Cooking things up!

I've been on a roll this weekend.  Last night I ordered the books Nourishing Traditions and The Body Ecology Diet, along with water Kefir grains.  The Kefir grains we're going to use to try to make homemade soda and as a smoothie base.

Today, I started putting together my smoothie bags.   I measured 1 cup of frozen mixed fruit (strawberries, peaches, mango, pineapple) and 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries into freezer bags.  The bananas are cut into 1"ish chunks on waxed paper and popped into the freezer.     Then Andy and I washed, de-stemmed, and steamed fresh kale and spinach, along with half a cucumber.

Andy helping to de-stem the kale

Steamed spinach and cucumber

Kale in the steamer

The greens were poured into ice cube trays and are freezing with the bananas.    Once everything is frozen, each bag will get a banana and green cubes added to it.   All I'll have to do is add milk, coconut water (or kefir water once I've got some made!) and whey protein in the Ninja with a smoothie bag and blend for an easy breezy meal on the run. :)

Tray of freezing banana chunks, the first batch of green cubes, and the start of my smoothie bags

I think I need more bananas and more greens and more berries so I can make more smoothie bags.  Although what I really need is a deep freezer!

Once I try my recipe and tweak it to near perfection, I'll post it to share!

Reading lists

I'm a huge fan of books.  Maybe you didn't know that about me, or maybe you did and you're rolling your eyes at the obvious.  {You know you are.}

My bookshelf overflows with them, my PCs and phone are filled with e-books {some of which get printed b/c I *need* a hard copy too}, and I've just discovered why the Kindle is such a huge seller {thanks to the free Kindle app on my new phone}.

If you keep up with the lists in the sidebar, you'll notice they're both pretty long and they're about to get longer.

I've decided this weekend I simply must order a copy of Nourishing Traditions and The Body Ecology Diet.  Hard copy of course b/c I need to be able to share them with the hubby, and he's not getting my phone to read them on.  {Love you, baby!}

I've recently read Is Your Flour Wet?, an e-book by Kitchen Stewardship, and I'm really thinking there's something to the whole concept of soaking and fermenting grains. Now I need to know more. And I really really want to make a sourdough starter this weekend.  Even if I don't manage to get bread to bake right in this house, I can at least use it for biscuits or pancakes or tortillas.

Know what I really need though?  Enough time to read everything on my lists!

Three weeks and counting...

We are now 3 weeks in to what I’ve lovingly decided to call our “birthing pains of a new lifestyle”. 

In other words, now that Manny is feeling a zillion times better with an all-organic diet (to the point that we cleaned out the cupboard and donated 3 bags of non-organic food to the church, along with an apology for giving it to them LOL) his eyes have been opened so-to-speak and he’s seeing what’s really going on around him.  And it’s not been entirely pretty or pleasant as he realizes how much the boys take advantage of us and his inability to do/react to stuff going on around him.  I’m just trying to go with the flow because I understand what he’s doing and why, and most of the time I’m in agreement.  (Yes, I do tell him when I think he’s gone too far.) 

It’s not entirely backfiring on us though because the boys are starting to listen a little more and mind just a tad bit better, esp now that they have a better understanding of why he is the way he is.  They’re fully on the organic bandwagon with us and our kitchen gets really crowded with 4 people in there trying to cook or make something, so it’s a good family time. 

God is taking us to an entirely new level in our relationships with Him and in our family relationship, and the enemy is trying to take advantage of the changing dynamics to attack.  As long as we see it for what it is and don’t let him take advantage of us, we’ll be victorious.

My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help, for he alone can rescue me from the traps of my enemies.  (Psalm 25:15, NLT)

Do you know what you're eating?

The link below is an up-to-date guide that gives quick facts and figures about the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) manufacturers are putting in our food.

http://www.againstthegrainnutrition.com/newsandnotes/2011/02/25/what-you-need-to-know-about-gmos-hidden-in-everyday-foods/

There’s a link at the end to another site where you can download or view online brands that voluntarily participate in the Non-GMO Project as well as a list of the “invisible ingredients” that GMOs may be called on food labels.

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/download.html

As a personal testimony, I can honestly say that just with the few things we’ve changed to organic sourced foods has already had a significant improvement in how Manny feels on a daily basis and a significant decrease in my allergy/sinus problems.   Bad days for both of us have been directly traced back to times where we’ve frequently eaten out (esp if it’s fast food) or have been eating higher amounts of processed and junk foods.  I will gladly trade a higher grocery bill for the improved health of my family.   Don’t just take my word for it though. Do the research and inform yourself, then help spread the word.