On Sunday, my boys and I decided to stop and have a taco for lunch after church. We don't usually go to Taco Bell, or any place for that matter, other than Sunday tradition of arni's after church sometimes. We decided to go to Taco Bell and eat lunch.
I ate a nacho supreme and a gordita supreme. I had water to drink. Literally, before we left the restaurant, my stomach hurt, I had indigestion and I felt ill. The rest of the day I was downing tums like they were candy and regretting our decision to eat that kind of food. For several months now, we have ate wonderfully, making our food at home, enjoying a treat out once a week before or after church.
A couple years ago, my pantry looked a lot like the middle aisles of the Kroger. Boxes of Mac and cheese, boxes of dried potato side dishes, pastas, canned soups, etc. My fridge wasn't much better. I made "homemade" meals, but they weren't truly homemade when you cook some meat and add a boxed side dish.
Eating real food and whole healthy foods has been an adventure for me. I am a very picky eater and I don't like trying new foods. I have experimented with a lot of new foods since we have made this switchover. I have done hoards of research on the subject. I have bought new cookbooks, I have been experimenting with gluten free cooking.
I have to say, my newest cookbook is a gluten free baking book. I have been looking for bread recipes that are gluten free and haven't been successful yet, but low and behold, this new cookbook is now my new best friend! You make five different flour blends, all gluten free, that you use with each other in recipes. A culinary institute came up with the recipes and I must say, they are quite delicious.
I made two of the flour blends on Saturday, and am planning on making the other three this weekend. I found a dessert recipe using the two flour blends I made and so I decided to make it for our dessert on Monday evening to accompany our grilled chicken Caesar salads and lobster tails. I made a blueberry buckle. (Basically a blueberry crumb cake) and it was fantastic!! And gluten free!! So no bloated belly from the wheat that inevitably comes when I eat wheat or gluten anymore. I can, however, eat sourdough bread, for whatever reason the sourdough bread doesn't make my stomach hurt. Not sure as to why, but am researching it as I type this blog!
When you eat certain foods, does it affect your body? Your health? Both? I used to eat peanut butter and cashews for a snack. However, my body decided to become allergic. Some people can eat wheat or milk, or soy or nuts and all of a sudden, it becomes a problem. Sometimes it can turn into a fatal problem! I have found out that I have an allergy to nuts, and just on Monday I found out I have an allergy to shellfish. (Good thing I don't like fish much anyway, huh?) I am pretty sure I have a slight allergy to wheat as well, but not as bad as nuts. The way certain foods make you feel can be slight or severe, but all in all, it may be caused by an allergy. It can be something as a certain food makes your stomach feel sick every time you eat it, or it can cause your throat to start to itch. Either way, you have to pay attention to your reactions to food before it turns into something more serious.
I can tell you this, I use to pop tums like candy, literally, every single night. Since eating whole foods, I do not have indigestion and heartburn hardly at all. If I do, it is usually because I have eaten something out at a restaurant or at someone's house that isn't organic or "real food".
There are so many ways to start on a whole food life. It is easier than you think.
1. Buy your fruits and veggies organically.
2. Go to your local farmers market and try something from a local farmer.
3. Go to a fresh market or whole foods market or trader joes and check out some of the food there. You can make it fit your budget if you try. It takes time and effort, but you can eat healthy. I am happy to talk about food to anyone so don't ever hesitate to ask. :)
When you tell people you are changing to this kind of life, they will call you everything for a hippie to a food snob, but I don't pay attention to it anymore.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
New Way of Thinking
It's been a bit since my last post. I have been experimenting with new ways of cooking old things I have been cooking since I was a kid. Organic, natural. Real food cooking is quite a bit different than regular cooking. You have to think long and hard about what you are making, planning ahead and making sure you have everything you need.
For example: macaroni and cheese. This happens to be one of my favorite dishes to eat. Since I was able to chew food on my own I have loved Mac and cheese. I learned how to open the Kraft box and make it when I was barely tall enough to see over the stove. I then perfected my Mac and cheese when I was older to baking it and making it homemade. However, it really wasn't truly homemade or made from scratch.
I used to take pasta, dump in cubed velveeta cheese add some milk, maybe add a few crumbled crackers and bake it until brown and bubbly. Yum!
After transitioning to this new way of life, I realized that velveeta cheese isn't really cheese at all, which is why it is so easy to melt and it is so creamy. I got out my old cookbooks and checked out seem new recipes and I went old school. Melt butter, add flour, add milk, add real cheese and melt it, add to the pasta and bake for a little bit. Add breadcrumbs if you like, or don't. But, be aware that not all real cheese is the same when melted. Some has a lot of oil in it when it melts. Something you don't want to serve people is oily macaroni and cheese. Eek! So it is really trial and error. Mixing different types of cheeses gives it a while new flavor too.
As our family has been getting adjusted to this new way of life, I too, am learning a lot about who I was as a cook and have changed a .ot of things about the way I cook. I have always enjoyed being in my kitchen, but it just seems more enjoyable when I am getting the cookbooks out and making something completely and I do mean completely from scratch. No boxes of prepared things, no dehydrated potatoes from a box. It's all fresh and prepared by me. I have learned to love cooking this new way even more than before! Yes, it takes me a lot longer sometimes to make dinner or lunch, but the taste of our food and knowing exactly where it comes from is truly worth it.
What do you cook in your kitchen now that is something you use a lot of prepared foods to make that maybe you could change and tweak into a newer better recipe for you and your family? For me, Mac and cheese. Maybe it's potatoes for you, or maybe it's a casserole you make a lot. Step back sometime and look at how you are cooking and give it a try. I guarantee you, your taste buds, and your body will thank you!!!
Until next time, if you need me, I will be experimenting in my kitchen for something new to cook!
For example: macaroni and cheese. This happens to be one of my favorite dishes to eat. Since I was able to chew food on my own I have loved Mac and cheese. I learned how to open the Kraft box and make it when I was barely tall enough to see over the stove. I then perfected my Mac and cheese when I was older to baking it and making it homemade. However, it really wasn't truly homemade or made from scratch.
I used to take pasta, dump in cubed velveeta cheese add some milk, maybe add a few crumbled crackers and bake it until brown and bubbly. Yum!
After transitioning to this new way of life, I realized that velveeta cheese isn't really cheese at all, which is why it is so easy to melt and it is so creamy. I got out my old cookbooks and checked out seem new recipes and I went old school. Melt butter, add flour, add milk, add real cheese and melt it, add to the pasta and bake for a little bit. Add breadcrumbs if you like, or don't. But, be aware that not all real cheese is the same when melted. Some has a lot of oil in it when it melts. Something you don't want to serve people is oily macaroni and cheese. Eek! So it is really trial and error. Mixing different types of cheeses gives it a while new flavor too.
As our family has been getting adjusted to this new way of life, I too, am learning a lot about who I was as a cook and have changed a .ot of things about the way I cook. I have always enjoyed being in my kitchen, but it just seems more enjoyable when I am getting the cookbooks out and making something completely and I do mean completely from scratch. No boxes of prepared things, no dehydrated potatoes from a box. It's all fresh and prepared by me. I have learned to love cooking this new way even more than before! Yes, it takes me a lot longer sometimes to make dinner or lunch, but the taste of our food and knowing exactly where it comes from is truly worth it.
What do you cook in your kitchen now that is something you use a lot of prepared foods to make that maybe you could change and tweak into a newer better recipe for you and your family? For me, Mac and cheese. Maybe it's potatoes for you, or maybe it's a casserole you make a lot. Step back sometime and look at how you are cooking and give it a try. I guarantee you, your taste buds, and your body will thank you!!!
Until next time, if you need me, I will be experimenting in my kitchen for something new to cook!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
My Boys!
