food really does matter!

many months ago i watched parts of Food Inc. on youtube.  it was only about 10 minutes of it, and it was very disturbing.  so much so, i didn't want to watch the rest of it.  not because i didn't agree with it, but because it made me aware of what i am really eating.  and the fact that the people that are suppose to protecting us, and keeping our foods safe...have pockets padded by the people who are doing the damage to our foods.  i was sickened seeing thousands of chickens, pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones (to make bigger breasts, and more "meat") that they can barely walk.    it's things that we don't think about...where are food is really coming from.  when we go to the grocery store and get meat (whether it's chicken, beef, pork, turkey), in our minds we picture these animals prior to slaughter living on a beautiful farm, with lush green grass, farmers that know them by name, big red barn, stray barn cats running all over.  don't lie...ya'll have the same fantasy!  ;)  but it's so far from the truth!  these animals are all treated inhumane!  and we should be ashamed of ourselves for standing by with a blind eye.  these animals live in feed lots.  bunched together, standing in their own fecal matter.  corn fed (because it's cheaper and government subsidized). 

i finally gave in to my own selfish...ummm shall we say, protection of the truth...and watched Food Inc in it's entirety.  it make me sick to my stomach.  that i had been a guilty party in all of this.  being naive to the truth makes us just as guilty as monsanto (in my eyes!).  if you don't know who monsanto is...you better start researching.   monsanto created roundup.  and roundup ready seeds.  meaning, seeds that dont die when roundup is sprayed on it.  meaning...GMO...genetically modified foods.  fake version of what GOD created.

once you learn the truth, you can't go back to the way you lived before.  changes must be made.  and ben and are are taking giant leaps to change what we eat and what we feed our kids.  we have purchased a cow share from a farm in howard city, so that we can legally get raw milk.  raw milk is unpasteurized.  straight from the cow.  nothing added, nothing taken away.  raw mil, despite what the FDA says, is better for you than pasteurized.  we also have started going weekly to the farmers markets.  buying organic, locally grown foods.  talking to the farmers about how they grow (natural vs pesticides).  reading food labels.  knowing what ingredients are safe, and what should be avoided at all cost!    I am making these changes not just for myself, but for my kids, and my grandkids, and great-grandkids.  these changes NEED to be made so that we can have a future someday.  a future without cancer, and disease.  yes, this IS possible!  but we have to demand it.  our government will give us exactly what we ask them for, and if all we ask is a world full of GMO'd foods, cheap, foods...they will continue to provide it.  but is we stand up NOW and demand better...eventually we WILL get better. 

i highly suggest that you get your hands on Food Inc., Foodmatters, The Future of Food.  find out what you are eating.  what you are feeding your kids, and make a difference in their lives starting TODAY. 

yummy granola bars

these are MUCH better than store bought! 

2 cups organic rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup organic flour (next time I make this I am going to try my spelt flour)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (or carob chips)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raw honey

1 egg, beaten (i use eggs fresh from the farm, if you buy them at the store buy organic brown eggs)

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (make sure it's REAL or mexican vanilla, not artificial flavored!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, mini chocolate chips,  and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using a wooden spoon. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30  in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. I recommend using a plastic knife to cut these out to get a perfectly cut bar with minimal crumbs.

*you can take this basic recipe and add whatever else you like in your bars!  ben wants peanut butter chips next time!  :)

homemade salsa using fresh tomatoes

i never measure when i cook, so i don't have exact measurements on this.  it's all to taste really.  and will really depend on how many tomatoes and peppers you have.  here is the basic recipe i use:

• fresh tomoatoes (boil for 1 min, ice bath, peel skins)
• green chilies
• chopped onion
• minced garlic clove(s)
• jalapeno(s), quarted then sliced, keeping seeds (you are brave you can take the spice!)
• pinch or two of sugar
• pinch or two of salt
• pinch ground cumin
• fresh cilantro (to taste)
• juice from a fresh lime (half to whole)

add everything to your blender or food processor,  mix till you get the consistency you like! 

if you are planning to can your salsa, make sure you sterilize jars and lids.  add salsa to jars leaving 1/4 inch from top.  add jars to boiling water bath.  boil 15 minutes.  take jars out of bath, and set on counter for 12-24 hours.

enjoy!! 

homemade toothpaste

i have been looking for a toothpaste recipe for awhile now.  i just made this, and went to do the test brush...FABULOUS!


coconut oil toothpaste

• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp baking soda
• 20-25 drops essential oil.  (i used lavendar because i am in love with the stuff! but feel free to use peppermint oil)
• 1tsp xylitol crystals
• 2 tsp vegetable glycerin (optional---makes it creamy and easier to spread on the brush)

mix it all together a glass baby food jar (works great for this---AND you are recycling/reusing something-BONUS!).  mix till creamy.  it's as simple as that!  enjoy!