The way I shop for groceries has evolved so much over the years… and what I choose has changed greatly….

I cringe when I think of the things I used to buy when I moved into my first apartment… a lot of pre-packaged, chemical laden “convenience” foods… I could cook a few things but I was inexperienced and had limited knowledge…

In the post about HFCS I almost wrote that now we avoid processed foods but changed it because  really we avoid most processed foods..

Why I almost slipped though is because we do avoid almost all of what some people consider processed foods to be… and what I used to think was a normal way to eat…

Now, I still buy many foods that have been processed, but I make most of our meals “from scratch”….

I bake our bread (but the flour has been processed)

I make cookies (but I buy butter, and chocolate chips etc…)

I use canned tomatoes and canned coconut milk, I buy ketchup and milks and tamari… I buy peanut butter and cheese and oats…

Many of the foods that make it into my home have been processed in one way or another…

There are also some more processed foods that like to buy… frozen perogies are a quick and inexpensive meal (I should try making them though because they are probably not that hard when I think about it) and a box of Annie’s organic mac and cheese has made a quick lunch for the boys more than once… and the list can go on…

but I am comfortable with the ones we buy because they are mostly have minimal ingredients… or at least are  made with ingredients that I can understand and can be found in most peoples pantries…

We do also do buy “junk foods” … not on a regular basis….but chips, and chocolate and Ice cream and other treats can be found in our home…  I do choose products that have the least ingredients and make sure they do not have anything that we avoid… artificial colours or flavours or sulfates and other chemicals I would rather not consume…

The more time goes by, the more I have been replacing the processed foods that I buy and I will continue that trend… but I have to say that I am pretty happy with the way we eat now and it can only get better…