Real Food Meets Real Life: Eating Up the Pantry Angst
In many ways I consider myself a practical gal. I grew up with brothers and a lot of positive male figures in my life and always felt more at home surrounded by the straightforwardness and practicality that men often possess.
So I believe in real food because it makes sense and when you boil down all of the mumbo jumbo it is simple, practical, and a part of God’s creation.
On the other hand I believe I was born to be a wife, a mother, a helpmeet, a keeper of the home… a nurturer. So I believe in real food because it nourishes and nurtures my loved ones and the creation and preparation of the end product is an act of love and service for my family.
I am full of contradictions, don’t ya know.
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So, here we are at the beginning of August and I am faced with the very practical reality that we are moving our life across the country in an 8×8 trailer in, um, six weeks or so. And there is a collection of food in our pantry – grains, beans, canned and dehydrated goods – that need to get eaten up because there simply isn’t room for it all.
And then there are these test results that I recently became privy to that declare that I must avoid all xenoestrogens (hello canned food) and insulin-producing foods (I’m talking to you grains). So, in light of nourishing this little growing person inside of me, I will not be joining my family in all of their pantry-based meals like I had once thought.
My original plan of just eating through the pantry this summer and saving the grocery money for after our move doesn’t appear to be as practical as it once did.
So in this installment of real food meets real life I declare that things are often more complicated than just eat this, not that. Sometimes you have to eat foods that you wouldn’t buy now, but sit in your pantry awaiting your table nonetheless. Sometimes you have to live in the real world and simply roll up your sleeves and use what you have.
I have this theory that to truly be able to eat real, nourishing foods you have to either be willing to spend lots of money on it or live an agrarian life in which you just do the work yourself.
The past few years we have lived somewhere in the middle of these two "classes". As we transition to the latter I find myself in a sometimes awkward position, making choices based not only on where we are, but on where we are headed.
I guess real life is just more complicated than a set of dos and do nots. And so are the circumstances behind the choices we make.
There is probably a food bank or shelter in your area that would happily take anything that is unopend, and give you a tax deduction receipt. just a thought.
I am facing the same dilemma; do I use up things we have that are part of our “old” way of eating even though I feel they are less healthy, or do I throwaway/giveaway perfectly good food? We are in a budget crunch this summer so I have been sparingly using what we have, and am trying to take comfort knowing that going forward we will be eating better.
We are in the process of moving to the agrarian life in just a few weeks as well. We have been in limbo for several months now of waiting and what not and eating out way too much and not using our regular food items as we haven’t been in our own home for those months as well. Its hard to do the dance of not offending, not making your own stuff the way you’d rather do it and trying not to cringe every time I open another can or box or package of the available food in our living situations. There is hope in tomorrow, for health will come in it’s season…we’re just all a little excited for finally being “home.” in the meantime, we are pounding back the expensive kefir and trying to get our guts in order….it’s been a long road.
I try to stick to the 80% rule – to aim for feeding my family well 100% of the time while recognizing that I will probably only reach 80%. This allows me to not freak out about the birthday cake with sugar and strange food dyes or the Gatorade my friend gives the kids. However, in my home, I find that the 20% often comes at the end of the month when the remaining food budget is low.
I’m assuming the insulin thing is to avoid gestational diabetes but what test showed you have to avoid canned foods? I’m curious because I’m expecting too.
Sorry it’s proving so much more difficult to eat up that pantry. It will most certainly all be worth it once you are moved, but getting there always has to be complicated, doesn’t it?
I’m sorry it’s so complicated right now. Curious, too…I thought home-canned or BPA-free canned foods were fine except somewhat less nutritious.
I did not realize until recently how not-so-good canned foods are. Fresh produce and such is much better taste-wise and nutritionally than most foods that come out of cans.
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I think times like this are to remind us to make sure our IDEALS don’t turn into IDOLS. Natural eating can very easily become something we do at any expense. Even if it means wasting what the Lord has already provided. There is no reason to feel bad if you have to set aside some better-placed ideals while finishing up the last of the food in the pantry. It should be eaten with the same thanks as a meal cooked fresh with homegrown ingredients.
You know, I love these posts more than any others. Where we all get real about what we can and can’t accomplish during certain life seasons.
What you say here is so true:
I have this theory that to truly be able to eat real, nourishing foods you have to either be willing to spend lots of money on it or live an agrarian life in which you just do the work yourself.
In fact I’m writing something along those lines right now. You pay for it somehow, either in labor or cash. Either way, it’s your labor really.
Thanks for this Shannon…I am feeling the same right now…expecting #4…trying so hard to eat well, but still suffering from nausea…
We are also trying to save, save, save. I am finding that really difficult right now with pregnancy cravings and food aversions! But I must! I have tons of beans, grains, etc. in my pantry. Really need to buckle down and use them up!
“I have this theory that to truly be able to eat real, nourishing foods you have to either be willing to spend lots of money on it or live an agrarian life in which you just do the work yourself.”. I’m in a terrible place where I can’t grow much of my own food or have chickens or a cow. I have a small yard in Phoenix and the sun has fried my entire summer garden. It’s so depressing. So I have to pay big bucks for mediocre food while dreaming of a mini-farm in a normal climate.