About my views on food and nutrition

I've read a book or two on nutrition and have come to some conclusions that I believe will best serve my family. Upon reading Real Food, by Nina Plank, I learned that the preferred forms of dairy are raw. However, it is illegal to sell raw milk and milk products in the state of Nevada, so that's out. I purchase 2 1/2 gallons of 2% milk each week from a dairy in Utah that delivers milk pasteurized using the high temp, short time method. This method of pasteurization does not kill off all of the healthy enzymes in the milk. Ideally, I would like to find an alternative that the boys would accept, but so far, no dice. I do make homemade almond milk quite regularly which is really good, but they still request "regular milk." Also, upon reading The Coconut Oil Miracle, by Bruce Fife, I have learned that the medium chain fatty acids in coconut milk/oil are quite healthy. So I like to cook with coconut milk as it is a very healthy, creamy alternative to heavy cream and it does not have an overly coconut flavor. So, that's my take on milk and alternatives.
For cooking oils, I use coconut oil as much as I can, but for the very occasional fried dish, I like Spectrum brand's non-hydrogenated shortening. It works just like crisco but is composed of healthy fats that withstand very high heat. I also like olive oil and grape seed oil for very low temp sauteing and for use in salad dressings (sesame oil's great in salad dressings, too). I avoid canola oil as it is a gmo product, as is soybean oil. Peanut oil is very high in omega 6, which can offset the bodies balance of omega 3's, so I try to avoid that as well, especially since we get our omega 6's from eating organic peanut butter almost daily!
I am quite particular about the meat products we choose as well. We order 1/12 of a cow from a local grass-fed beef co-op and this lasts us 7 months+, since we only eat beef maybe once a week (more like every other week). I get free-range chicken from costco, which is still pretty pricey, but I might use one chicken breast in a dish to feed the whole family, so I stretch it and make it last. I have a hard time finding either organic or pastured pork, so I rarely use it. I did recently come across a company that ships organic sausages (made with pork) and purchased a groupon for it, so I look forward to trying it out and cooking with sausage again! My whole family developed a love for salmon while living in the Pacific Northwest, so that's a treat to us on occasions when I can find it at a decent price. I usually buy fish frozen, since it is quite often fresher than the choices in the fish department. We eat fish so infrequently that I'm not as concerned with what type, although I do not care for bottom feeders and try to choose those higher in omega 3's, like salmon. Halibut is my absolute favorite, but of course it's one of the most expensive! Shell fish is a rarity around here, too, but the boys absolutely LOVE shrimp, so I'll splurge on that every few months. They also like sandwich meat and *gulp* hot dogs, so I choose the ones without nitrates/nitrites (there's an all-natural brand at the store). All in all, I might cook two or three meals a week with meat. I like to cook beans, nuts, and organic tofu.
So, you may wonder: if we eat hardly any meat and very little dairy, what DO we eat? The book Eat to Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, convinced me that consuming a large amount of real, whole foods with a high nutrient to calorie ratio would lead to optimal health. Therefore, I spend a large portion of our food budget on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. I buy organic as much as possible, but simply cannot afford to 100% of the time. I save money by purchasing a weekly box of organic produce from a local co-op and monthly I place an order with another co-op that has a wide selection of organic flours, grains, and groceries. We eat a LOT of fresh produce! I have a large salad each day for lunch, the boys are served raw vegetables at lunch (broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, jicima, bell peppers, celery, cherry tomatoes) and I try to prepare at least two, if not three, vegetables with dinner, either as a side or incorporated in the main dish. I try to have "smoothie time" each day to sneak in some greens (the best combination for this is frozen blueberries, orange juice, and spinach). Snacks are fresh fruits and veggies and nuts, maybe a muffin. They love peanut butter, almond butter and cashews and a raw candy I make with walnuts and raisins (I'll post recipes later). Whole grains: they love plain, brown rice! I like quinoa, but the rest of the family still hasn't acquired a taste for it. I bake a lot of whole grain muffins and breads and have recently learned about the nutritional benefit of soaking grains to reduce the amount of phytic acid (which can block the absorption of other nutrients). I have also recently found some sprouted grain bread products which we all really like.
We avoid artificial food colorings, preservatives, and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated  oils and foods high in animal fat (like cheese). If I do purchase processed or packaged foods, I am diligent about reading labels. And we avoid refined sugars. I use honey, molasses, coconut crystals, maple syrup and stevia. I don't even have a package of granulated white sugar in my pantry!

I want to make certain that it is understood that all of these choices were made in increments. I did not wake up one day and completely throw everything out of my kitchen and start over. I use what I have and if there's a better option I've learned about, I may give it a try the next go around. Small changes over time are much easier to accept and adopt than drastic changes. I hope I can serve as an inspiration and a reference for healthier cooking and eating practices in your home!