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8:55 AM
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Anonymous
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diet
Not Dabbling In Normal has presented a challenge to only eat real food. This is something I've been working towards anyway, so I am going to do this too. The rules are to cut back on commercially processed foods and only eat food made from ingredients in their simplest forms.
Now that we are living in our bus as of two days from now (roughing it while we finish it), there are certain foods that I can no longer make myself. I can't make my own bread, or bake anything at all really. I have a crockpot, a toaster, a toaster oven, and an electric grill. I can, and do often, buy handmade breads from markets locally, and even the local grocery store has fresh baked bread made from real ingredients. We eat dry beans cooked in the crockpot, BC grown chicken and eggs, fish, BC grown fruits and veggies, and bulk foods like nuts and raisins. The bulk foods are not necessarily local, but they are whole foods. I have yet, however, to develope the ability to make tortillas and pitas. Mine always turn out hard and poofy, not at all like a tortilla, and I've tried all sorts of 'guaranteed' recipes. I also love chips and salsa, so I buy organic Vancouver chips and the tortillas are usually made in Vancouver too (Vancouver is 50 miles away by ferry). I usually make my own salsa unless I find a really good deli-made salsa. Actually the deli is a great source of pre-made foods, for some things.
We don't eat much pasta, just rice or potatoes. Our diet is very,very simple, which makes it both cheap, and Real. What are you doing to eat Real Food? I think I am doing pretty well, but I better make an inventory of processed foods we do eat:
ketchup
mayo
Cheerios
pitas
organic corn chips
bulk shelled nuts
soy or rice milk
soy cheese
tofu
That's the processed foods we do eat, some of which I use because we can't eat dairy. I add the mayo sauces to make them creamy, and the soy cheese to scrambled eggs because we just miss cheese so much. We don't need it, but it's hard to let go of. Let's see how they grade for being local, and unprocessed...
The tofu is Sunrise Soya (extra firm) made in Vancouver with non-GMO soybeans grown in Canada or the US.
Like I said before the chips are from Vancouver too.
The MySoy Cheese is made by Paradise Island in the same city as me and I had no idea!
NOTE: when I first posted this there were so many grammatical errors... never post in a hurry!
The condiments are not so great. I have a Jamie Oliver ketchup recipe I want to try, and it's not that difficult. I can do without the Cheerios, they just make an easy baby snack but I have other stuff she can eat as well.
I am using Hellmann's mayo for all kinds of things... to make creamy sauce and soups, spread on sandwiches, to make egg salads and tofu salads. It doesn't have dairy, and satisfies our cravings for creaminess, lol. It is made with eggs, oil and vinegar, and while they are moving towards cage-free eggs only, it is made by Unilever. And why do they call them cage-free eggs instead of free-run eggs? Unilever is not a company I want to support, so I'm going to have to make my own, except that I'm paranoid of uncooked egg yolk so I'll have to think on that. The Hellman's stuff is pasteurized. Hmmm....
Coming Next Year!
Glad to see you're joining us for the challenge! I'm very excited. I've been writing posts and thinking about all the seasonal things I'm going to be eating.
Can't wait to hear how you like the Jamie Oliver ketchup recipe. I love the one from: Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects
I'll try Jamie's next!
Hi Nicole; I am happy for you; John and the kids moving in your bus! You are lucky you live in BC because in NS it wouldn't be allowed. Here the government is very strict about what people live in. Travel trailers, busses, garages, sheds , camps and similar things aren't allowed unless they meet building code and have an approved well and septic. Someone tried living in a travel trailer here were told to move out.Years ago a woman moved in a tent with a child and Social Services took her child because they said a tent was not appropiate shelter.
Also kids can't be transported in any vehicles without proper carseats. Kids here have to be in car seats until the weigh 40 lbs or are 9 yeras old!
Home schooling is also regulated as parents have to sign up with the school board and keep them informed about the child's progress.Being registered with the province they couldn't possibly travel out of province during the school year.You also need a permanent address.
The same is true of collecting Child Tax Credits. You can't do so without a permanent address where the kids are living.
I am amazed Bc has differnt laws that actually allow people more freedom of choice. Here you would risk losing your kids living in a bus! Personnally I think everything is over regulated but that is Canada.
I wish you well, your friend Linda
Hi Linda,
Well pretty much the same laws apply in BC, but we don't really fit into those categories. We are camping in our bus, not squatting on land permanently. On the property there is a house with a well and a septic which we use. There is nothing wrong with camping and we will only be doing so for a few months, at the most three. By then our bus will be an RV and will be in an RV park. The bus will have proper carseats and seat belts as the law requires - I wouldn't drive around without them!
The girls also are registered with the school board and the teachers have no problem communicating via email as they travel and learn from first hand experience. I have never heard of people not being allowed to travel with their family during the school year... in fact it is encouraged. I know many families that have done so.
We do have a permanent address and are residents of British Columbia, so our baby bonus is in no danger. I think the laws are there for a reason and I am happy to comply with all of them. :)
That's great Nicole! I hope it all goes well for your family. I agree travelling with children is a great way to educate them. When I was a child I used to travel with my Dad who was a truck driver. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything in the world.I especially have fond memories of travelling through Amish country in Ohio and Indiana. It had a great influence on my desire to farm and have a simple life.
BC must be a wondeful place to live. I have never been there but saw a bit during the Olymics on TV. It is beautiful. Laws are strictor here so I am glad you are there where you can do what you want.
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law lived in their RV three months in their back yard while they remodelled their house two years ago.But another neighbor let his son stay in his camper and was told by the municipality it wasn't allowed because they took the wheels off and blocked it up therefore making it a permanent camp subject to by-laws.Another neighbor moved a small log building onto his property and let someone stay in it. The person had to move and the building had to be removed. So it goes.
We have a small older travel trailer that we wanted to put back on the farm as a camp and are being told we can't as the land is designated as farm land. To put it where we want we would need an approved house lot.We would probably do it anyway as it wouldn't hurt anything except for the facta neighbor would report us. So now we need to find somewhere else to park it. We can only put farm buildings on the farm land. NS has way too many laws and it is getting worse all the time especially in our municipality. It makes it hard for people who want a farm or old homestead and don't have much money to get started.
I'm a terrible baker, but I managed decent pitas this week. Try this recipe (should be able to make these in a toaster oven): http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread