The Real Stuff

The Real Stuff, originally uploaded by trey_corene.

Eating only real food is challenging in our culture. Cooking from scratch, though rewarding, takes extra time, something most of us do not have an abundance of! However, you can make small changes in what you buy at the grocery store with little effort. It simply involves choosing foods that are "real" instead of their "fake" counterparts. You may need to read labels the first time to become aware of which products have no added chemicals, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, etc., but in future shopping trips you it won't take any longer because you will know what is REAL. That sounded like something from the Velveteen Rabbit, but oh well.... Here are a few examples:

--1/2 and 1/2 instead of liquid or dry creamer
--peanut butter that is just peanuts and salt
--pure maple syrup, not corn syrup and flavoring
--whipping cream that you whip at home, instead of cool whip
--plain yogurt, that only says "cultured milk"
--just popcorn, not the microwave kind
--Newman's brand salad dressings, or better yet, make your own

If your family doesn't care for the flavor of plain yogurt, stir in a teaspoon of honey or jam. If you're missing your pumpkin spice flavored creamer, make your own with heated milk, a spoonful of pumpkin puree, a little sugar or honey, and spices. I realize that real maple syrup is expensive, but the cheaper fake stuff is not good. You could serve it less frequently or use fruit and plain yogurt as a topping instead.