Fundamentals Cooking eCourse

You may recall that I mentioned I signed up for an on-line cooking course recently. I'm always wanting to learn more and while this course is a "fundamental" or basic course, don't let that fool you. While the skills should be easy to learn (Wardeh assures us it will be so!), it promises to be full of great lessons and tips for preparing foods much like our ancestors prepared them only a generation or two ago. This is the key element or philosophy of the course; to learn things like fermenting foods, making sour dough bread, and kefirs, just to name a few. 

Photo: Courtesy of GNOWFGLINS™

Want to know more? Click the link above (or in the right side bar) for "Simple Plan • Healthy Food" and visit the GNOWFGLINS™ website for more information. There you will be able to meet Wardeh Harmon, the creator of this course, see a video explaining her philosophy behind food preparation, and a list of each class. Registration ends February 22nd, so don't let the grass grow under your feet! Get on over there now and check it out!


Hope to see you in the class!

The Kitchen Composter

Compost. Definition: decaying organic matter such as leaves, grass, food scraps, and manure used to improve soil and provide nutrients through microbial activity; a living culture of micro and macro organisms that convert organic matter into hummus. 

If you have a garden at all, or you're planning on starting one in the future, you really should have a compost pile going in your yard or on your homestead. And if you've decided to start preparing and serving more fresh fruits and vegetables, you really should consider getting a kitchen composter to save all those scraps for a compost pile. Why throw all those left overs from cooking into the garbage when they could be working for you to make your soil that much better! 

There are several kinds available on the market, including a fancy electric model that makes it right in your kitchen - for about $300 to $400. Hmmm... sounds like an urban high rise model to me. This would be appropriate if you were gardening on a balcony on the 9th floor of your apartment building. 

NatureMill

A more standard application would be a kitchen counter model. These come in a variety of materials such as ceramic, copper, plastic, bamboo with plastic liner, stainless steel, and metal. Check out these from Gardener's Supply...

The ceramic models are lovely indeed. They would look great on any kitchen counter. Clean up would be easy since this is a non-porous material. But these composters will be heavier than others and easy to chip or break. This would be fine if there are no children in the house (or clumsy adults!).

The copper model is gorgeous! Wouldn't this look great in an Old World, Tuscan, or French country kitchen? I don't think I can think of any negative on this one. The price is even reasonable for copper. (Maybe I should have picked this one!)

The plastic model would be great if you have young kids. There wouldn't be any worries about it getting damaged. And, it apparently can hang out of site! However, it does require some carbon filters for the top that absorb odors and would need replacing; an added expense. Also, I would be concerned about odors eventually seeping into the plastic. You can buy liners, but again, it's an added expense.

Ahhh, the lovely bamboo composter. Nice for the urbanite who loves contemporary style. The removable bucket would make it easy to transport the compost outside, easy clean up, and no worries about breaking. But, there's that smell issue again. Plastic seems to absorb odors - at least to me. Am I the only one who thinks so?

The stainless steel model is an excellent choice. Easy to clean, non-porous, no smells. Light weight and easy to transport. Okay, there are those nasty fingerprints on the sides occasionally. If you're a perfectionist, this one probably isn't for you. Oh, and see those holes in the top? Good for ventilation, but that means you need carbon filters again. 

Okay, here's one from Vintage Tub and Bath. Now I know most of you will go, "Yeah, that's the one for me!". Makes my heart go pitter patter. But hold on... It requires filters (which you could skip, but you'd have to empty it every day - no excuses - or you're kitchen will start to smell). And it's pricy coming in at nearly $50. That white color would be a selling point if it doesn't chip.

So, I guess you'd like to know which one I use. Being both practical and yet desiring good looks, I chose the brushed stainless steel model from Gardener's Supply.

I selected this one for several reasons. The brushed stainless would repel fingerprints to a degree, it was non-porous, had no holes in the top which meant it didn't require any carbon filters, and it was light weight. It wouldn't chip when the girls hauled it outside and decided to jump on the trampoline a bit with it before returning to the house. Clean up is a breeze and it repels odors. At the same time, I think it looks great! And the cost? Only a mere $19.95 with no need to buy bags or filters (guess I already said that!).

Tips for Composting

1. To really utilize those kitchen scraps, you need to keep this out on the counter all the time. If it's out of site, you'll forget about it. And it won't be pleasant when you finally return to it. Keeping your composter close at hand means every left over item will go into the compost pile to be recycled into hummus! Or shared with farm animals if appropriate.

2. Empty your composter ever day or every other day to prevent food odors in your kitchen and an unpleasant trip to the compost pile to dump decaying matter. It's always nicer to empty a pail of fresh scraps!

3. When company comes, just stick it under the kitchen sink or better yet, leave it out as a conversation piece!

4. Teach the kids to use it (including what to put in and what not to put in it). They'll begin to learn about soil, dirt, and maybe even earthworms! (What kid doesn't love this stuff?). They can help transport it to the pile for you as well! 

5. Wash it out with soap and water every time you dump it. If you do, you'll never have an unpleasant odor in your house.

I love this topic. Tomorrow I want to talk more about composting. Like what to put in your pail or pile and what not to include. And I haven't even touched on the subject of composting in bins with earthworms! This dirt subject is DEEP.

 For those of you who already compost, want to share any tips or thoughts?

Give-Away Winners And Poll Results

I know you're excited to hear who won, so I'll get straight to it (but stay with me to the end of the post!)...

Williams-Sonoma Pantry Essential Dinner Dishes: Christine! (#23)
The Bowl, Designing Your Home Book, and Napkins: Betsy Clark! (#36)
Four Season Harvest: Gina (#11)


Congratulations, ladies! If you will go to my profile page and click email on the left, I need your mailing address so I can get your prize to you as soon as possible.


All numbers were selected by Random.org and were determined by the order of the comments posted (with my own two comments removed).


Be sure to watch for next month's give away!


Also, I wanted to point out that there are some new tabs at the top of my page just under the header. Besides the Home page where the blog posts can be read, I've added:


• Beginning A Food Journey for newcomers or if you wish to direct others to start a Food Journey, this lists my posts for them in the order that will take them step by step.


• Shop which is my Amazon store. Any purchases made through this page will help support this blog, including items not listed in my store. I will try to list most books I mention on the site that I recommend.


• Resources that includes links to various sites for finding things from raw milk to grass fed beef as well as other important things you may need for Homesteading. I'll be updating this page with additional information as time goes.


Finally today, I want to mention the poll results and remind you to vote in the newest poll. With 46 people voting it broke down as follows...


Which would you recommend for starting on a Food Journey?


29   Eliminate Processed Foods and Sugar  
 7   Eat In-Season, Organic Produce
 7   Switch To Whole Grains
 2   Drink Raw Dairy Products
 1   Eat Grass/Pasture Raised Meats


No answer was incorrect and where someone begins would depend on their own family, nutritional needs, and comfort level. But, like the votes reflect, eliminating the "fake" food first along with excess sugar is going to be easier for most people. Not necessarily EASY, just easier!


Be sure to check out this week's poll question: Which kitchen appliance would you hate to live without? I've put my favorites up there and I'm curious to see what you use the most in your own kitchen!
I'm looking forward to another blessed week visiting with you!

Finding Local Produce

If you are going to eliminate processed foods and sugars, you need to add something back into your diet to eat! Easing your family into fresh fruits and vegetables is about the easiest course of action. While the most finicky eater may not like all veggies, you can usually like something that they will enjoy. It takes time to change one's palette, especially after years of poor quality food consumption. 


One thing that will help is finding really good fruits and vegetables. Have you noticed that grocery store produce lacks flavor? Sure it looks great, but the taste is definitely lacking when compared to a home grown item of the same variety. 


If you need help finding a source of fresh fruits and vegetables, try Local Harvest. You can go to their site and enter your zip code to find local farmers markets, farms, CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture where you purchase a membership or subscription to receive produce from local farmers), Grocery Co-ops, and more. By shopping locally for produce, you'll most likely be eating what is currently in-season and at it's peak in terms of flavor and nutrition. You can read more about this here.

For those of you in the Tehachapi area, Tangleweed Farm is an excellent source of organic in-season produce. And if you're already familiar with Laurie's farm, you might be pleased to hear that she is extending her hours and opening a little earlier for those who have places to go, people to see, and things to do. 

Her new hours are Wednesday and Saturday 9:00-4:00 through the winter. When warmer weather arrives, she is open more days a week.  Right now Tangleweed Farm has a large variety of Cal Organic produce that she is bringing in due to the cold weather. This is actually fairly local as well since it is raised just a stones throw away in the San Joaquin Valley. This includes a variety of greens, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, beets, tomatoes, and more. In addition, she carries grass fed J and J meats, Soledad goat cheese, organic coffee, oils, vinegars, and more. To contact the farm, just call 822-0819 or better yet, visit her website. There you will be able to subscribe to receive updated information as the spring season approaches.

You may find that purchasing organic produce is slightly more expensive than conventionally raised produce. Keep in mind that it used to be even more expensive than it is. But consider these points...


• As your health improves, you'll be making less trips to the doctor and perhaps take less supplements (hopefully).


• Eliminating processed foods leaves some room for new items in your food budget.


• Sugary treats leave you hungry for more; fresh, living food satisfies. You'll be eating less in the long run.


• Eventually you could plant a garden and really decrease your food budget!


Be brave and get to know some farmers in your area. Most don't bite and are very grateful for customers who appreciate what they raise. They are actually looking for ways to connect with you! Thus the reason groups like Local Harvest have sprung up. They're trying to get the word out that they are there!


Eat fresh and be blessed this weekend!

Beginning Your Own Food Journey

If you're wanting to start on a path of eating and preparing healthier food for your family, you can really begin any where you want. But if you want to be successful in getting everyone on board with you or if you want to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible, then there are ways to begin that are wiser than others.

Before I tell you where I would suggest you begin, you need to be aware of a few things that defeat people before they get started or before they are very far down the path...


• Family Resistance  Never lie about what you are doing, but at the same time, you don't need to throw everyone into a panic that all their favorite comfort foods are going by the wayside. Be wise about it... and start with prayer! Your beginning can be as simple as mentioning that you've cooked something fun and new. If you think your spouse will be receptive, tell him that you want to start small and try one new thing each week. If you feel he will be resistant, begin with something that you know won't be a big issue for him. Don't ask him to give up his favorite food on the first step. This is why a Food Journey is different for every family! We all have certain likes and dislikes, and starting with something small and not too threatening is always more likely to be a success. I think family resistance is the number one issue Food Journeys fail, so we may need to talk more about this one on another post!


•  Lack of Direction  Have a plan; a simple outline of what you want to accomplish and where you are headed next. Don't put a lot of time constraints on yourself either. Just be watching closely to know when your family is ready for the next step. This is where I failed to pay attention. I was too satisfied with my single changes and probably didn't move fast enough! But, with the internet out there and so many of us reading about this kind of thing, the tendency is going to be to go too fast.


• Lack of Knowledge  Hey, this is new territory. You're going to have to do some reading. You'll have to educate yourself. But I suspect that you will get past this one fairly easily or you wouldn't be here reading this and considering a Food Journey of your own! Just keep in mind that it doesn't stop with knowing you need to make a change. I have found that whenever I'm resistant to a new concept, I need to do some research to find out the "why" behind it. Once I've done that, I'm often ready to make a mental shift and move forward. It helps me to know why I'm doing what I'm doing and keeps me going when I wonder if it is really worth the lifestyle change.


• Lack of Skills  Oh, now this one sounds scary! You mean this is going to require skills? What kind of skills? Skills we've lost along the way. Things as simple as how to cook from scratch to as complicated as milling and making our own bread. But let me put your mind at ease a bit. If you're taking one step at a time, then you're going to have time to learn one small skill at a time. But you do need to get your brain around the idea that you're going to have to do some learning. Personally, I loved this part of my Food Journey and I'm still fascinated with it. That's why I continue to study food, nutrition, and food preparation (remember that eCourse I told you I signed up for?). You can learn from blogs like this one, library books, even videos - some of which you can find on line for free (ain't YouTube great!).


• Lack of Support  Again, I think I would have moved a bit faster on my path if I had found other bloggers to keep me going. Or even a good friend that was learning along with me. Since then, I have found several people that have the same mindset, but in the beginning, I felt like a pioneer off on the trail, all alone. Start talking about it with friends and see who's interested. Join a forum. Blog along with me and others. I'm hoping to generate some comments that will help us all!


• Lack of Resources  Thankfully, this isn't as much of an issue as it was a few years ago. Capitalism is still working and those of us purchasing organics and such have sent our vote in by the all mighty dollar! And don't forget there are like minded farmers out there, too! (More on that on the next post). Talk to friends, stop at road side stands and ask if they know where you can get something you're looking for, ask your grocer, and search the web. You may need to order something on-line instead of purchasing locally. Thankfully, that is often an option. Some things like raw milk may be harder to find. But don't give up. It IS out there somewhere. And if it isn't available to you right now, it very well may be in the near future.


Okay, so keeping that in mind, where do I start? For each thing you eliminate, you need to replace it with something good. After all, your family has to eat, right?


Here is a list of general steps I would take if I were starting all over again:


1. Stop Consuming Processed Foods:  


Eliminate: Food that comes in boxes, frozen foods that are not strictly a food item such as frozen peas (certainly not anything breaded to fry or bake), mixes for things like cakes, and items that can be purchased with a coupon (What??? Have you ever seen a coupon for an apple?). 


Replacement: Shop the outer edges of the supermarket. Stick to the basic food groups - meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and grains.

Learn: How to cook from scratch! Make real food in your kitchen and start a collection of recipes your family enjoys. Get rid of any that doesn't fit your new lifestyle or the family doesn't like (yes, purge the pantry by using up the bad and replacing it with the good). Recipezaar is a great on-line source for recipes from scratch as well as other bloggers. Tomorrow's post will have information to help you find a farmer's market or farm in your area. Also, you'll want to start reading food labels. This will make your grocery store trip take longer, but you'll begin to learn which foods are good for you and which foods are not.


2. Cut Out Refined Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners: 


Eliminate: High Fructose Corn Syrup entirely, white table sugar (except for rare treats), and all man-made sweeteners including syrups made from these products. 


Replacement: Honey, sucanat, pure maple syrup, molasses, and stevia. These should be used on a limited basis as they are still sugars. 

Learn: How to use these new sweeteners in baking. Sue Gregg is one resource for this, but I just experimented on my own and found what worked for me. Perhaps well talk about this more later.


3. Switch to Whole Grains:


Eliminate: White bread, white rice, and any other refined grain that your family might eat. Avoid products that are "enriched" - something has been removed that shouldn't be and then they tried to add stuff back in. But they shouldn't have to do this if the product was healthy to begin with.


Replacement: Whole wheat breads (emphasis on the word "WHOLE", not just wheat bread - they aren't the same), brown rice, and even whole wheat bagels and such. 

Learn: How to mill your own grains, bake your own bread, and make baked goods using a variety of whole grains. Research various grains and their common uses. Learn storage requirements. This is a bigger step than the first two, so that is why it isn't first. Hopefully, you'll be gaining momentum at this point and will be excited to jump in.  Give yourself more time at this stage. There's a lot to learn here. I learned a lot from Sue Becker over at Bread Beckers, but also The Fresh Loaf and Baking 911 (for trouble shooting). Perhaps other bloggers would be willing to mention a source for this in the comment sections. I've written a few posts on grains and basic bread baking and hope to do more of this in the future. If your family is really adventurous and on board with you, then you might want to consider learning about soaking grains before consuming them. I know this sounds totally foreign, but some of you who have digestive issues, might want to take a serious look at this.


4. Switch to Raw Dairy Products:


Eliminate: Pasteurized, homogenized, non-organic products. 


Replacement: Raw milk, yogurt, and kefir, as well as butter, cheeses, and other dairy products. 

Learn: About the value of raw milk, a reliable source, and how to make dairy products from raw milk such as yogurt. This is going to be the hardest step for most people for several reasons, one of which is that we think raw milk is dangerous and only crazy people drink this stuff. To learn about raw milk, you really need to go to the Real Milk website and begin your education. Keep in mind that until the last 100 years or so, everyone drank raw milk. So how did everyone survive all those thousands of years without pasteurized milk? Because properly cared for animals produce good clean milk. It's what they were created to do. It's that simple.


5. Switch to Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, and Wild Caught Meats:


Eliminate: Conventionally raised meat products that confine animals most, if not all, of their lives and use corn as their main food source. You can be sure that their corn feed is genetically modified (GMO) as well. Avoid farm raised fish products.


Replacement: Beef that is grass fed, chicken that is free range and organic, and wild caught fish. I include "organic" because if they're feeding an animal corn, you must assume it is a GMO grain unless it specifically states the meat is organic. 

Photo credit: juliebrown1

Learn: Not much to learn here other than knowing your source. You can still prepare your meats much the same way, but this step is last because it hits our pocket book so hard. You can expect prices to be about double what you're paying now. That's a lot of dough. Look for sales and stock up when you can! You can read more about this topic on my post Switching To Grass Fed Beef and finding a local source here. Once you realize what they are doing to our meats, you'll be more willing to pay up for the good stuff. 


Wow. That's a lot of information. You may want to book mark this page or print it up for your cookbook binder. I hope it encourages you on your own Food Journey. And this isn't the end from Homestead Revival, rather just a beginning. I'll keep posting information that will help you along the way. Some posts that I wrote over at River Rock Cottage are already transferred over to help you out. And I'm working on moving more so keep checking back.


Where are you in your food journey and what do you want to learn this year in your next step?

My Food Journey

Eleven years ago, I was somewhat over weight (let's just say fluffy), sluggish, and suffering from infertility. Not the picture of health that I should have been for a 36 year old (and yes, now you can figure out how old I am!). I saw a picture of myself and was shocked! But it shouldn't have been a surprise. My husband and I had both worked our way through college and graduate school, often with two jobs a piece. Eating always took a back seat. We'd come home, make whatever we could, when ever we could, and then flop down in our recliners in front of the TV to eat it. Ughhh!

Years later, with one child and another on the way (we knew we were adopting again), we had finally graduated back to eating at the table, but cooking was whatever tasted good and was quick, including plenty of fast food. I knew I wanted to make a change because it just didn't seem right, but where to begin?

Then, I came across a book that changed my life: What the Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell. I'll talk about his book another time, but for now, suffice it to say, I was totally convicted and the path was set. I made a mental shift that has lasted ever since. Certain foods that had seemed fine before, now made me think of poison entering my body! Perhaps this isn't completely accurate, but that vision helped me to think differently about what I put into my mouth and helped me to say no to certain foods. I've since learned that a lot of what Americans eat is anything but nourishing! (This book is an excellent first read for beginning a Food Journey, by the way!)

Anyway, in less than two months I lost 30 pounds! I felt light as a feather! No longer did I feel like I was carrying around 6 bags of sugar - can you imagine? Over time, I did gain back 5 pounds, but there it seemed to settle and stay. Probably a weight that was best for me. In addition, I began to have new energy, which isn't surprising when you get rid of that much weight. I'd like to say that the infertility was cured, but looking back, I believe it was God's plan that we adopt anyway. Had God wanted me to give birth, He would have made sure that happened.  As it was, I didn't realize that my eating habits and general health could effect things like infertility. Now I know better.

So what changed? I started by eliminating some of the overly processed foods as well as sugar and added in whole grains. I began to cook a bit more fresh fruits and vegetables as well as canned alternatives without anything added. And that was about it for several years. The internet was still somewhat young and finding resources was limited. I had no idea that other people were finding these same truths to be a way of life.

Eventually, I started learning to make my own bread from home milled grains. And I must confess that this took a long time to become a habit. I was still teaching and coming home to make my own bread was a bit overwhelming. When you're learning a new skill like bread baking, sometimes it takes a while to get it down. You need to do it over and over again, even when it doesn't turn out right in order to learn from your mistakes. And you begin to realize the old saying "practice makes perfect" has more truth in it than not!

Again, I leveled off and didn't make any new changes for a while. But eventually, I realized we needed to shore up some areas that had been lacking... mainly eating fresh, in-season vegetables that were mostly organic. When I made this change my cooking was really transformed and I began to search out better recipes.

At this time we also switched to raw milk. Our middle daughter had a lactose intolerance problem and after reading about raw milk, I realized this might open up dairy products for her. And the more I realized what was going on with milk, I was appalled! So with this new revelation, we left behind pasteurized, homogenized milk forever!

This plateau lasted about two years till we finally decided that eating grass fed beef and pasture raised organic chicken was worth the money. This is one of the most expensive changes to make and therefore,  we kept telling ourselves it really wasn't that necessary. But as most of you who have read my past blog posts know, we couldn't have been more wrong! This is a good example of how educating people can really make a difference... once I learned what was really going on in the meat industry, the change seemed some much easier.

So there you have my own personal food journey in a nut shell. I could talk a lot more about it in detail, but the important thing that I wanted to convey is that it takes time to make the mental shift from a traditional American diet to a way of cooking and eating that has become foreign to us as a nation. I don't think everyone's food journey needs to take eleven years, but I think it's unrealistic to make the shift in just a month or two, especially if you are taking your family down this path with you! Remember this... if you are just beginning, know that every step you take in the right direction puts you that much closer to a healthier you!

Tomorrow... I want to introduce you to a couple of resources to help you find local produce. And after that, I plan to talk about where to begin if your new to this whole Food Journey thing. And if you're way down the road in your walk to a healthier lifestyle, stay with us. A lot of newbies are going to need your input! I'm making the next step in my own Food Journey and taking an online class to learn some new methods, mainly fermentation, soaked grains, and making my own kefir (just to name a few). If you'd like to join me, go over to GNOWFGLINS™ for Wardeh's Fundamentals eCourse.

I'd love to hear your own "Aha" moment that set you on your own Food Journey! Won't you share?

Beginning A Food Journey

Definition:  a personal commitment to seek out living foods that not only nourish the body, but brings about greater health and vitality; to move away from dead, processed foods toward meals that are prepared from simple ingredients known to be life sustaining; an individual plan that meets the needs of one's family to slowly bring about a permanent lifestyle change in regards to food consumption.

Okay, that may not sum up a Food Journey completely, but I think it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about when I use this phrase, which I use a lot and will continue to talk about in the future. Based on the feed back I'm getting, this is a really hot issue for many of my readers right now. As it should be!


First, let me state that I don't know anyone who has arrived at their final destination in regards to a Food Journey (other than those who have never started!). I'm still learning and hope to be for years to come. I find the subject fascinating and at the same time, important to the family. After all, it's my job as a manager of my home to seek out the best for my husband, children, and myself. No one else is going to do it for us! 


Second, no Food Journey is going to keep one from ever getting sick, nor is it a fountain of life that will enable you to live forever. That's not the point nor the goal. However, it is the goal to eat in such a way as to enable one to function at peak capacity for the time that God allows. We are to walk wisely by making the most of what time we have (Eph. 5:15-16) and in order to do that, we must walk wisely through the vast sea of diets, food fads, and various  philosophies of eating that are bombarding every media source known to man!


Third, a Food Journey is personal. No two journeys will look exactly the same. And this makes sense when you realize that no two individuals are the same! Does that mean that there isn't common ground from one person's Food Journey to another's? Not at all. I believe that most of us will end up with several common denominators. And that's what I hope to concentrate on.


So, you ask... what would those common denominators be? I believe that it includes what most everyone agrees on as being a wise food habit (for a start!). And what does the Bible prescribe as common practice in regards to eating?


• Eliminating processed foods


• Avoiding refined sugars as a regular course, reserving them for truly special occasions, and limit honey and other sweeteners to a reasonable amount.


• Eating modestly from each food group


• Consuming meat and dairy products from animals that have been allowed to live as God intended (not wild necessarily, but by His design - cows eat grass, etc.)


• Eating fruits and vegetables in the seasons that God planned them; which is not to say we can't extend their seasons in gentle ways, but that we don't consume a small selection of them year round to the exclusion of other vegetables while at the same time, we do consume those that are ready to harvest at their peak.


Fourth, this is a PROCESS!! I can't stress this enough! If you jump right in full force, you're going to alienate your family, feel overwhelmed, and your budget will be shot! To be successful on your journey, you must be content to take small steps over a long period of time. Some of us will progress faster than others. That's okay! The goal is to make permanent changes, not to try something for six weeks and give up! Perseverance, patience, and resolve will be needed, especially at the start. You may find it difficult to give up that favorite junk food item and question whether or not it's worth it. You may have a spouse that is resistant. But if you stick with it, you will reap the benefits by feeling better and better.


May I add a word of caution here. Nothing of what I've written above is stated in a legalistic manner. Nor should our application of it be so. I have set aside my personal food preferences at times when dining in the homes of others. God gives grace. And if you are eating well regularly, then your body can handle an occasional overly cooked or processed meal.  Please be gentle with others on your journey, especially your family. 


There is way to much to say about a Food Journey in one post. So I plan to write a few on the subject and cover things like...


• my personal food journey and what it has looked like


• how to encourage your spouse and kids to buy into this whole idea


• what steps would I recommend you take if you are starting out


• resources that you can utilize


And then, we'll get into some other things like learning new kitchen skills and techniques! It'll take some time, so don't feel overwhelmed. Interspersed will be some other posts, but I'm headed down this road with a passion! 
So let's talk!

                          Photo Credit: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net