Our journey to real/whole/traditional foods

How we eat today is so drastically different than how we ate this time last year. Having my son Finn changed my life - in the obvious ways of course (breastfeeding!) but my whole outlook on life;it changed that 'bar'setting of what I was and was not going to do. If you had asked me a year ago if I would sprout and cook dried beans to add to a soup - no way! Even meal planning at all was pretty much a foreign concept to me. I just cooked whatever I felt like cooking! Which, as an approach, most will recognize is more costly, wasteful, and less nutritious.

When Finn entered my equation, I suddenly wanted what was best for him - which includes a healthy mommy and daddy! The question really started at non-organic food. What made sense to buy organic, what did that really mean? Which led me further to - what do these words on the carton mean? Eggs, milk, meat!!! What is the best option?

I bought Nina Planck's book real food for mama and baby (husband was very resistant, so I got a book that 'didn't include him' - it seemed safer!). Of course, what I soon found out (as did he) is that it held truths for everyone in the family. His fear was that I would not 'let' him have skim milk anymore. He's over that now!

Since reading Nina's book, I have been slowly changing our habits. I found a few blogs (kitchenstewardship, heavenly homemakers, GNOWFGLINS). I Found a source for raw milk, pastures eggs, meats, healthy fats. recently I started ecourses from GNOWFGLINS on the fundamentals of traditional food!

We cut out refined sugar completely. I use honey, maple syrup, and sucanat sparingly. With a hubby that was so resistant at first, how did I get him on board with all of these changes? It was mostly God. But, making yummy food doesn't hurt! When he realized that this food was as tasty if not tastier than the old ways, I think it made further changes easier. He just trusts me.

With all of these changes, I've lost 15 pounds effortlessly, my skin is glowing, I feel more healthy. My husband, who has been battling acid reflux from the age of 11, hasn't had a flare up in a long time! Hallelujah! He said that his pants are getting looser...

Who knew changing from skim milk to WHOLE milk would make you lose weight! Full fat dairy, folks!

Tonight's awesome Bean Soup!

I have been taking GNOWFGLINS' Ecourse on the fundamentals of real food. The latest class was on soaking and sprouting beans. I don't cook with beans - historically, I do not like them much. BUT - I want to! I like the idea of them & fully recognize them as a super food.

A while back, I bought a few bags of dried beans. So I got out the Great Northern beans and sprouted them. It took me 3 days total (including the initial soaking, which I think I did wrong but it worked anyway!). The sprouts weren't very long - just a quarter inch or less.

Bean, Sausage and Spinach soup
1c (dried) great northern beans, sprouted & cooked (it'll be more than a cup when sprouted, but I didn't measure)
1lb fresh chorizo (from pastured pork) - cook and dice
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 medium apples diced

saute the onion and apple mixture in the soup pot after cooking the pork in there (yummy flavors)

2 jars homemade chicken stock

add these along with the cooked beans - simmer for flavors to combine
using your immersion blender, blend the soup up.

add the chorizo, along with any other veggies you have around. I added
roasted corn and potatoes (about a cup of the mixture).

Season: I used salt, pepper, and cinnamon

add as much spinach as you like & simmer until the spinach is wilted.

Voila! It's really tasty, but most of all - it's really nutritious!

I served with homemade pumpernickel bread.

Update on giving up SUGAR

It's Day 7 on the Giving up Sugar Challenge!

The first few days were rough! I actually had to leave a playdate early on Tuesday because I felt so sick! Around Thursday I started feeling much better though. Thank goodness! I've read about "sugar withdrawel" symptoms - but I never thought that I'd have to go through it since when I gave up sugar in pregnancy it just felt GREAT.

Jon hasn't had any withdrawal symptoms. So either - he hasn't given up sugar (since he has many more temptations than I do being in an office, I know he's had at least ONE cookie); or his body metabolizes it differently. Who knows.

By the Grace of God, I really haven't had too many cravings! At the start, I was eating a lot of fruit after meals for something sweet, but the past few days I haven't even had that craving.

This week will be challenging though since it's Finn's birthday & I'm making this insane ice-cream cake (it'll take at least 3 days to make and assemble). Wish me luck!

How are you feeling?

Monday Mission 8/8/11

Is it monday again?

Today's mission is to enjoy the summer! I'll be preparing for Finn's First Birthday & the 'unveiling' of our house improvements!

Thankful Thursday 8/4/11

Is it really Thursday already? Well, I have two things I am thankful for on this sunny Thursday morn.

First, My husband finished sealing the floor in the den! Which means all the furniture will get moved back in, and we can have our house "back." This is very exciting!!! I have been waiting - literally - ALL summer for this (the debacle started on memorial day).

Second, I think I am past the ugly part of my sugar withdrawal. It was rough for a few days in the beginning of the week (flu-like symptoms), but now I feel pretty good. I'm just waiting for that great feeling of health and vitality to arrive!

Happy August and Monday Mission

Happy August to everyone! Where has this summer gone? I cannot believe that it is already August! A couple more weeks and my sweet baby is turning ONE!!!

We have had a great summer - my husband Jon is almost done with the renovations downstairs. We put a slate floor down (because it looks nice and if there is a sump pump failure again we won't have to deal with this headache all over again). He just needs to seal it and tile the half bath down there and we're back in business!

My sweet baby Finn decided to get up and walk a few weeks ago - and he's never looked back. It took about 4 days before he was walking more than he was crawling, and now he's unstoppable! He also started waving bye-bye, so we've begun signing in earnest. He's picked up on "eat" so far. And he is pointing at EVERYTHING. It's really awesome beginning to interact with him in a new way. Now we have 2 way conversations (kind of).

What kind of awesome things have happened in your family this summer?

Now for the monday mission... I just know you've been missing these!

This week, the mission has to do with Sugar. Or better yet, No Sugar. That's right! I've been thinking about this for a while now, and doing some research (as I am prone to do) and I think now is the time. I am going to give up sugar. Specifically, refined sugars (white sugar, HFCS, and definitely artificial - which I already severely limit - and the like). This means most processed foods, convenience foods, most desserts :(.

I cut ALL sugar out when I was about five months pregnant with Finn (until the end). Let me tell you - I felt so much better! Sugar has so many negative side-effects. Some people call it a poison. I'm not going to go that far. But it does have negative ramifications on fertility (for men and women), your skin (I read a story about a woman who had really bad acne and it cleared up when she cut out sugar), your health in general (lowers immune system effectiveness).

I had a conversation with Jon today. And he said that he AGREES with me (if you know Jon at all, this is a SHOCK because his thing is "I am an adult and can decide for myself what I will eat" which means... he'll eat the aforementioned processed foods, convenience foods, and lots of desserts).  So, right there, the fact that he agrees with me is nothing short of a sign from God himself!

What this will "look" like for us:

• Cutting out most desserts - this will be the hardest. I have a major sweet tooth, if left unchecked can reign supreme! This summer we have been making a lot of our own ice-cream. Which, I rationalize since I use raw milk, cream from the farmers market, eggs from pastured chickens, half the Organic sugar, is good for me - right? While it is miles above store-bought (or ice-cream truck bought) ice-cream; it's still got a lot of sugar, and I don't need it! 
• One day a week as a cheat day. We'll start with one day a week and special occasions ( Finn's birthday, our anniversary, etc).
• We have already cut out a lot of the processed foods entirely. I think the one thing that I just can't get myself to give up is Ketchup! I'm going to look up some homemade ketchup recipes.
• Eating more fruits and veggies
• Making a meal plan and sticking to it! This will help a lot with not eating out as much. 
• Making iced tea & having it in the fridge.
• Eventually experimenting with natural alternatives: maple syrup, raw honey, rapadura (or succinat).
• We do not have any travel scheduled in the near future, but if we did, this would be a challenge! 

There are a lot of good suggestions and links on Keeperofthehome.

What would going "sugar free" look like for you and your family?

July Blog Break

Since this month is so busy - construction in my house (compelling me outside into the beautiful weather), going to visit our new Nephew Riley, Finn's upcoming birthday, renewing my insurance license, family visiting.... and on and on...

I'll be taking a break this month from blogging.

Happy Summer :)