The Beginning

When I was in kindergarten, my favorite food was barbeque ribs. Twenty-three years later, I'm still a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I eat vegetables because I feel like I have to, rather than actually wanting to. I am hoping that by the end of this "experiment" that will change. I'm also hoping that by going public with this, I'll be more determined to stick it out.

Basically, here is what I am going for:

1. Eat less meat. Not only for health reasons, but also for environmental/emotional reasons. We all know Big Macs aren't good for you, and we all know that a cow had to die for that burger. I'm not getting into that stuff.
 -One of the ways I plan to accomplish this is by having at least three vegetarian days a week. Eventually, I would love to find an actual home farm to purchase eggs, milk, and meat from. Location and finances will determine whether or not that's actually a viable option.

2.  Less processed food. Oreos are vegan, but obviously that doesn't mean they're good for you. I want to do my best to avoid foods with unknown ingredients, and to make homemade versions of the things I can't find without weird words.

3. Do it on $100 or less per week. Depending on the family, and where you live, $100 is either a whole lot of money to spend in a week, or an impossibility. We're a family of two adults, and three kids (6, 3, & 8 months). While we can definitely live off of less than $100, I feel like it's a realistic goal for all the fruit and veggies I want us to be having. (That hundred also covers things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies)
 -Each week I'll post how much I spent and an overview of how I spent it.

 4. Find food the kids will actually eat. My kids vary in pickiness. The baby will eat anything, my oldest will try anything, and the middle one loves mayonnaise, fruit, and not much else. I lean toward "if they're hungry enough they'll eat it" but I don't want every meal to be a fight.
I think my rule will be that they have to at least try it, and if they really hate it, then they can have a peanut butter sandwich.