Feed, Nourish and Protect

Late summer and early fall mean I’m really busy with food.   Fruit to dry, storerooms rearranged to accommodate new supplies and freezers prepared to store this year’s bounty of meat and poultry keep me hopping from July through November.

Cooler weather also means a return to my favorite cooking venue – The Crockpot.

Although I’ve finally found some viable chilled soup recipes for summer, winter  remains my favorite time to cook.   Nothing calms me or brings greater joy than to move about the house accompanied by the smell of simmering soup and raising bread.

(Adding artificial heat to an already hot day makes me cranky…)

And while I like to eat good and have learned how necessary good nutrition is to my health and well-being, I really don’t like spending all day, everyday, in the kitchen.

There are so many other grand adventures to partake in!

So, the Crockpot is my best friend.

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I’ve spent the last few years immersing myself in the subject of food – sources, how it’s grown, how it’s prepared, how to get the greatest nutrition out of your food choices.

I’ve also immersed myself in research of how we heal – what promotes healing and what doesn’t – what works and why.

Food is more than just a way to feed our tummy.    Done properly, food nourishes our soul, both during preparation and ingestion.   And purchased properly, our food choices contribute to our local resiliency and  protects our local economies.

Sorry, but you just can’t get that kind of bang for your buck outta 4 for $5 frozen dinners.

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At some point in my own journey through healing and food, I started wondering how much healing value comes from the actual food and how much is a return of the energy we have invested in food.    May sound nuts, but if you follow quantum physics, mind/body research or studies regarding the placebo effect, then you would be pondering this thought, too.

Though my ears have not heard this phrase for over 3 years, my mind can still conjure up my Dad’s voice, intoning:

“Thank you for this food;  bless it to the nourishment of our bodies and bless the hands that prepared it.”

He didn’t leave out anyone in the chain of what put good food in front of him.

Reminds me of various practices in hunter/gatherer cultures – the before hunting dance/prayer – the after hunting dance/prayer – the small tokens offered to the various gods recognized as being responsible for us living and eating for one more day.

Stories of  guests honored by food – first dibs and they were expected to take the choicest, largest portion.

Food was a big deal and honored.

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What if focused, peaceful intent actually changes the benefits of the energy you ingest?   What If?!?

Then a leisurely 15 minutes spent chopping veggies and slicing meat in the morning to be dumped into simmering home-made broth, when I’m well-rested and still wildly enthusiastic about the fact I woke up (again) means the soup I start for supper is so super loaded with nutrition, my family should look like the Incredibles by now.

It surely has to have more nutrition than the frozen pizza I slap in the oven after returning home late, with my mind still off in the never-never land of cranky bosses, uncompleted projects and moron drivers.   I’m convinced that’s one of the top reasons why ‘fast food’ doesn’t satisfy us as it should.  I didn’t ‘super-inject’ it with Good Intent!

According to some ancient cultural practices and modern medicine, my family’s digestion processes work better too, when I’m in a good mood at the supper table…

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Taken a step further, if I do happen to think about who made the frozen pizza, I don’t put out peaceful intent.

I understand that frozen pizza was probably compiled by either a machine or some poor minimum wage factory worker who wonders when a machine will replace him/her.    I also think about the commodity system, how farmers, ranchers and dairymen get less than the cost of production for their wares and how even with subsidies, that one pizza represents a world where small family farms can’t compete, monoculture mindset reigns and super companies have a five-year plan of patenting and owning all the food seed in the world.  I also think about how much money goes to those who process, package and transport the food and how much goes to the people who actually grew/raised it.

(It’s very skewed – if you don’t believe me, and you live in eastern Colorado, then ask any of your neighboring wheat farmers what they get per bushel of wheat from the wholesale broker, when it has, gasp, sprouted and then go to your local “Health Nut” food store and see what you pay for wheat grass or sprouted wheat flour)

On the other hand, when I make soup, and think about how it traveled to me, I put out lots of good energy:

I’m thankful for the wheat farmer, the rancher and the two 4-h girls who are willing to raise an extra pig for me.   I think about friends and neighbors who called or emailed and said, “Help!   I got a bumper crop of (insert veggie/fruit).  Come get some!”    I think of them, their life, their children and I feel such a warm glow of gratitude for all they do for me.

I think about my local Farmer’s Market and how much I enjoy wandering up and down the aisles, buying veggies that were cared for by the hands that are now giving me my change.

It’s just two completely different states of mind – solely dependent on what I choose to prepare for supper.

Even if you don’t buy into the whole ‘divine matrix and intention theory’,  ya gotta admit, having peaceful thoughts while fixing supper has its’ advantages.

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I’d like to see a Real Food revolution.   I’d like to have it be the main topic of conversation anywhere I go.   Where to find it, purchase it.   How to store, preserve, properly prepare it.   I would like to see the  mainstream media headlines splashed with bio’s about those who raise, care and produce Real Food.

Won’t happen anytime soon – I can’t even imagine, “nightclub”, “drugs” and “local farmer” ever being in the same headline.

Nobody wants to read about the rancher who gets up at 2:00 a.m. and checks her herd, because cows and heifers have this funny way of doing things – they like to go into labor whenever a good blizzard moves in…Every rancher knows this and they choose to remove themselves from comfort, just in case that first-time momma runs into some snags….

When will that be seen as hero status in our culture?

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Becoming a Real Foodie means more than just ‘eating good’.   It’s impossible to enter that world and not take the journey from your individual survival all the way up to the health of the biosphere.

During his RSA lecture, Empathic Civilisation, Jeremy Rifkin states,

“All economics depend on photosynthesis.”

He’s right, ya know.

And your Food Choices Really Are That Important!

Food Adventures

Years ago, when I first found out about Dr. Weston A. Price and his research, I set about changing my kitchen stores.

Silly me, I did it all at once which resulted in some long days and a very tired me that first month.

Over the years, I’ve gotten into a routine.   Freezers, dehydrators and 7 crockpots greatly reduce my workload.

I’ve modified recipes to get more nutritious stuff into us, but still close enough to texture and taste of ‘store-bought’ my family will eat it.

Four years of making pizza dough, bread and tortillas from sprouted wheat and Hubby still says, “Good, but it’d be better if it was white” smiling at me with a wicked gleam in his eye.

I counter with a “When you make baked goods, you’re free to use whatever ingredients you want.”

Which means all our tummies are safe.

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Trying to keep your family fed via the method you’ve decided is good for them is not always an easy task.

When you live within walking distance of four fast food restaurants, it’s even harder.  Add to that USDA, AMA, AHA and FDA guidelines and you are way outnumbered.

Making ‘what’s good for you’ match in texture and flavor what’s been processed to the point of sawdust, then artificially flavored back to yumminess, is sometimes an exercise in futility.

To date, I have located or invented recipes that mimic or excel: Manwich sauce,  onion ring coating,  thousand island, Ragu pizza sauce, Prego spaghetti sauce, Mac-n-Cheese, Digiorno pizza, the sauce served with onion strings at a nearby restaurant, the  pizza quesadilla, twinkies and teriyaki wings.

I have yet to successfully create my own: Miracle Whip, A-1, Ranch dressing or dip, frosted mini-wheats or gummi bears.

Some days, these experiments are my motivation to get out of bed.

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When I was faithfully following organic, properly prepared meals 24/7, I noticed a bowl of Halloween candy could remain untouched  for days on end.   Pepsi didn’t really even taste good, nor did coffee.

It wasn’t that I had purposefully set out to delete these things from my diet.  I just didn’t add them onto the grocery list, and after a few months, found thoughts of “Hey, I’ve been good.  Think I’ll indulge some,” was followed by the reality of, “Yuck!  Why did I want this?”

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What I crave is a good indicator to me of the health and balance in my body.  When I’m at my healthiest, I don’t even think about A-1, gummi bears or Pepsi.

If I’m not getting good nutrition and sleep, my body reminds me that Pepsi and Coffee are good band-aids.

After a period of ‘first aid’, my body confuses band-aids with long term fixes, and then suffers the consequences.

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Many people in my circle have told me, “I don’t have time to do all that reading.   Just tell me I should eat and what I should avoid.”

I use to give advice.  Not any more.   #1 because I don’t always follow my own advice, so I try to avoid hypocrisy.

#2 because I believe the first thing needed for health and quality of life, is making it a priority.

When someone tells me they don’t have time to cook, read or research, then I surmise it’s not a priority for them yet.

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I laugh at my own little adventures.   I work hours to sprout wheat, dry and grind it, just so I can fix some yummy desert with raw sugar in it.

I only break my relationship with coffee when my stomach says, “Fine.  I can play this hurtful game too.”

I take extra Vitamin C, so I can continue to smoke.

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I’ve given up in the battle for family members to take their lunch to work and school.

I no longer send long articles to other family members regarding the dangers of cholesterol and blood pressure medicines.  I just inform them forgetting my name is excusable, because hey! they are suffering from dementia.

But I haven’t given up exploring.  And trying new things.  And wondering if the caveman cuisine was so durn bad, how did we survive long enough to ‘multiply and cover the earth’.

In short, I take advantage of modern conveniences all the while aware that our current technologies can often give us the illusion of health rather than the real deal.

Off to try another experiment in homemade gummi bears……

Jack Bauer

One more quick post and then off to get ready for my birthday dinner…

I’ve often referred to Jack Bauer in my posts.   For those of you who don’t know who this is, here ya go:

Jack Bauer is an American Patriot, who works at the Counter-Terrorism Unit in the hit show, “24″.   He continually fights for the safety of Americans, protects and serves a government who has screwed him and betrayed his loyalty a million times over.   He frequently chooses to save the lives of millions, while losing his own loved ones.

In short, he’s a fictional character.

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I’m not usually a fan of prime time TV.  But via Hubby, I got drawn into watching “24″.

By season two, my husband was rather tired of hearing: “Why in the hell does he keep protecting and supporting  jackasses who have proven they are not worthy of loyalty or life?!?”

To which hubby replies, “Ummm…honey….it’s a TV show….”

Bless his stable and supportive heart.

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I love Jack Bauer, even while I rant against the unreality of such a man.

Because he consistently lives ideals I say I believe in, but know in my heart I do not live up to.

(And also because he knows how to kick some arse and expose sneaky politicians for the sniveling cowards they are…)

You see, if I’m faced with a choice of saving millions of my fellow man, or getting my son to safety, so sorry for you, but I’ll choose my son.

I’m selfish that way.

On the flip side, if it’s just my life we’re talking about and I think you are defenseless against overwhelming odds,  then my life is all yours.

I continually side with the underdog.

In short, if  those who persistently trade their liberty for safety, via voting, end up without access to proper nutrition or food, I’ll feed me and mine before I let them have one grain of my purchased-directly-from-the-local-farmer wheat.

And you better hope someone I love is still alive, cuz if not, I’ll destroy my food stores and starve before I let you have a single bite.

I have a vengeful streak…

I’m also into personal responsibility.

And if I die from lung cancer or get shot as a heretic, I won’t hold you responsible…

Deal?

Tax Free Weekends

Oohhhh….look at what I found while researching the status of our USPS (private or government owned… attempting to settle a friendly family disagreement via Facebook – all ‘facts’ say they are privately owned – dig into their annual report and how their Board of Directors get their positions -  looks government owned to me…)

But back to the latest to catch my eye – Tax Free Weekends available in some cities and some states.  (Full story)

Scanning through the list of what’s tax free and what’s not, I ponder the top tax-free items:

• Clothing
• Footwear
• Computers
• Computer Accessories

I also noticed that Food was listed as Excluded on some lists.

“But food isn’t taxed”, you say.  Maybe not in your neighborhood, but if I shop at places I can hoof it to, I pay taxes on my food.

I also was intrigued by the dollar limitations placed on some – $100 limits for clothing and shoes was an oft-repeated theme.

That’s fine for the way I shop.   But a glance at the prices of the jeans or shoes your fashionable children are willing to be caught dead in, me thinks the $100 ceiling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

And lately I’ve questioned just how much clothing and footwear we really need at one time.

I’m also tired of upgrading to new hardware and software prior to learning how to use all the bells and whistles on the versions I already own.

There was also a glaring omission of “work all weekend and pay no income tax.”

I mean really, isn’t that the tax that taxes us so much?

Ah well, at least the idea has been started and is being tried…