’re willing to invest in and what we won’t. One thing to consider is buying good butter for spreading (on bread, muffins, etc.) so that you’re getting the nutrients, but using the less expensive butter in baked goods. That was my rule of thumb (Kerrygold for bread, store-brand organic sticks for baking) until Costco stopped carrying Kerrygold. EEK!
LOVE me some buttermilk bread! Never would have thought to put avocado and hot sauce on top, but now I’m curious!
I recently gave up consuming coconut oil. I had been having horrible cystic breakouts for six months, which I don’t normally have. I eat almost perfectly so I couldn’t understand it. My husband mentioned coconut oil as being the only new thing. I quit eating it a week ago and no new breakouts and my skin already looks a ton better. So it isn’t for everyone. And yes, I was eating the good quality stuff.
I’m sorry you were having adverse reactions to coconut oil. Are you allergic to coconut? Have you tried tallow or lard yet?
Not that I was aware of. Yes, that is all I use now is tallow and lard, rendering more now.