Fresh is Free

Sometime back at the beginning of the summer I got tired of the girls constantly begging for snacks.  10 minutes after breakfast, they were hungry.  Immediately after waking up from nap, they were hungry.  As I was making dinner, they were hungry they couldn’t stand it!

And I got tired of constantly arguing with them over whether or not it was time or what they were allowed to have.  I’ve always tried to steer them towards healthy choices.  I keep things like cookies, crackers and chips in the house but I’m not sure why; I never let them have them (truthfully, I indulge on them during nap time!)  The struggle became constant, though, and overwhelming.

So I came up with a new snacking rule: Fresh is free.  They are free to have any fresh fruit or vegetable in the house, pretty much any time they want.  I do veto certain items that I have specifically for a meal and I do try to hold them off if we are nearing mealtimes.  But I figure even if they do ruin their meal, at least it was with something healthy.

And they’ve loved it.  They love the freedom to eat whenever they think they’re hungry.  They love the freedom of being able to choose what they want to have.  And I love not having to argue with them about it anymore.

But then I started having to go to the store a couple times a week just for fruit and vegetables because we kept running out.  I’d heard about different produce co-ops and had looked into a few but never jumped on board but when the opportunity arose to help a fellow local blogger by joining Annie’s Buying Club, I decided to go for it.

We’ve been on a bi-weekly schedule for pick-up and yesterday we got our third box.  I’ve tried a few different options (selecting a smaller box this time since the kids and I will be traveling) and while I’ll admit I was a little disappointed when I picked up my first box, I’m not sold on the idea and a happy member!

At first, the amount of produce I got seemed a bit small for the price, but each of the first two boxes lasted me almost the entire two weeks with me only having to top up on a few things towards the end (which isn’t a huge problem since I have to do regular milk runs still!)

Everything we get is organic, which truthfully I don’t usually buy, so for what I’ve figured to be a comparable price, I’m getting a lot better quality produce.  And because it is direct from the grower, it’s fresher, in season and lasts longer so I’m not throwing anything away (even after two weeks or longer!)

It’s also given us more variety and the opportunity to try new things.  I’m definitely one to get stuck in a rut.  I tend to stick with the things I know and that we like.  It’s not that I don’t like to try new things (in fact, just the opposite, I LOVE trying new things) but I don’t always have the time, patience and creativity for new things so having a box of things I’ve never cooked (and some I’ve never even HAD) before forces me to be creative, try new things and push out of my own box!

I now look forward to seeing what is going to be available in my next box and plan new meals.  I enjoy seeing my children try new things and actually enjoy most of them!  I like knowing that we are eating more healthfully and that I am instilling great life-long habits in my children.