Real Food Confessions: Katie of Riddlelove

Today we have Katie from RiddleLove to share her real food confessions!

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

I started cooking “real food” seven years ago.  Although I’ve always cooked from scratch, traditional cooking was a huge change from instant yeast, white flour and sugar.  I wanted this change to be permanet so I’ve been baby-stepping it to a total real food kitchen ever since.  Now I make our own sourdough, milk and water kefirs, kombucha, creme fraiche, and soak all the grains, nuts, and seeds we eat.  Baby steps!

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

I’ve taken a break from making sourdough loaves and am sticking with other quicker and easier sourdough breads like English muffins, pancakes, crepes, and the like.  My loaves are always really dense and it’s hard to get my family to eat them.

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

Like I said, it’s taken me a  l o n g  time to get here, but I am up to making 90% of what we eat.

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

Chocolate chips.  My criptonite.

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

We just had our fifth baby and when this mama doesn’t get enough sleep, we have been known to drive through In-N-Out (a local burger joint) on occasion.  Eek.

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

I won’t compromise on milk.  We have been buying raw milk from grass-fed cows from a nearby family farm for over two years now, and have had the least-sick cold/flu seasons ever since.  If we go on trips, I either freeze some and bring it, bight the bullet and pay up the wazoo for some at a health food store, or we simply do without until we return home.  I also bring jars filled with sourdough starter, kefir grains, and kombucha scoby and feel like quite the mad kitchen scientist that can’t let go of her work.

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

Eat as real (and as simple!) as you can at home.  That way, when you’re invited to a Standard American Diet gathering, you can eat whatever you are served without having to freak out.  We do our best to nourish at home, but no one likes a food snob and we teach our children to embrace a thankful spirit when we are offered food; even if it’s not something we are used to eating.

Katie has been happily married to singer/songwriter/pastor Jeremy Riddle for thirteen years and counting.  After living in a fifth-wheel for nine months to get out of debt and save for a home, they now live on a mini-ranch with their five home-schooling children where they raise sheep, chickens, barn cats and guard dogs and are starting an orchard and large garden.  Katie began her real food journey seven years ago and strongly believes in baby steps when it comes to permanently changing diet and lifestyle.  She writes about her adventures as a new homesteader, shares weekly menu plans, recipes, and family goings-on at her blog, Riddlelove.