Real Food Challenge 2012

Today is the first day of our month-long “real food” challenge. As a family, we are cutting out processed food completely - no fast food, refined grains, preservatives, artificial ingredients, etc. No more factory food! After a long day of the work and commute shuffle, it is so tempting to open a box, push a button and BING: dinner’s ready.

I want to know (and be able to pronounce) every ingredient that my family eats. Heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer – four of the top ten chronic diseases that kill most of us can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food.

"but i removed the pink slime! where are you going?"

I hope to prove to myself that the extra effort and time is worth it – not just to our health but the quality of life overall. Healthy food can taste delicious! No shortcuts this month.

Ring the Butter Bell

Thanks to my mom, we now have soft, spreadable butter all the time!  The butter is protected by a layer of water that forms an airtight seal at the base of the crock - we just have to change the water out twice a week.  Because of the high fat content, butter is safe to store at room temperature for 30 days.  Now all we need is a salt pig!

Paella!

We tested out the new Paella pan tonight and although it took longer than expected, the end result was out of this world! Nothing better than a big pan of seared seafood, meat, veggies and "over-the-top" flavorful Spanish rice. Wake up kids, its time for dinner!

Mushroom Out of Control

Our Back to the Roots oyster mushroom kit decided not to wait for us!