Eating outside the Box



My name is Renee. I'm a mother of two, wife of one. I have always loved food- maybe even a little bit too much. But as with all aspects of life, after having two little ones in quick succession, my perspectives on food began to change. Doesn't every mother want to feed their child the best possible things that she can? As I researched deeper and deeper into the way we eat, where we get our food, where it comes from, and how it's grown, the evidence against the way we're doing things began to stack up-high. (If you're interested- and you should be- the health of yourself and your family depends on it! I suggest starting with a few good documentaries. Food, Inc. is great, and so is The Future of Food and Food Matters. All 3 are available to watch instantly on Netflix, too! Check out the very bottom of this page for a great selection of resources to get you started.) Why are we feeding our cows corn and animal by-products when God designed them to eat grass? Why, when they're fed grass, do they actually become HEALTHY for you, rather than the dreaded red meat of today's media? It began to amaze me more and more that when food was grown and eaten as God intended it, it suddenly became healthy for you! Many of my family and friends probably believe that our family has decided to eat 100% organic because it's healthier. This is a false assumption. We decided to eat 100% organic because it's healthy- period! The way that 'science' is messing with the food- corn that has internal pesticides, crops that can be sprayed continuously with poison and survive, is not only creepy, it's dangerous. When you follow the money trail, it becomes easy to see how these frankenfoods end up in our grocery stores- the same people who are developing them are the ones overseeing them for 'safety'. Yikes, talk about a conflict of interest!


I could go on for days, but I won't. I'll just tell you that this blog is being created so that I, a wife and mother, can share with you, just how you CAN help to change things. Eat healthier- and ditch your brainwashing! Eating healthy DOESN'T mean it has to taste bad! That's just what the processed food commercials have made you believe. Follow me on a journey of deliciousness, and take baby steps! If you can't go all organic, just try to get it wherever you can. Definitely start by avoiding GMO foods. You can visit the Non GMO Project to download and print a guide to brands and products that have been verified as Non GMO. You can also support local farmers by buying local, or visiting Farmer’s Markets. Did you know the average product in the supermarket travels 1500 miles before it gets to your store? That means they pick stuff before it’s ripe and use unnatural ways of finishing it off- like ripening tomatoes using ethylene gas. Try to get stuff that’s in season whenever you can, because it’s more likely to be grown locally that way! Does it require a little sacrifice on your part to do so? Absolutely. No more eating out. A little bit of a tighter food budget. But believe me, we aren't rich, and we are making it happen. If there's anything in this world worth investing in, it's your family's health. Wouldn't you think? The Lord gave us so many wonderful gifts in food, and He wants us to enjoy them. Food can be healing and can bring families together after a busy day to sit at a table and enjoy each other's company. Food is one of the most powerful aspects of your life. It's IMPORTANT! And it's NEVER too late to start eating healthy- it's proven that one good meal starts reversing biological damage. Just one good meal! Cooking CAN be fun, and it CAN be simple. And as consumers, we are voting for the type of food that we're going to see produced in the future, whether we like it or not. Remember, you are what you eat. What will your vote be?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Wholly Guacamole!

Guacamole is an enigma. It is both insanely good for you- full of fresh, raw, powerfully healing veggies- and disgustingly delicious. So where can you go wrong? Here’s a simple and easily doubled recipe for making your own guacamole in the comfort of your kitchen. Everything’s better fresh, right? And the best part is, it’s fast and easy, so you can whip it up with a moment’s notice to impress unexpected (uninvited?) guests or for a great snack anytime. Serve it with chips (I like blue corn chips or Yucca chips, both of which are almost always easy to find at my local Ocean State Job Lot!) or veggie sticks.



Click to Enlarge
Ingredients (serves 2)

1 avocado
¼ small onion
2 cloves garlic
Cilantro
½ Lime
½ small Tomato
Salt and Pepper to taste


Step One: Know Your Enemy!

To some, the avocado can be intimidating when you are first getting to know it. Is it ripe? How do you cut it? You can relax- it's simple, and you, too, can be an avocado slicing expert!

If you aren't planning to make this recipe right away, pick an avocado that is still very firm. It will ripen in a day or two just left out on the counter. The avocado is ripe and ready to slice when it is slightly soft when squeezed. Too soft, and you're likely to discover that the inside is is brown and mushy- undesirable! Use it on the day it's first soft to spare yourself this disappointment. Another tip: If the little brown stem pops off easily, the avocado is likely ready. If you have a local Trader Joe's, they have a great deal on 4 packs of organic avocados.

To slice, cut into the top (where the stem is and slice down until you hit resistance (that's the pit!) then simply work your knife around that pit to finish halving the fruit. Pull it apart, and then remove the pit by smacking it with your knife and twisting slightly to loosen. Voila! Two beautiful avocado halves. If for any reason you need to stop after this step, place the avocados cut side down on a plate in the fridge to stop them from browning.

Note: A great 'recipe' for a quick and delicious healthy snack: Cut an avocado in half, then pour some soy sauce into the hole from the pit. Eat with a spoon, dipping each bite in a little soy sauce! It's FANTASTIC!

Step Two: Chop it up!

Grab your chopping board and dice up your tomato and onion very fine. I personally can’t stand chopping onions, and nothing ever comes out as fine as I’d like, so I use my uber-handy Ninja. It’s awesome for a lot of things around the kitchen, and has 3 different sized containers to process in, so whatever the job, the is ready! Plus, it’s easy to clean- a must with two little ones expecting mommy to be at their beck and call! I used to use a Magic Bullet, and I did like it, but the small size of the cups made it pretty restrictive, I couldn’t use it for things like pureeing a large soup recipe, for instance. In any case, a food processor will also work if you  have one, but chopping them the good old fashioned way is just fine too! You may or may not, at your option, chop up the avocado as well. Some people enjoy smashing it whole. To each their own!

Note: You know all those bamboo chopping boards you’ve been seeing just about everywhere? You might want to snag one if you haven’t already! Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial, which is awesome when it comes to something as important as food prep. If you’re using a plastic one, I can’t stress enough that you NEED to keep it VERY clean. Bacteria and other undesirables can easily hide it the deep grooves created by your knife when you’re chopping and cooking. If possible, keep separate boards for meat and veggies.

Step Three: Mix it up!

Put all ingredients except the lime into a bowl. If you’ve never tried cilantro before this moment, I suggest you do so before putting it in that bowl. Cilantro is a very love-hate relationship, though some would argue that guacamole is not guacamole without it. You can skip it without much consequence if you discover you utterly abhor it!


Squeeze the lime over your mixture and then stir, mash, and otherwise incorporate the ingredients until it reaches your desired consistency. A classic guacamole is a little lumpy. Some enjoy it with a bit of a smoother mix. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Step Four: There is no step four. You are now ready to eat! Serve it with chips, and enjoy!

Helpful Hint: If you have made more guacamole than you can finish in one sitting, there is no need to despair. Stick the avocado pit into the mix and cover with plastic wrap. The pit will keep it from browning!
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These are some great resources!!!!