Welcome to the July Carnival of Natural Parenting: You Are What You Eat

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their struggles and successes with healthy eating. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Oil and Yogurt

The oil spill devastated me. Just devastated. My husband and I are avid surfers and nature enthusiasts. I don’t even have words for the oil spill. When I am working things I out I need to move. And not just go for a walk. I need some moving meditation. Like knitting, where you are involved but absent minded at the same time. But knitting is too little energy. Cleaning can sometimes work too, mindless and purposeful at the same time. But the oil spill required something more.

In trying to work out the oil spill, and specifically what I could do, because I felt so helpless and lost, I found yogurt. Yes, yogurt.

My son, at 14 months of age, continues to breast feed and gorge himself on berries, yogurt and cottage cheese. And that’s all. We go through a lot of yogurt. I started researching yogurt making, and researching, and researching some more. After about 2 serious weeks of contemplating, thinking and collecting advice from different noble yogurt-making sites, I embarked upon my mission.

In making homemade yogurt, I decided I would only do basic and simple and would not buy any equipment, only using what was already in my kitchen. With anticipation and anxiety, I worked on my first batch. I had my husband watch my son for this first batch as the yogurt needed, and deserved my full attention… After the heating, cooling, incubating (in an old sun bleached cooler) and initial taste tests it was confirmed. I had an incredible specimen of yogurt. Creamy, smooth, and slightly sweeter than anything store bought.

As I have continued on my yogurt making journey, remember, sparked by the oil spill, I have come to realize many things… One, that reducing any waste is a help, even if it is only eliminating a few plastic containers of yogurt a week. Another one, that feeding my family fresh, wholesome foods is a priority. I found that making homemade yogurt cuts the price to less than half, and that leaves room to buy the organic milk and use the most nutritious ingredients. And I learned that you don’t need to spend money on a fancy gadget to sit on your counter, taking up space.

And, it has sparked an entire revolution in my house. Seeing those birds covered in oil, watching in horror the beautiful swirls of green, black, blue from space, those pictures flashing through my mind as I meditate on my yogurt; stirring, watching the milk to see when it hits temp, no longer needing a thermometer, watching it cool, waiting with patience as it is not a process you can rush or control, has given me the motivation to clean out the cupboards. My family is now on a no processed diet. If we can make it at home, we do. I make all homemade salsa. I am embarking on an ice cream making adventure (sans machine or fancy equipment of course). We make homemade tortillas. I have a potted garden taking over all of the walking space on my tiny deck overlooking a nature trail in my modest, suburban town home.

And then I bought a bicycle yesterday. I broke my shoulder mountain biking three years ago, spent three months in a cast, miserable and unable to cut my own vegetables. I swore I would never be bi-pedal again. It only took an oil spill and a couple months of yogurt making to break that vow. The goal is to be a one car family that bikes 97% of the time. We currently have two cars and will likely get rid of one of them; my husband is a free-lance photographer and will always need a vehicle to transport all of his equipment.

I may not have solved the oil spill crisis. Or really even made a dent in the barrels and barrels that continue to spill into our ocean. But I have found a better way to feed my family and my soul. I have lessened my guilt and my carbon foot print. And I have made some of the most incredible yogurt you will ever taste. Try it. I dare you.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated July 13 with all the carnival links.)

• Welcome to Two — All About Food — In case you hadn’t heard, there is a conspiracy afoot from the two year olds of the world. Shana at Tales of Minor Interest stumbled onto their newsletter!
• Four Seasons of Eating Locally — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction has pointers for what fresh produce can be found year-round. (@MBJunction)
• Happy Families Can Have More Than One Diet — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has figured out a way for her family to live happily as vegans and vegetarians with relatives who eat meat. (@DebChitwood)
• My Own Omnivore’s Dilemma — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante prioritizes responsible consumer choices for her family.
• No Gluten — No Cry — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned to cook balanced meals when her son’s food sensitivities prompted a diet overhaul. (@kitchenwitch)
• Try, Try Again — Stefanie at very very fine has become an enthusiastic consumer of locally grown food.
• CSA — Week 1 — Casey at What Love Is wants her children to know where their food comes from, so she joined a friendly CSA. (@CBerbs)
• Food: Parenting or Homemaking? — Michelle at The Parent Vortex sees food as part of a parent’s nurturing role. (@TheParentVortex)
• 5 Tips to Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits — If you struggle with healthy eating, helping your child develop healthy habits might be a challenge. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips that will help your kids learn to make good food choices. (@CodeNameMama)
• Family Food: Seeking Balance Between Healthy, Sustainable & Affordable — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings has a whole list of ideas for how she can improve her family’s eating, both now and into the future. (@sunfrog)
• Whole Foods in, Wholesome Feelings Out — Jessica at This is Worthwhile has turned her back on the processed, preservative-ridden food of her childhood. (@tisworthwhile)
• When to Splurge on Organic (and When It Is Okay to Skip It) — Becoming Mamas tell you what foods to prioritize when buying pricier organic food, and where you can find it cheaper. (@becomingmamas)
• A Locavore’s Family Meal — Acacia at Be Present Mama tells a story in pictures of her family taking a trip to the local organic farmers market and then preparing a summer meal together with their bounty.
• Eat Your Food, or Else — Why should we not bribe a child to eat? TwinToddlersDad from Littlestomaks (Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition) explains. (@TwinToddlersDad)
• Food, Glorious Food! — Luschka at Diary of a First Child describes three easy ways her family has started eating healthier. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Celebrating Food — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes in food as medicine and thinks it’s worth paying more to keep healthy. (@myzerowaste)
• Oil and Yogurt — What have you been motivated to do with the current oil spill crisis? midnightfeedings has started making her own yogurt. (@midnightfeeding)
• Growth-Spurt Soup (AKA “Beannut Stew”) — BeanMa has a special stew to help her baby through growth spurts that keep her up all night. (@thebeanma)
• Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom)
• Feeding a Family of Six — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children gives helpful tips for feeding a family of six.
• Starting Solids at 6 Months — Did your doctor recommend that you give your baby cereal? Sheryl at Little Snowflakes discusses how whole foods are so much healthier (and more delicious) than traditional cereal. (@sheryljesin)
• Am I What I Eat? — Andrea!!! at Ella-Bean & Co. has figured out a way to avoid grocery stores nearly altogether.
• Are We Setting Our Kids Up To Fail? — Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found that cutting out the junk also transformed her sons’ behavior problems.
• Changing your family’s way of eating — Lauren at Hobo Mama has techniques you can try to move your family gradually toward a healthier diet. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Real Food — What kinds of fake foods do you eat? And why?! Lisa C. at My World Edenwild talks about why she chooses real food.
• A Snackaholic’s Food Battle — Julie at Simple Life wants to stop snacking and get into the old ways of cooking from scratch and raising her own food. (@homemakerjulie)
• Food, Not Fight — Summer at Finding Summer doesn’t want her kids to grow up like her husband: hating everything green. (@summerm)
• How Do You Eat When You Are out of Town? — Cassie at There’s a Pickle In My Life wants some tips on how to eat healthy when you are out of town.
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Food! — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker hopes that by serving her children healthy, balanced meals, they will become accustomed to making good food choices. (@sybilryan)
• There’s No Food Like Home’s — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing revels in the Bajan food of her upbringing. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• This Mom’s Food Journey — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment made a journey from not paying attention to food to growing her own.
• Who Knew Eating Was So Hard? — The challenges involved in changing to healthier eating habits take on a whole new dimension when you have a child who has difficulties eating. kadiera at Our Little Acorn shares her own experiences. (@kadiera)
• Loving Food — Starr at Earth Mama truly believes food is her family’s medicine and is willing to spend days preparing it the traditional way.
• Food Mindfulness — Danielle at born.in.japan details how her family spends money on each category of food. (@borninjp)
• Food for Little People — Zoey at Good Goog wants to bless her daughter with happy traditions built around good food. (@zoeyspeak)
• Eat Like a Baby — Have you been told that you should not equate food with love? Kate Wicker at Momopoly shows us why that’s not necessarily true. (@Momopoly)
• Food — Deb at Science@Home tries to teach her children three rules to help them eat a healthy diet. (@ScienceMum)
• Healthy Eating Lactose-Free — MamanADroit gives us tips on how to eat healthy if you are lactose intolerant (or just don’t want cow milk). (@MamanADroit)