Welcome to Chez Mama!

Welcome to my blog! I've been thinking about starting a food-blog for about a month now. Today was the day that I decided to give it a go. I recently decided to stop eating at restaurants and getting take-out. I wanted to start eating healthier foods, and I wanted to make them at home. I want to know exactly what I'm eating. I've gone from eating at least 4 meals/week out to eating ALL meals at home. It's been about 4 months now, with a few exceptions when traveling.

It has been challenging to come up with new meal ideas. I've bought some new cookbooks, and am always searching the web for new recipes. My family and I don't eat any land-animals, but we do eat fish occasionally. I like to use mostly organic products, and buy locally when possible. (It gets hard to do right around this time of year. The CSA has ended, and the Farmer's Market goes on hiatus in a couple of weeks). I am fortunate to have a great natural foods co-op here in town. Year-round, I can at least go there for local, organic eggs and tofu as well as many other staples of our diet. (I know lots of people are thinking, "Wow! What an exciting diet this chick must eat!"). That's one reason I'm here to blog. Since our family started eating at home more often, we're enjoying food more than ever! (I do occasionally eat processed convenience foods, though. Hey, I'm a full-time wife and mom! Give me a break!).

I am a mama to two young children, ages 5.5 and 3. They can be picky, so they definitely aren't down with trying every single thing I make. They eat more processed food than I prefer, but I try to make sure they at least get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, my husband likes to experiment with new foods, and he's not a picky eater. He fully appreciates most of the food I make. So, with his urging, I'm starting my blog!