Steps Toward Change

One of the first steps, after making the decision to commit to a drastic change like following "the lifestyle" is getting rid of those things in your kitchen that are not good for your health: The teflon coated pots and pans, plastic plates, containers, and utensils, etc. And of course, you've got to bite down, go through your refrigerator and cupboards and get rid of all that processed food you've grown to love so much. Since we had been planning to make this switch for several weeks, we had stopped grocery shopping and pretty much got down to bare bones in the cupboard and fridge. This saved us the horror of throwing away a couple hundred dollars worth of groceries. So, our discard pile after "flipping" our kitchen wasn't too bad.



The next step is replacing the items you got rid of. Get STAINLESS STEEL pots, pans, utensils, etc. Using these will get rid of the risk of dangerous particles chipping off from chemical coatings into the food and drink you consume. Of course, it's not always financially feasible to go out and buy new sets of good stainless steel pots and pans, knives and other utensils. Then, on top of this, replacing all those plastic bowls and containers with glass and ceramic sets that won't contaminate your food can be costly. It was time to be resourceful and smart about shopping for new kitchenware.



Already being thrift store shoppers, we knew it was time to visit one of our favorite stores–SAVERS. This store is basically a thrift department store. So, thrift store prices, but with a larger selection that usual. Plus, if you bring a bag of stuff to donate, you get a coupon for 20% off your next purchase. This store, along with the local Goodwill store is perfect for finding glass and ceramic containers, plates, bowls, etc. to replace plastics being tossed. Then, on the advice of our friend/coach, we headed over to the good ol' 99 Cents Only Store where we picked up most of our stainless steel cooking utensils for super cheap. She also pointed us to Ross where we found more lowly priced containers, and kitchen items. Take a look at some of our finds.


We picked up these stainless steel pans at the Goodwill store for around $20 total.


After ordering and picking up our food grade hydrogen peroxide (1.5 fl oz for $4.00 from www.LBOrganic.com), we picked up a bunch of gallon bottles of Crystal Geyser water for just about $1 per bottle and found some stainless steel water canteens at Ross for around $5 each.


Stainless steel colanders to replace our old plastic one at Ross for about $15 total.


$9 total for these two glass cutting boards from Ross.


14 Piece glass bowl set to replace our plastic Tuperware - $18 (Used with parchment paper to keep plastic lids from touching food.)


Groovy glass butter dish to hold our new healthy butter. $4 at Ross.

So, for around $100, we were able to pick up these items to replace what we'd gotten rid of. And the way we're looking at it, paying $100 to make major health-conscious changes to our kitchen, food storage and preparation is worth the many long-term benefits we'll reap ridding ourselves of the toxins and contamination that adds up over the years using unhealthy plastics, etc.

More to come about the changes we're making. That's it for now. My next post will be about the dinner we cooked as our first "lifestyle" meal last night. I'll leave you with the breakfast I made for my wife and daughter in bed this morning…


Cherries & Strawberries, Organic Demi Miche Bread, Goat's Milk Cheddar, Raw Sunflower Seeds, Mandarines & Goats Milk Gouda with 100% Pure Tangerine Juice - No Preservatives.