Welcome!

Welcome to Fresh & Frugal. I am so excited about this new endeavor, though also a little nervous. I am putting a lot of pressure on myself about this, mostly because I think it is so important. I really hope to be able to share some valuable information with all of you, in a light-hearted and easy-to-read forum.

In this blog, I will share with you my family’s experience as we begin the transition to a healthy and sustainable diet consisting primarily of fresh and organic food, and ultimately food that is local as well. As I research and experiment in the world of sustainable food, I will share my experiences in various markets, local farms, new recipes, and more.

The food choices we are making today as Americans are misguided, I believe, and I hope to inspire change in my friends, family, and strangers alike. I want to prove not only to YOU, but to MYSELF, that this change can be achieved with only a little more effort than one already puts into grocery shopping, and also on a budget. (A modest budget, at that.)

So let me tell you what sparked this whole venture in the first place. Have you seen the documentary “Food, Inc.”? Well if you haven’t, you should. That’s all I have to say about that. What a great film. I’m generally a sucker for a good documentary anyways, but this one was so relevant to our everyday lives, I think it should be required viewing for anyone who purchases groceries. I was pregnant at the time I saw it, so I was even crazier than I am normally. I went on a serious rant to my mother after watching it vowing that I was going to make all these changes and purchase organic/free range/local everything from there on out. That was about 9 months ago. Well, needless to say, that hasn’t happened. I am sorry to report that to this day, I march into the grocery store, list in hand, and each product I buy, I glance at the organic option, and my eyes nearly bug out of my head at the price tag. Then I proceed to purchase the cheapest store brand option available. “What a hypocrite!!!” you say? Well that’s the point of this blog my friends. This is it. This is the beginning. This is the showdown. I’m going to do the research, the shopping, clip the coupons, visit the farms, the markets – the farmer’s markets – and all in the name of trying to make a difference. I’m doing this for my daughter, Maycee. I’m doing this for my family’s health. I’m doing this for all the other frugal foodies out there who LOVE food, but also LOVE healthy food at a bargain. This is a decision that can and will impact our communities, our families, our local and regional economies and even the country as a whole.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Gandhi