Real Food Challenge: Week 4 Recap, and Final Thoughts

Well, the end has come. I made it through twenty-eight days of challenges designed to bring the fundamentals of nourishing, traditional foods into my everyday repertoire. Let's see how I did this week:

Day 21: Fats for Vegetables

This is one place where I'm not already doing many of the right things. I grew up in a household where my mom refused to drown vegetables in butter and salt, so I enjoy the taste of plain, unadorned, steamed vegetables. I do, however, make sure to put some oil-based dressing, or just a drizzle of olive oil, on my salads. This week, I made more of an effort to make sure I ate fat with vegetables to maximize their nutrients. I even drizzled the leftover drawn butter from my birthday lobster over the broccoli I got on the side.

Day 22: Eat more Red Meat

Yet another place for me to put in a plug for my beef guy! If you're in the DC or Baltimore areas, and Frederick isn't a tough drive for you, check out Hedgeapple Farm. It's pastured beef for roughly the same prices as supermarket beef. And Dr. Barao is very good at listening to customers -- they've recently started offering beef suet for rendering, as well as putting liver in the main case so you don't need to make someone go in the back for it. They pretty much sell every part of the cow. Hint: the "dog bones" have tons of good marrow and are a good addition to broth.

Day 23: Eat your Bacon and Eggs

I am lucky to have a source of uncured bacon for not a whole lot of money, so I eat bacon pretty often. And I always save the fat. As of yet, I haven't met a farmer who raises pigs and sells the lard. I might start bugging the meat guy at the farmer's market when it starts up again. So bacon and eggs? A big check.

Day 24: Homemade broth and stock

I did use Jenny's method to make broth for dinner Saturday. It turned out really well, but still didn't gel. I'm going to try this again in the spring/summer, when the chickens probably get more outside time. I mean, how much time could they spend on pasture when it's under 2' of snow?

Day 25: Not so Awful Offal

While we do eat beef liver once in a while (twice a month, maybe), I took part in this challenge by making sure to use the livers in the two chickens I cooked this month. The first was the lovely pate I shared a couple weeks ago, and the other was last night when I added it to our meatloaf. I tasted a bit of the liver flavor, but I've come to realize, I like that flavor!

Day 26: Fish and Seafood

Mussels are my favorite seafood ever. Unfortunately, they have a particular smell that is unappetizing to my husband and mother, so I tend to only get them on special occasions. But we do eat wild salmon every week. And for my birthday, instead of a cake, I asked for a lobster lunch. Yum.

Day 27: Grow your Foodshed

This is one that I can't do right now. The best I can do is to spread the news of the local food producers I frequent. My husband is trying to get a bunch of people together from his office to make a big order from Hedgeapple, and I carry their business cards around with me at all times, so I can give it out whenever anyone mentions beef. In the spring and summer, I'll be hitting up the table at the farmer's market to offer volunteer work, though.

Day 28: 28 Days and Beyond

All in all, with a few exceptions, I did a pretty good job at eating real, nourishing, traditional foods this month. I further reduced my intake of sweeteners, and even cut back on grains a little. I've got a new sourdough starter and I'm getting more comfortable using it for stuff -- not just breads, but pancakes, muffins, and maybe in the future, biscuits. I'm using nutrient rich fats and meats, and I've rediscovered my enjoyment of liver. In the future, while I may not eat strictly according to NT, I will continue to incorporate more of these beneficial foods into my diet.