Is it REAL Food?

We have gotten away from what we know about Real Food.  The first grocery store was not around until the 1940’s, before that time our ancestors had to grow, maintain, harvest, barter or forage for food.  Most families had chickens, for eggs and eating (they were easy to harvest in your backyard). All families, had gardens.  Some families had cows for milking and other animals to eat. There were no cereal boxes, pop-tarts, candy, frozen dinners, low fat or fat free milk, sugar free jelly, chicken nuggets that were shaped like dinosaurs or yogurt in a tube.  There were vegetables that were seasonal, eggs and milk daily (raw and unpasteurized-GASP), healthy grass fed animals that were on pasture (not stuck standing knee deep in manure force fed corn and soy)  You get the picture, it was a ‘farm’ that you can only imagine now.
Most food today is not what we consider ‘Real Food’  boxes upon boxes of pale, lifeless food that never rots or spoils.  The average food travels 1,500 miles before it reaches your plate.  Around 80% of the antibiotics used today are on animals that are kept in confinement and sick.  Most CAFO animals are constantly given a low dose of the antibiotics to keep them healthy enough to gain weight before slaughter.  The fact is, that they are making the animals (and those who consume them) worse. Antibiotic resistant superbugs are all over the place and we can’t kill them.  It is because of the amount to drugs given to animals at such a low dose, builds up a resistance. Eventually there will be a breakdown.  Superbugs, salmonella, e-coli 01571 and other nasties.

PESTICIDES KILL LIVING THINGS! The average child get five or more servings of pesticide residues in their Food and Water DAILY! This is five too many. Toxins are stored in fat cells-the brain is 60% fat.  There is a huge correlation with the amount of toxins stored in our bodies (specifically brain) and the amount of brain related disorders that are prevalent in our youth today. ADD, ADHD, Autism, sleep disorders, bi-polar, schizophrenia, emotional disturbances, and a host of other learning disabilities and disorders.

We have to get back to our true roots and learn what ‘real food’ is about. Real food rots and spoils, it has a short shelf life because it is alive and full of Beneficial Bacterial that MOST AMERICANS are LACKING!!! Real food is what our ancestors ate.  Who, by the way, were not diseased, sick or unhealthy. They ate seasonal vegetables and fruits, lots of REAL FAT (like butter, cream, whole milk, cheese and yogurt) Pastured and properly fed animals (cows were designed to eat GRASS, not grain. Cows that eat grain have a much higher incidence of e-coli and their levels of unhealthy fats are off the charts).

So what do you do?

• To find Real food go to localharvest.org and other pages like mine that share recipes, tips and information about REAL FOOD.
• Find your local farmers market and ask questions. Find sources for local meat, milk, and cheese if available.  
• Start a garden (even if it is a small one)
• Learn to cook
• READ FOOD LABELS, and buy ORGANIC when possible (if not local)
• If you are lucky enough to have your grandparents (or parents) still alive....go and have a conversation about what kinds of food they ate and ask for recipes. You’ll be surprised what you learn.  
• Most of all take time to realize that food and all its parts is ESSENTIAL to HEALTH!  

Real food takes time

I have said it before and will continue to say it......I started making changes almost 7 1/2 years ago and we are still making slow steady changes each day. Education is key and finding the changes that work for you are important. Here is a brief list of what I did in a somewhat chronological order:

Crock pot cilantro lemon shredded roast.

Ingredients:
juice of one lemon (2 small or 1 large about 1/2 cup)
1 cup packed (or more) cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
2-3 pound roast or steak

Directions:
Combine first 4 ingredients in small food processor and pulse until pasty. Rub on beef roast(or pork, chicken) Let marinade for minimum 30 minute up to an hour(or longer). Add to crock pot with juices and 1/2 -1 cup extra water. Cook on low 6-8 hours and pull apart with forks when ready to serve.

Serve with tortillas and guacamole.

Homemade mouthwash

The great thing about having the kitchen be the science laboratory...is that everything you make for your body can be eaten or visa versa. They can also be transformed into other products if they fail.
Case in point....we were experimenting with homemade mouthwash recipes and made 2 different ones to taste test.  One was very refreshing and the other....not so much. So the not very good one got turned into a batch of hair conditioner. All products that you can use that are not harmful! Here is the mouthwash recipe that we found refreshing....

Ingredients:
3/4-1 cup water(distilled or spring-not tap)
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 drops peppermint essential oil
2 drops spearmint essential oil
mix well.

Are you healthy?

What is health?
The absence of disease.

What is disease.....diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune diseases we all know about. What about frequent illness, or you catch every cold or other bug people have. Having a hard time recovering from illness. Chronic fatigue, complications from illness, multiple allergies, chronic headaches, negative attitude, sleep disturbances, gastro-intestinal issues(digestion and elimination), ADD, ADHD, memory loss, depression, anxiety, bi-polar, etc....

One day at a time

The beginning of the year brings, gym memberships, diet pills and programs, extreme habit changes that are done to fast and are usually pass or fail.  If you are wanting to make changes take one thing at a time and work on it.  If you decide to change your lifestyle and in one week: start making all your own meals and snack foods, exercise 3 times a week and try to get to sleep at a decent hour....you are overloading your brain and if you happen to not do something one day, in your mind you have failed.

...Nothing to the extreme is good

...Exercise is good - working out 6 hours a day/everyday = bad

...Nutrition is good  -freaking out about everything or eating extreme diets = bad

...Sleep is good - Sleeping for more than 10 hours a day (unless you are a child) = bad

Relax, take a deep breath and live your life and stop stressing. The stress is worse for you! It takes time! Make changes to your lifestyle that will LAST...take it one day at a time and nothing to the extreme.

Tex Mex Carnitas (crockpot) with corn cakes and honey butter

For the Carnitas...
2 lbs. pork (butt/shoulder) (I had left over pulled pork that worked great)
1/4 c. sliced yellow onions
1/2 jar stewed tomatoes or  1/4 cup (1 small can) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp honey or cane syrup
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. orange juice(or satsuma etc.)
1/4-1/2 c. lacto fermented ketchup or regular organic ketchup

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a crockpot on low 6-8 hours. Or if pork is already cooked put on high for a few hours will little extra liquid to cook onions. About an hour prior to eating (if possible), shred the pork with a fork and stir.

For the Corn Cakes....
1 1/2 cups sprouted cornmeal flour
1/2 cup sprouted wheat flour
1 1/2  teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup raw milk plus more if needed
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a second bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the 
egg and 1 cup milk until smooth, add butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using as few strokes as possible.
The batter should be think enough to form cakes with hands.
Heat griddle over medium heat. Melt butter on griddle and start to form cakes.  Place on griddle.
Cook the cakes until the bottoms are a rich brown and edges are turning brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and press down to flatten other side and continue to brown an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve with honey butter and pork.

For the Honey butter...
1/4 cup butter softened
2 tsp- 3 tsp local raw honey.

Combine well and keep in container for adding a little sweetness to your cakes.