A Food Bloggers Kitchen
Bloggers Night Out
Last night a bunch of us local bloggers got together at a local restaurant called The Electric Cheetah. Kelly, Katie and I chose the place because it serves local grassfed beef and uses lots of other local ingredients when in season! Definitely a “foodie” place to eat.
Anyways….our fabulous waitress braved the cold to take a picture of all of us outside.
(L to R Heather, Stacey, Jodi, Jill,Me, Kelly, Wendy, and Katie)
Katie brought snacks to test out on us
We snacked on some breads and spreads
And then we did what all bloggers do
We took pictures of everything.
And talked like crazy
(Jill must have said something just delightful at this point!)
(and we totally wracked her brain since she was just fresh off of Blissdom – sorry Jill!)
(oh- and check out the herbs growing on the counter!)
(so serious)
When we weren’t busy talking blogging and stats and plugins and bugging Jill about Blissdom, us foodies kind of took over a bit and talked a lot about, what else…food.
And before I end this post, I need to say how much I loved this little restaurant. I ended up getting the burger (I know…I’m not supposed to be having white bread right now on my 30 day no sugar challenge. But come one – grassfed beef. Nuff said) and was so very glad I did. I only wish I lived closer as I could see myself and my husband visiting more often if we did. The staff did a fabulous job of putting up with us. I think the waitress had to come back like 3 times to see if we were ready to order yet. The first two times we’d gotten so busy talking we forgot to look at the menu! For a table of 8, we were served our food rather quickly and it all came perfectly done. I don’t think I heard one of us say they didn’t like what they ordered.
They had a great atmosphere and it all felt so relaxed. You could tell the staff liked working there and that the other customers were enjoying their food as well. And I love the fact that this is a local restaurant! Nothing better than supporting a local place that serves local food.
The only thing I did do was leave a soy brochure.
Because they fry their hand cut fries in soybean oil.
Ick.
Though it did not stop me from trying out Wendy’s sweet potato fries or ordering some to go for my husband. {shhhh – don’t tell!}
Hopefully we can do this again ladies – it was fun!!
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Sorry Doctor Oz,
but I disagree with you.
A reader sent me a note a couple weeks ago about Dr. Oz’s new book “You, Having a Baby” and mentioned that there was a lot of unfortunate nutritional advice that she knew I’d be totally against. But before I just ran with it, I figured I needed to go check out the book for myself.
So yesterday I headed to the bookstore to see if I could find it. And well…..there is some good information in there along with some not so great advice, and even some advice that contradicts itself. I took 20 minutes or so and skimmed through the book and I’ll outline some of what stuck out to me.
Page 83
+ mentions kefir!
- also mentions eating edamame (soy beans)
- and says to eat low fat cheese
Page 84
+ advises to stay away from artificial sweeteners (quote “Aspertame hangs out in your body for 36 hours. Bleech”)
- But then they advise to use agave syrup instead.
Page 85
+ advises to use more organic produce and even lists the 12 most and least contaminated.
Page 152
+ mentions doulas, what they are and how to find one!
Then on page 286 they break down what foods are “Good Fuels” and “Bad Fuels” And while they do have some very good points on both lists, I’ll list just the ones I have an issue with.
Good Fuels I have issue with:
- lean meat; less than 4 grams saturated fat per serving (where oh where will the baby’s get the fat they need for good brain development)
- low fat yogurt (again – baby’s need fat!)
- soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh)
- organic skim milk (seriously why would we put babies on low fat diets?! Plus organic milk is normally ultra pasteurized – ick)
The it goes on to totally contradict the advice to eat soy by saying, quote ” You may choose to limit soy milk to 1 – 2 glasses daily because of phytoestrogens; there’s concern that they cause feminization of the brain and other organs, including sex organs.”
The one “Bad Fuel” I have issue with:
- saturated fats; from 4 legged animals and palm and coconut oils (We all need fat! Especially growing babies!)
+ The rest included HFCS, soda, simple sugars, bleached flours, and other items that I do agree with.
They also included a section on infertility and while I know this is a “pregnancy” book, this section was seriously lacking.
Page 382
-List the causes of infertility: Stress, PCOS, and Tubal factors (uh – last I checked there were more than 3 causes!!)
Page 383
- The fixes for PCOS were listed : Metformin and Clomid. Nothing else.
Page 388
- Discusses male infertility and suggests that men eat soy (Umm…..did they not JUST say that soy may cause the feminization of males!!!)
Now, I knew with it being written by conventional doctors, that there would be quite a bit of nutritional information in there I didn’t care for. I’ve read it many times over in the books I bought prior to my first pregnancy. It just saddens me that we’ve come so far away from real, God given foods that we are no longer nourishing our little babies. New studies of low cholesterol diets, like those outlined in the book, have been shown to increase the rates of babies born with autism and behavioral difficulties. (mentioned at the Wise Traditions conference in the Low Cholesterol; A Major New Factor in Autism session.)
This is the most important time in a baby’s life when it comes to development, why would we want to limit nourishment?
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Overwhelmed by a Real Food “Diet”?
My bloggy friend Wardeh, over at GNOWFGLINS*, has just opened enrollment for her new Fundamental e-course** that outlines a simple plan to start your own real food journey. Over 15 weeks she takes you step by step through the basics of traditional cooking and nourishing foods. She’ll be using a combination of video, audio, and text throughout the course so you’re sure to find it enjoyable! And if I know Wardeh, it’ll be simple to follow and easy to understand.
What will you learn?
- Overview: eCourse Overview
- Lesson 1: The GNOWFGLINS Foundation
- Lesson 2: How to Soak Whole Grains, Nuts and Seeds
- Lesson 3: How to Make Soaked Whole-Grain Flour Baked Goods I
- Lesson 4: How to Make Soaked Whole-Grain Flour Baked Goods II
- Lesson 5: How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans
- Lesson 6: How to Sprout Beans
- Lesson 7: How to Cook a Chicken and Make Chicken Stock
- Lesson 8: How to Make Skillet Dishes: A Dinner Formula
- Lesson 9: How to Make Water Kefir
- Lesson 10: How to Make Dairy Kefir
- Lesson 11: How to Make Soft, Spreadable Cheese
- Lesson 12: How to Make Sourdough Bread
- Lesson 13: How to Sprout Whole Grains for Sprouted Grain Flour & How to Bake With Sprouted Grain Flour
- Lesson 14: How to Make Natural Pickled Foods
So if you’re ready to make the next step from a Standard American Diet, this course is for you! The cost is only $27.00 per month and if you don’t enjoy it as much as you thought you would after the first month, you’ll get a full refund. So check it out, Wardeh has alll the information you need to know about it over at GNOWFGLINS**. Enrollment started last Friday and only goes until the 22nd!
*fyi, GNOWFGLINS stands for “God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.”
**Affiliate Links! But while I do make a small amount for each purchase, I also wholeheartedly think this course by Wardeh is fabulous.
#RealFood Recap
I’m really starting to really look forward to the first Thursday of every month! These Real Food chats on twitter are always so much fun! I get to meet new people each time (some are accidentals that find our hashtag!), learn from the best, and we get to talk food!
It’s basically fabulous.
Whilst I was a tad busy last night with all the giveways, here’s a recap of some of the conversation I caught as well as some of the answers to the giveaway questions:
We talked about eggs:
@livinglocalnh duck eggs are higher in omeg-3s, richer, recipe: http://tinyurl.com/ye9rhmf
@livinglocalnh egg whites contain a hard to digest protein
@KitchenKop It’s the avidin, see this: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/01/are-raw-eggs-safe-to-eat-real-food-wednesday.html
@NourishedMama We limit our consumption of egg white. Use a lot of yolks though. Biotin is hard to get otherwise.
@livinglocalnh Sally does 2 whole eggs + 2 yolks for bfast for 2
@NourishedMama I’m too concerned about the avidin to use them on their own it blocks biotin absorption (while referring to eating the egg whites without the yolks)
Misc chat:
@actualorganics talking of veg oils, have you seen InGREEDients yet? great film. all about transfats and the concerns..
@corganic I like tallow, but I always prefer lard, partly just because it is soft which makes it easy to scoop out lots of it!
@actualorganics talking of veg oils, have you seen InGREEDients yet? great film. all about transfats and the concerns..
@livinglocalnh The Oiling of America is a great lecture on DVD with Sally Fallon as well, debunking cholesterol myths
@livinglocalnh Oiling of American Powerpoint available here: http://www.newtrendspublishing.com/OOA/index.php
@corganic Anybody have their Wise Traditions Journal handy? Turn to page 74… my 5yr old son is featured as a “Future World Leader” 
@NourishedMama bacon grease is probably the #1 most used fat in our kitchen – outside of butter – we just finished the last of it tonight. mmm
@livinglocalnh Blaylock says that if you get the flu shot 5x consecutivey, risk for alzh. goes up 10x
@frankifries anyone who wastes gud bacon grease should get a foot in the heiny
@corganic we are currently using Salty Cod FCLO… the whole family takes it straight… that stuff will put hair on your chest
@CelluliteFiles I’ve been craving beef heart since someone tweeted about having had heart and bacon 20 or 30 minutes ago.
@liverenewed Newbie here and to #realfood. biggest obstacle for me is how to get real food from different sources. hardly have time 2 get 2 the reg store
@ChaffinOrchards Where do you all get your brown rice? @MassaOrganics is our local favorite
@livinglocalnh Interesting GMO you tube video, when the bees go, we go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFXTEy13gIs #realfood
@actualorganics real food isn’t cheap.. if producers, processors paid for pollution, all food would cost more!
@actualorganics hey, you can’t change the past, the body heals & there is only the future to enjoy…
@dianabauman One thing I believe, is no corn is 100% organic. With all the gmo seed out there, it’s pollinating everything!
@corganic FYI – I have the #GAPS DVD on sale, for the those of you who weren’t as lucky as @livinglocalnh http://bit.ly/7UgbNo
Chatted about sweeteners:
@KitchenStew The sugar is going to be my problem. I’ve reduced it a lot, but I just don’t go for pricey altern. sweeteners.
@NourishedMama We just bought the $$ sweeteners and use less. Realized today it took me 8 mos to go through 1 qt honey.
@livinglocalnh sucanat, maple syrup, raw honey, molasses, brown rice sugar are WAPF approved sugars
@HeatherLackey I don’t bake anymore either. The less sugar I ate, the less I was enjoying it when I ~did~ bake something, so I skip it.
@livinglocalnh GREAT agave syrup post: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
@NourishedMama White stevia and liquid stevia are heavily processed. I won’t go near the stuff.
@retrohousewife5 I get dark maple syrup so it has tons of flavor then I don’t need as much.
And soy:
@livinglocalnh RT Sally says soy is genocide on our kids! Wow! Thats a good way to describe it!
@livinglocalnh Soy formula contains no cholesterol for baby’s growing brain and contains MSG!
@ammirola Soy baby formula is the eostrogenic equivelent of taking 5 birth control pills a day.that really freaked me out when I read this
There was also so much more talk that I just didn’t have a moment to grab, but you can always search twitter for the hashtag #realfood and check it out!
What is the one #RealFood you’d never give up?
@herbgardens lard
@madreoso butter
@ammirola butter
@frankifries or raw ghee, cuz evrythin is better with ghee
@actualorganics husband says he would never give up, organic, grass-fed beef!
@actualorganics one #realfood I’d never give up is: Coconut oil. so diverse as I can eat it, wear it, nourish my hair- multipurpose!
@corganic raw cream … same reason as @actualorganics I love slathering it all over <kidding> I am content with using it in an IV
@aschweig i’m going with cheese.
@EatFromPantry I think I’d say coconut oil. I can’t go back now, I even like it by itself! Butter would be second.
@scdkat butter
@retrohousewife5 cheese I can’t give up cheese, I LOVE IT!! Plus it’s my main source of protein.
@frankifries pastured uncured bacon
@HeatherLackey Now that I’ve rediscovered it: butter
@livinglocalnh eggs!
How many (and which types) of fats do you currently have in your pantry?
@herbgardens lard butter coconut oil olive oil
@Fullearths Nutiva Coconut oil, Pastured butter, olive oil
@frankifries lard, olive oil, sesame oil, coco oil, bacon grease, fatback, butter, ghee
@livinglocalnh ok I also have coc. oil, hemp oil and sesame oil!!
@corganic ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, lard, butter, raw cream
@scdkat 5 butter, bacon fat, coconut, sesame oil, olive oil (from a friend’s backyard olive trees in Greece!)
@HeatherLackey Butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil, olive oil…and bacon! (Bacon is future fat waiting to happen.)
@actualorganics sat fats-4- ghee, butter, lard, dripping. MCFA-2- coconut oil, coconut milk. Mono fat-1- olive oil.
@CelluliteFiles coconut oil, sesame oil, butter, olive oil…
@KitchenStew EVOO, virgin OO, C. oil (ref and unref), palm short, butter
@NourishedMama ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, lard, butter
What #RealFood did you think you’d never try? Or still won’t try?
@frankifries probably brain. but only cuz the meat packer has to discard it
@frugalandsimple I never thought I’d try lard! I’ve now been using it over 2 years!
@scdkat kidney.. I cooked it, smelled it, couldn’t convince myself to try it
@EatFromPantry well… all this talk about cod liver oil isn’t very appealing. lol! I never thought I’d eat whole sardines.
@ammirola some of the organ meats….like heart
@actualorganics CLO ranks pretty high on the list… but also sauerkraut
@HeatherLackey So many things! Now I just pop stuff in my mouth without thinking much. “Hmm. Gizzard. Probably tastes okay in lard.”
@KitchenStew Start the list! Raw milk, liver, sourdough bread, water kefir, making my own bread period, beef heart & more!
@SelahAngel04 liver LOL
@CSSpencer liver
@livinglocalnh organ meat, raw meat, beet kvass, CLO
What is the once piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting down the #RealFood path?
@aschweig i think another great step is to go to your local farmers markets and actually talk to the people producing the food
@frankifries if you can avoid corn & soy & their derivatives your doing better than 95% of the population
@ammirola read labels! cut out HFC, switch to whole fat dairy products oh and use lots of butter!
@eartheats subscribe to our podcast (http://bit.ly/3NguOP) 
seriously, though, take small steps and improve bit by bit
@CelluliteFiles advice: Baby steps
@actualorganics be kind to yourself, start slowly, use coconut oil, butter, buy Nourishing Traditions, earlier to bed & do your best
@SelahAngel04 don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes, and join this awesome group of knowledgeable ppl!
@scdkat keep it simple (I sometimes eat the same thing lunch & dinner)
@HeatherLackey Read! You don’t just learn from it–it helps keep you motivated and on track.
@retrohousewife5 Get rid of HFCS!!! I think that is one of the worst things in our diet. Oh and watch Food Inc lol.
@CSSpencer Eat more butter!
@livinglocalnh Advice: add the good things and the bad things will soon disappear, relax!
How do you keep your kitchen clean?
@ammirola my kitchen is clean right now…kept up with the dishes today and i do use vinegar
@Fullearths clean it! hahaha!! ok.. just kidding, homemade cleaners~ made from viniger, baking powder, lemon juice, essential oils!
@frankifries ROTFL. its never clean. unless i enlist the help of my husband
@scdkat I cook, bf cleans
@retrohousewife5 Dr. Bronners, hot soapy water, vinegar and sometimes @ecostoreusa Citrus Spray Cleaner
@actualorganics I use a cotton cloth & BioPure, probiotic cleaner. It is so good, I now sell it! 
@livinglocalnh I keep my kitchen clean by keeping up with the dishes!! And I use Shaklee Basic H
@ammirola I don’t! lol!
@thehoneyb I use baking soda! Love love baking soda, it cleans EVERYthing
@SelahAngel04 SCRUB CONSTANTLY!
What’s your absolute favorite meal to make?
@Fullearth French toast made w/sprouted bread, fresh eggs, raw milk & topped w/organic bananas fried in pastured butter and coconut oil!
@ammirola I love making over easy eggs! always yummy!
@frankifries coconut curry (anything) w/ cauliflower rice drenched in ghee
@CSSpencer fav meal is a roasted chicken from my backyard and a side veggie with lots of butter.
@actualorganics Vegetable chicken soup;homemade chick stock, onions, garlic, carrot, celery, chilli, salt,pepper, corriander & LOVE
@livinglocalnh absolute fav food to make: scrambled eggs, so simple, nourishing, quick and easy, loved by all!
@aschweig i still love a good pot of soup or chili, easy to make, last a long time
@thehoneyb Chicken and rice, starting with a fryer chicken….comfort food at its best!
@SelahAngel04 soup, any kind, just real veggies, some rice or potatoes, some great herbs and love love love….
@scdkat lemon chicken with artichokes http://scdkatfood.blogspot.com/2008/03/poultry.html
@kefirguru Beef curry with sweet potatoes over soaked brown rice
@dianabauman Hands, down, fried eggs in EVOO side of potatoes in local pork lard!
Who’s been hanging out all night?
@frankifries i have been here the whole time
@aschweig i have actually been here the whole time…does that make me a dork?
@scdkat I have been didn’t expect to be but this was fun!
@ammirola I have been here the whole time! so fun!
@HeatherLackey Been here the whole time! This has been more fun than I expected.
@retrohousewife5 I think I have been here the whole time.
@livinglocalnh been here the whole time! love my #realfood
And the Giveaways:
(all chosen by random.org and numbers assigned by order of tweets!)
Winner of the @nourishedmama recipe cards………@thehoneyb
Winner of the Phytic Acid Paper from @amgrose is…… @ammirola
Winner of the GAPS Diet DVD……@livinglocalnh
Winner of a Healthy Homemaking e-books from @KeeperHome is……@EatFromPantry @scdkat and @HeatherLackey
Winner of @kitchenkop ’s Real Food Ingredient Guide…..@ammirola
Winner of the “rebuild from depression” book….@scdkat
Thanks everyone for making it such a great chat! See you next month!
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Nourishing Our Children
Today I want to introduce you to an organization I had the pleasure of meeting at the Wise Traditions Conference. And I’m really excited to tell you all about them! See, this is a NON profit organization, not backed by a large corporation, not led by any other reason than the pure desire to teach others how to fully nourish our kids.
Nourishing Our Children is a non profit organization, and project of the San Fransisco Weston A Price chapter, started by Sandrine Hahn in 2005. Their goal is to “address the dramatic deterioration in the health of our children.” With the focus of the campaign being “not just about identifying the dangers of Oreos, cola, candy and other obvious junk foods. The campaign also presents research illustrating how foods widely assumed to be nutritional – including packaged foods commonly described as “organic,” “natural” or “fortified” – are themselves heavily processed and stripped of nutritional value. Although these labels provide a convenient way for parents to determine which foods to buy, the items associated with those labels often betray the standard of optimal nutrition.”
While I had the pleasure of viewing some of the materials at the conference, (and chatting a small bit with Sandrine herself) Sandrine has also sent me the presentation as well as some of the other educational materials they offer to check out. And you know, I don’t even know what to say about it.
Other than this should be a required course for every parent! I truly wish I had been shown this information when I had my first.
For those of us who already know what true nutrition is, they offer beautifully designed slide presentation and corresponding study guide for ease in presenting to a group. (Which hopefully I’ll be doing myself sometime very soon)
For those who want to learn, they have a downloadable book and wonderful MP3 audio book. (which I’m currently listening to right now, and it’s very pleasant to listen to. She’s engaging and provides information without being boring)
They also offer free downloads on their website (NourishingOurChildren.org) where you can download flyers on The First Steps, Overview on Grains, and many recipes.
I would love, love , love it if you spent some time clicking around their site. It’s beautifully designed and chock full of fabulous information!! I really just can’t say enough good things about this organization, what they do, and what they offer. I know so many of you truly desire to feed your family healthy and nourishing foods and this site will help you in your journey.
Seriously, if you’re still here reading this.
Go!
Go now!
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Giveaway: “Soaked” Cereal!!
I’m so excited to bring you guys this giveaway as I got a chance to meet Michaeleen from JoshEWEa’s at the Wise Traditions Conference, and taste all their fabulous goodies. I actually signed up for a giveaway they were doing during the conference for a package of their cereal while I was busy taste testing everything. I kind of forgot about it but decided to stop by their booth again before I left for home to pick up some of the soaked trail mix. How excited was I when she informed me that I won! Whoo hoo!
Seriously, I never win anything so I was pretty excited!
I picked out a cashew and cranberry cereal, and let me tell you…..the stuff was amazing! I’ve never had granola so good. I actually hid it from my family. Oh yes I did! Even then, it still didn’t last a week. I ate it plain as a snack, as a topping on yogurt, and with milk for an actual healthy cereal.
(and the trail mix I brought home was almost as quickly devoured. Even my husband who is always wary of foods prepared in ‘traditional ways’, couldn’t keep his hands out of the jar!)
I also loved the fact that as I chatted with Michaeleen, I found she has a lot of the same ideas to raising babies that I do. We talked for quite awhile about babywearing, and how important it was to keep the baby up in front facing mommy, as opposed to facing out or on the back. I think if she was my next door neighbor I’d never get my house clean as I’d be to busy chatting over the fence!
I’m super excited that Michaeleen wanted to do a giveaway and I’m just as excited for you all to try one of their products! Once you have a fabulous cereal like this, you’ll never go back to the icky packaged stuff from the store! And she had a great idea for entries, since she’s currently pregnant, she wants to know…
“How do you manage morning sickness naturally?”
And for those who are still TTC, just let us know which of their products you’d love to try! Just leave your answer in the comment section here before Friday, February 5 at midnight! After that I’ll choose a winner via random.org. The winner has a chance to win the awesome Cashew Berry Crunch Cereal!
*also, you must have a U.S. address and the winner must reply back within 48 hours of when I send the notice.
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.
February’s Real Food Twitter Party
Next week on Thursday February 4, will be our next Real Food Twitter Party! 9-11 EST again
You won’t want to miss this one as we have some great prizes lined up with a (hopeful) few more in the works! So far we have:
- Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Ingredient Guide
- Amanda Rose’s book “Rebuild from Depression”
- as well as Amanda’s 45 page paper with the ins and outs of Phytic Acid
- A GAPS Diet DVD from Corganic!!
- THREE copies of e-book Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie from Keeper of the Home
- A six month subscription to Nourished Kitchen’s recipe cards
Also, along with next weeks twitter party, I’ll be starting a “Real Food Round-up”!! Whether you are a real food blogger or just a blogger that likes to make food from scratch, pay attention!
What the “Real Food Round-Up” is:
In basic forms, it’s a blog carnival where we’ll link up a recent post we’ve written either about real food, or a recent recipe we’ve posted.
What’s different about this one and why would you want to participate?
Well, the rules for this carnival are going to be a bit different than most. When you add your link you are promising to do 2 things:
- Read at least 2 posts and comment on them!
- Read at least another 2 posts and share them via social media. These posts can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, Stumble Upon, etc.
You see, I know a lot of real food bloggers and I read a lot of their posts. But I find myself rarely commenting, as I’m sure you have a hard time finding time to do so as well. And that’s sad, because blogs are nothing if there is no conversation, no connecting.
I’m also figuring most other bloggers, as well as readers, view blog posts solely in a ‘reader’. Which is fabulous for our own organization, but hard for the blogger since most of us/them are paid by their ad networks solely by the number of page views.
The goal of this Round-Up
The goals are simple.
- Become a community of real food bloggers who know and support each other.
- Discover new blogging friends and new recipes.
- Share our real food ideas with cyberspace!! Our thoughts on food and nutrition mean nothing if we’re the only ones reading it. Let’s get the word out and flood the web with what we know.
A note to participants
You may choose any recent post (within the last couple of weeks) to link, but it must either be a post about some aspect of real food, or a real food/from scratch recipe. Your post must also include a link back to the permalink of the “Real Food Round-Up” post that will be live at 10pm EST on Feb. 3rd. I will also be Stumbling each and every post submitted!
Food manufacturers may have deep pockets for advertising, but we have social media! Real food needs a voice, let’s give it one!
So, I hope you’ll join me next week! And for convenience sake, link up with your twitter handle if you plan on joining in at the party! That way I can make sure I’ve got you all “followed” beforehand. Use the link to your twitter profile please!
My “Real Food Face-Off”
If you haven’t checked out Katie’s (from Kitchen Stewardship) new series “Real Food Face Off”, you should really head over there today, as my answers are being paired up with Lindsey’s (from Passionate Homemaking).
Also, here are a few of the questions that were asked that Katie didn’t use for todays “face-off”.
- If you only had energy for ONE make-from-scratch food, what would it be? Is your preference for taste or health? For my health, I think I’d have to say bone broth. Because while there are so many things I’d rather make at home, that’s the one thing I really couldn’t find a suitable store bought version for.
- What is the worst food (or “food”) a person could possibly put into their systems? Sugar. And it’s the one thing that both natural and conventional doctors can agree on that’s bad for you. It robs your body of needed nutrients (specifically Vitamin B-6 for me, which is vital to fertility), feeds cancer, and weakens your immune system.
- If you had only $20 to spend in a week on real food, what would you buy and what would you make? (as in other foods purchased were SAD?) Free range eggs, grassfed milk, and grassfed beef (bone in so I could make broth) With just these three things I’m able to make so much nutrient dense food for my family!
- Biggest drawback of real food lifestyle? Lack of convenience for sure! It used to be so easy to pull out a couple of boxes to make dinner, or grab a quick snack out of a box (or vending machine). Now I have to put a lot of thought into everything we eat, planning it out and making it ahead of time.
- What’s the most creative thing you do to make life easier in the kitchen? Not clean it! Creative? No. I’m in the kitchen so much I’ve just had to make peace with the fact that it’s rarely spotless. Whether it’s dishes sitting out or just jars of food ’soaking’, kefir or kombucha brewing, there is always something sitting out!
- What do you refuse to buy at a grocery store that you do eat from its source? Milk! I don’t ever buy store bought milk anymore. Not only is raw milk better for it’s health benefits, pasteurized milk is detrimental to our health. Plus, half of my little family is sensitive to store bought milk and can’t drink it!
So head on over to the “Real Food Face Off” to check out the rest of my answers!
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.
My 10 Nourishing Foods Goals
I like goals and lists, it helps give me something to strive for. So the following is my list of Nourishing Food goals for this coming year! I’ve made it pretty ‘achievable’ and also very specific because I like to actually meet mt goals, not get overwhelmed by them.
- Learn to ferment at least 2 vegetables
- Learn to make cheese
- Try eating liver/organ meats once a month
- Plant 2 new vegetables in the garden
- Perfect a soaked bread recipe
- Learn to sprout
- Grind my own flour (this means I’ll have to save up for a grain mill first)
- Try 2 new sweeteners
- Incorporate more fish into our diets – throughout the year I started slacking on my normal once a week goal
- Get back to meal planning! – this one starts now.
And a bonus one
- Cut out refined sugar again!
So there you have it, what I’m striving for this year. Have you thought about where you want your nutrition to go this year? Even if you can’t think of the whole year at this point in your life, what goals do you want to achieve this coming month?
And if you’re looking for some great ideas of things to incorporate in your diet, check out Kimi’s Nourishing New Years Resolutions.
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.
