Is "the WOHM way" natural enough?

People always ask if Living Naturally is an all or nothing deal. Do they have to be avid composters, follow the slow food movement, wear only hemp and use crystal deodorant... The answer, very simply put, is NO! In order to Live Naturally - the WOHM way - you must make smart choices with the time and money that you have. You must feel comfortable with your purchases, the products that you use and the food that you consume. More importantly, you need to know what you DON'T feel comfortable with and then try to make small changes until you do. Take tonight's dinner for example:

After getting home from work, Natural Dad took the Monkey out to play in the backyard and I got started on making something to eat. I have been craving Mexican food all day, but knew that I didn't have the time to make a full meal before it was bedtime (read: before Monkey collapsed in a fit of tears). I grabbed the quickest food possible to make as healthy of a meal as possible.

1. Mexican Rice (not natural)

2. Tortillas (kind of natural)

3. Dry taco seasoning (natural)

4. Beef (really natural)



The Mexican Rice is not only made by an extremely commercial brand, but it's microwaveable (steam-in-a-bag) and I can only pronounce three or four things on the package. NOT NATURAL - but inexpensive and cooks in 60 seconds. Sometimes, sanity and a quick meal is an appropriate trade off. I'm still looking for something similar in a nontoxic version (suggestions?).

The Tortillas, while whole wheat - KIND OF NATURAL- 3g of fiber and only 170 calories, are also a big name brand and have funky stuff in the ingredients. I'm a fan of "Flatouts", but they are thick like bread (not good for tacos) and I couldn't find any at the market the last time I was there.

Shockingly, the dry taco seasoning is NATURAL. Please read the ingredients when picking up a packet of this stuff. You want, for $0.59 or less, a simplified version of mixing up your own spices for the nights that you don't have time. All you should see is pepper, salt, onion, garlic, etc. There are some choices out there that have tons of preservatives and gunk in there. Pass it up... I find that store brands are often the most natural.

The thinly sliced, top round of beef is REALLY NATURAL. Our local grocery store puts out a line of "Nature's Place" food. This is a generic label for all natural, organic food for the budget-conscious. This beef is organic, free range; has no antibiotics, no hormones, no fillers, etc. It's only $6.99/lb and cooks up super fast. Please note: for the vegetarians, I've noted that Morningstar Farms Soy Crumbles is a more than appropriate option.

I sliced up the beef, tossed it in a large skillet with some EVOO over Med/High heat until it was mostly cooked. I sprinkled the entire taco seasoning packet on top and stirred in 3/4 cup of water. That cooked for five minutes while I thinly sliced a tiny yellow onion and opened a bag of frozen diced green peppers. After adding both of those to the pan and giving it a quick stir, I popped the rice bag in the microwaved and nuked it for 60 seconds (I did say that the rice was NOT NATURAL, right?). A quick warm of the tortillas, and I plated it up. I did add a dollop of Sour Cream and some shredded cheese that I had gotten at the Farmer's Market. All in all, my sort-of-natural dinner - the WOHM way - was finished in under 15 minutes and we all loved it.