The Omnivore’s Dilemma

I’m back on my food journey. It’s a long one with no end in sight. Will I ever find a diet I can feel comfortable with? One that is healthy, nutritious, keeps me at the right weight and doesn’t cause disease?

You may remember my vegan tendencies after reading The China Study. As promised, I have now finished The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I really enjoyed reading this book. Not only because it opened my eyes to the scary way in which we now process the bulk of our meat in America, but also to make me realize that all meat is not created equal. The diet and life style of the animal can have a huge impact on the nutritional value, not to mention the environmental damage.

So, given my impressionable ways, I’m now on a quest to find local farm fresh, REAL free range eggs and chickens as well as grass fed beef. Luckily we live in Illinois, so these things are not hard to find close by.

After a bit of research, I found a bunch of farms that will sell to individuals. One thing I am finding difficult to get used to is seasonality. Also if you want to buy direct from a farm, it’s very different from a supermarket. You want chickens? Buy them anytime except for winter. Beef? You can only buy them in the fall, most places need you to pre-order and need to buy somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of a cow and find somewhere to store it for the year. Eggs are available any time, but I’m not sure I want to drive 45 minutes to get them.

My poor husband. One day he’s got to put up with my vegan cooking, the next day I’m asking if we can buy 1/4 of a cow and store it!

As most things in my life, once you start to become aware of an idea or thought it seems like the answer will come to you in a way you never anticipated. So, while I was at a play date at my friend Carrie’s the other day, telling her about the book I’d just read and my quest for grass fed, real farm raised meats and eggs, her nanny piped in about a place she uses.

It’s called Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks. They deliver to Chicago a variety of farm fresh, organic, grass fed items. I’ve placed my order for grass fed sirloin, a local free range chicken raised on organic feed with no added hormones or antibiotics, and a fresh picks box of seasonal vegetables. I’ll let you know how it works out…

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