kombucha

Look on the internet and you will find lots of recipes for kombucha. Rachel, from Small Notebook, has the clearest directions for homemaking kombucha that I have found. It really is a lot of fun if you haven't tried it. Before I began making my own kombucha, I saved up my G.T.'s kombucha bottles. I use those to store my individual batches of kombucha. It would be fun to buy the home-brewing bottles that Rachel uses though. Maybe one day.

How to Make your Own Kombucha.

Meatloaf from Paleo Musings

Tonight I made this meatloaf for the second time. It has been a huge hit both times I've served it to my family. The recipe comes from the 3/11/12 post on Paleo Musings titled Heavenly Paleo Meatloaf. The first time I made it, I used only pork. Tonight I used one pound of pork and three pounds of beef.

Quinoa Cakes from The Whole Foods Diner

Tonight I made Quinoa Cakes. I thought they were delicious. I'd say my children were about half in agreement to liking them. In my opinion, that isn't bad for a first time offering.

The recipe comes from The Whole Foods Diner, their 4/15/13 post titled Meatless Mondays : Quinoa Cakes. I left out the onions because I didn't want my children to be afraid; I think onions would have made these great cakes even better.

Shift

I hope to use this blog as an organizational tool to help me better meal plan and feed my family. Still hoping to use minimal sugar and gluten, this will be an everyday-type, all-encompassing menu blog. Therefore, I will be using categories to try to keep things organized : Season, meal, focus, and possibly even main ingredients.

Some of the categories I am going to start out with are:
spring
summer
autumn
winter
breakfast
lunch
supper
snack
beverage
dessert
gluten free
refined sugar free
dairy free
vegan
vegetarian

One foot in front of the other

I'm still working my minimal sugar and gluten intake. I did have a breakdown this weekend. Who knew a half cup of chocolate chips was over 500 calories? Jeezapete.

I found this article over the weekend. It is fairly basic, but has good info to know.

http://www.skinny-bits.com/2012/07/skinny-on-sweeteners.html

I hope to have something worthwhile to say before too long.

Hidden Sugars, again

As I wrote before, it is the hidden sugars, the sugars called by other names, that make dramatically limiting sugar so challenging. They are everywhere. We know not to eat Skittles. But Salsa? Why would anyone put sugar in salsa? 

These following terms represent added sugars: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, sugar, and sucrose.

Here is an info graphic about Sugar Consumption. I had told my sister a few months ago that when I ate sugar, I noticed my arms and legs were achy. On this info graphic, they list "aching limbs" as being tied to sugar consumption. Hhmmm.

When I start to feel weak, like I really don't need to be worried about all this sugar my family is eating, I just look for inspiration. Sarah Wilson is at the top of my list. I don't remember how I found her, but I am glad I did. Her approach is kind but no nonsense. I have bought both her e-book and her e-cookbook. They are both worth the money.

I think the best answer is to make all your own food. I am learning that we just can't trust the food industry or the government. I don't want to sound like a paranoid woman. But I just keep seeing that very few people out there are looking out for the health of my family. I must do it. I must read every label. I must bake and stir and grow and freeze and can and dry and mix and puree, as much as I am able.
 

Debrief

So, my sister and I were just together at the beach for two whole, entire weeks. It wasn't long enough. It never will be. Even though, we had a wonderful time enjoying each other's children and catching up and just being together.

Before our trip we had lots of goals for our time together. They were pretty much all food related. We would eat/serve no processed food. We would eat/serve no refined sugar, no gluten. Karen and I would eat no dairy. Karen and I would eat raw for 3-4 days.

Before my children and I headed down to the coast, I dehydrated corn chips, flax crackers, and granola--all raw. Karen and I discussed many meal options. We were ready for achieve.

The thing is, really, overall, it was pretty overwhelming. I definitely am one to bite off more than I can chew, and this case was no different. I wouldn't say that we were unsuccessful, but we were not stringent enough to meet the goals full on. We ate very little processed foods. Honestly, I can't think of any right now, but I know there were a few. I ate gluten one time the entire two weeks--gumbo, a personal weakness. I ate about two bites of chocolate and ate ice cream two nights. Karen and I almost made it two days eating raw. In the end, it was the desire for alcohol that did us in. I had not had any alcohol for 3 weeks prior to the raw bust though.

I can't do it all. I really can't. I have to decide what is important to me. How do I want my family to eat? What do I want my children's relationship with food to be? How do I want my children to see me and my relationship with food and with my body?

The answers to these questions are fluid. But for me, right now, gluten and sugar are where I want to focus my energies. I don't think much of either are healthy for any of us. I don't want to make a big deal of it. I don't want to draw all this attention to it. I just want to serve healthy food that I can feel good feeding my family and myself. And, I want them to eat it.

So I do feel okay about our beach goals because I think we were intentional and not overly dogmatic. And really, that is about all I can do, all I can be. 

Now we are back home, missing my sister and her family and eating as best we can.