All about food. Seriously.

This is going to be a post pretty much entirely about food, just so that you know what you're getting yourself into. If you don't know me that well, you might not know that I've challenged myself to decrease my carbon footprint this year, and use my spending to promote ethical, sustainable and organic food. It's something that I've been aiming to do for a long while, but I was busy working on myself first. After all, good mental is the cornerstone to any other endeavor! Last year was all about me, and this year is still about me (hey, I won't lie), but also about things important to me. So how have things been going? Let's check in!

The first step into this whole thing was Blue Apron.

We picked up a subscription to the meal delivery box in the middle of last year, and it quickly became a brilliant way for us to kick food waste to the curb. See, here's the thing: We don't actually eat all that much food anymore. Blue Apron meals give us just enough food for the two of us for a dinner, and possibly an additional serving of leftovers for the next day. We don't throw tons of veggies away. We don't waste condiments. That specialty herb I had to buy for a recipe doesn't turn to black mush, hidden away at the back of the fridge. Definitely a plus!

The other cool thing about Blue Apron was that it was a baby step into the world of sustainability. This company partners with farmers, and plans their meals around what's in season. They source ethically raised meat (which tastes AMAZING), and there's even a little label on every box that you get showing where the items inside came from. It always makes me smile when I see a nearby farm on there that has sent me my brussel sprouts. It's a cool feeling knowing that an actual farmer, who is getting paid a fair price for his crops, has sent you food.

The downside? The packaging. Blue Apron tries really hard to make all of their packing materials recyclable, but the truth of the matter is that there is no good way to keep food frozen without using ice packs. And, alas, ice packs aren't very easy to recycle. So, Blue Apron is still part of our rotation. It actually makes up 50% of what we eat. I still want to see them push for more conscious packaging though.

Next, I signed us up for Farm Fresh to You.

If you've never checked out their website, go do it! Organic veggies and fruits, as well as jams, jellies, nuts, and so much more, all delivered straight to your door. Again, it was an easy way for me to make sure that we were eating sustainably and organically. All the food comes from local farms, and you can only order what is in season. Better still, I could get fresh, free range eggs directly to my door. There's no excuse to be lazy when the food comes to you.

We've had this subscription for a year now, and I've loved every minute of it. I've discovered new types of apples, had a finger lime for the first time, and experimented with new types of carrots. I still love the farmer's market, and go as often as I can, but this is a nice alternative that accomplishes the same goal.

Are you still with me? I warned you this was all about food!

Now we've come to Thrive Market.

Once you've made a goal to eat REAL food, that extends into snacks as well. One of Michael Pollan's food rules is "Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce." That's pretty hard to follow at a lot of supermarkets, especially if you snack on things other than simple fruits and vegetables. I admit it, I'm a snacker. I like granola bars, chips and snack mix. I try not to eat it too often, but if it's going to be a normal part of my diet then why not try to get something better for me?

We'd try to shop at Trader Joe's as often as possible but, let's be honest, their parking lots are all terrible. So I found Thrive Market for the in-between times. Everything on there is real food. They cater to paleo, gluten-free, vegan, and so many more categories! They carry food from Califia Farms, KIND, Annie's, and all the things I love. It does cost $50 a year to join, but your membership provides a free membership to a low income family. So, why not? I even found compostable coffee pods from Ethical Bean coffee and, I can tell you right now, that coffee is GOOD. It's a win/win.

Okay, we're at the end. If you saw my FB post yesterday, you'll know that I just ordered meat through Grass Roots Co-Op.

Between Farm Fresh to You, Blue Apron, the farmer's market, and my fledgling garden, we had fruits and vegetables covered. We had dinners covered. We had snacks covered. But what about those in between times when it's breakfast and you want bacon? Or you really crave chicken strips but it's easier to go to the WinCo down the street, than to go to the Whole foods for ethically raised chicken? Well, I found the solution. Grass Roots allows you to subscribe to a monthly box of protein. They have pasture raised beef, forrested pork, free range chicken, and pastured turkey.

Have you noticed that most of our food is mailed to us? That's not an accident. We're both busy people who work long shifts. We're gone from home 12+ hours a day. I still wouldn't let that be an excuse not to accomplish my goal. Thank goodness we live in a world where food is so easily accessible, if you only look hard enough.

If you've made it to the end of this long post, congratulations! My main goal was to give you insight into what we've been doing, and what you might want to do too. Remember, your money is your voice in this economy. Michael Pollan likes to say that we should "vote with our forks" to push change in the way our agricultural system works. I've just proven that you can do it if you try hard enough. Does it cost more? Yes. Is it worth it? I think so. We are one of the only wealthy countries in the world that spends less on food than we do on anything else, including impulse buys. Aren't we worth more than that? Food for thought.