buying responsibly

my last trip to the grocery store, i started to reevaluate our ethics about where we get our food - after i saw my grocery bill. $6 for a gallon of milk? but we only buy organic milk from local farms - that comes at a price (which i don't really get - the stuff transported over thousands of miles should cost more, in my mind, but oh well). i try to buy vegetables that are in season, if i can help it, thinking that they may be from local illinois/wisconsin farms. we drive up to wisconsin to buy our free-range (happily raised)meats. if we do eat out, we try to eat at panera or chipotle - they only use free-range meats and they are also very environmentally responsible when it comes to their business practices. but they are more expensive that other fast-food.

yes, this economy has me re-evaluating. i thought of just buying the regular cheaper stuff that everyone else buys, full of bad hormones, bad memories, and a large carbon footprint. but then i remember the commitment that landon and i had made a few years ago when we committed to buy and eat "ethically": we'd rather eat beans.

i'm thinking we may need to consult dave remsey when it comes to keeping this discipline in our budget.

though, we've been trying to eat more vegetarian (for budget's sake) and i've made some terribly awful meals. eggplant chickpea curry wasn't too bad, but not great. eggplant roasted red pepper frittata was so awful we tossed the entire thing in the trash - non-edible. tofu coconut curry was yummy, but even that was a bit expensive. chickpea patties was yummy but not really fulfilling. eggplant parmesan seems to be the only winner so far. i'd like to incorportate more beans and vegetables into our dishes in place of meats, any suggestions on yummy vegetarian dishes?