Wise Traditions

by Sally Fallon author of Nourishing Traditions

http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/dirty-secrets.html

This article challanges the way we eat food today. Challanging that when 'they' say that half our diet should be made up of grains it doesn't mean processed grains, and that processed grains can actually be killing us and making our children more suseptable to disease.

I have never thought that cold cereal is good for you. But the main thing that has always held me back in buying it is price. Not nutrition. So when I read this, I was shocked to not only believe what she says, but understand that gut reaction that has told me that cereal isn't good for you. She doesn't use scare tactics... she uses plain facts. Some of which have been covered up by the billion dollar food market that keeps telling us these things are good for us.

Another thing that startled me was the way they put the fat back into milk. Now I am wondering if there is a way to get small farm milk from around here.

And orange juice... just make it yourself. Really.

A less scary article

Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, and one of my favorite non-alarmist, just good information authors, wrote this article about the food we consume:

Cheap Food Nation

A very good read and some great food for thought, with out the alarmist view of the inevitable death of us all. lol...

MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook

OMG... this book is one I will need to own. It is stuffed FULL of great ideas for the Farmgirl In All of Us as MaryJane says on the front cover. Everything from how to hem stitch to how to cook a one pot meal on a campfire, this book has it all. It even has jump rope songs from her childhood that will bring back memories from the youngest and oldest of us. Beautiful pictures are littered through this volume of her life. Truly an inspirational book! And one to own as well... because you will want to go back and use the ideas and recipes again and again.

Veggie Fried Rice

Vegetable Fried Rice

Start with a half head of garlic and an onion saute'd in peanut oil until slightly clear.

Then pick/wash/top whatever veggies you have. Yesterday it was purple beans, the last of the pod peas, and a crookneck squash. Saute' these until almost done (done as you like). Add in 2 1/2 cups of short grain brown rice (cooked and cooled). Mix in 2 Tbs of mayo, (strange but true) a splash of soy sauce, and a scrambled (beforehand) egg.

So good!

Off-hand note:
The other day I made this with broccoli, zucchini, and snow peas from our CSA, a bunch of beans, Swiss chard, crook neck squash, and carrots from the garden. I saute'd the veggies in butter (after cooking the onion and garlic) instead with a handful of oregano, three leaves of fresh sage, and a bit of rosemary from the herb garden. Then added the rice mixed with a small jar of medium salsa. That time I topped it with Cheddar cheese and put it in the oven to broil. Even dh liked that one (he picked around the squash, but ate the chard along with all the other veggies. I felt triumphant!).

This has a million and one possible creations listed all over it. And it is GOOD... like 'have a bowl and you've eaten a good meal along with all your vegetables' good.

Awwww... happiness doesn't always come in the form of food... but sometimes even just looking at it makes me happy.

Extreme Simplicity

Great book... a million and one great ideas. Two things, however, were very clear... #1. These two live in South Cali... where it is hot and dry and you need to conserve water above all else. and #2. They don't have children.

Overall, I would give it a good rate of about 8 out of 10. Very effective, and they have some wonderful ideas that can really help. I loved their bit on pets, food, and gardening. The different ways they studied gardening (they basically have identified everything in their large SoCal yard and taken out things you cant eat (except the Castor Trees, which they said they just couldn't move from the spot... they were too rooted there, and it felt like an invasion) and added things that they can eat. Even a type of apple they found that grows in SoCal, but mostly citrus. And then they let the wild take over. They use compaion planting for their yearly annual veggie beds too... two ideas that I have been employing for a while and just love the way it makes my yard maintainence really easy. They talk about eating wild, pickling (the easiest and longest lasting canning way), and ways to cook with no power. They also talked about having chickens, pigs, ducks, and a bunch of other animals in a city setting. Along with water conservation, recycling, dumster diving, energy conservation, how to live with no power, solar pannels, and much much more. I loved reading it... but some of their suggestions made it very clear they had never lived with children (bring your dity clothes into the bathtub with you anyone? lol...)

Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad


1 package Farfalle (bowtie)
or tri colored Rotini pasta

5 Tbs of Pesto

1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes (sliced in half)

1 can of whole olives

2 oz chopped fresh Basil leaves

1 lb of fresh Mozzerella sliced into 1/4 rounds
or 3/4 lb of marinated fresh Mozzerella balls

Cook pasta just a bit underdone, let cold water run over the pasta until completely cool. Add other ingredients. Grate parmesan cheese over the whole thing top with a few bits of basil or perhaps a leaf or two. Makes a whole meal with a good green salad on the side.

Enjoy!