Real Food Confessions: Lisa of The Home Life {and Me}

How “into” real food are you?  (how long have you been doing it, how many different foods do you make from scratch, etc.)

My husband and I have been on a real food journey since 2009. It was around that time that I got serious about addressing my issues with gluten. Along the way, I discovered issues with all grains and dairy (but not raw dairy, I’ve found) too. Taking those items out of my diet led me to exploring the Internet for help, and lo and behold, I just kind of naturally moved more and more in the direction of real food to improve my health.

As for right now, I’d say we’re really into real food. My husband is a chiropractor, so we take it seriously that we need to live by example. I source all of our food, make the majority of things from scratch, and keep myself updated on new food sources, recipes, and techniques. It’s by no means the number one priority in my life, but it’s probably in the top 5.

What is one food you just can’t make yourself? (even if you’ve tried a lot…!)

I’m not a kitchen expert, and I shy away from recipes, techniques, and/or ingredients that I’m not familiar with – but I’m working on it. So one thing I haven’t done yet is enter the world of fermenting. I think I’m still intimidated by the process a little bit, and I’m so busy that it’s hard to schedule time in to master something new. Someday though!

How much of what your family eats is *really* homemade? (vs. storebought, restaurants, etc.)

I’d say we’re about 75% homemade around here. Sometimes I still buy condiments (organic ones with ingredients I recognize), if I don’t have time/have forgotten to make my own. And I keep easy-to-grab snacks around like Larabars and such. We don’t eat out often (mostly just when we’re traveling), but there is a local burger place that has quality meat and uses better oils that we’ll sometimes grab a (bunless) burger at.

I’m happy with where we’re at. I’m always learning and implementing, but I feel like this is a good place to be at given how busy our lives are at the moment.

What is one junk food or processed food your family still eats?

My husband has a thing for potato chips, so he gets a bag of those every once in a while. I’m a chocolate girl, so organic chocolate bars (most of the time soy-free though!) make an appearance in my house sometimes.

What is the worst thing your family’s eaten in the last few months?  Why?

We’ve been traveling a lot over the last few months, and the food decisions we’ve made haven’t always been pretty. I just got back from a bachelorette party weekend where I drank my fair share of sugary alcoholic drinks and ate a massive Reuben sandwich (Thousand Island dressing and all). My body reminded me later why I don’t do such things anymore.

It’s hard to be 100% all about real food when you’re traveling. We never want our food views to become a sore spot for family or friends or make it seem like we think we’re superior. So we strive to make the best decisions in the situations we’re in (most of the time!), and we don’t lose sleep over it because we know we’ll soon be back home where we can control the situation.

What’s one area where you won’t compromise, no matter why?  Why?

I absolutely won’t compromise on the quality of meat I buy. I know too much about conventional meat now to ever go back, and we eat so much of it that it needs to be superior quality. Luckily, we live near lots of farms and I have great sources for everything.

What’s your best tip for eating real food in the real world?

Be on track at home, but when you’re out and about – just make the best choices you can. I’ve found that if you lead by example (instead of lecture to death everyone around you), people will naturally ask questions and be interested.

Lisa Morosky is a Christ follower, a proud wife, a homemaker, and a real foodie living in Northeast Ohio. You can find her atThe Home Life {and Me}, where she blogs about creating a simple, natural, faith-inspired home life.