Thursday, August 29, 2013

Healthy Pasta Made From Zucchini

Spiralized Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce 

I found this recipe for non pasta "pasta" at The Watering Mouth and knew I had to share.  But there was one problem, I don't have a spiral slicer!  Can you believe it?? I know I know.. I am sheltered...I have been DYING.. ok ok not dying, maybe just suffering mild anxiety feeling totally left out that I might be the only person left on the planet that does not have a spiral slicer!? 

But then I got the call....  It was fate that FINALLY after seeing this recipe I will have one of these majic slicer/kung fu/bad @ss kitchen gadgets in my hands. See this past Friday, August 23rd to be exact, was my birthday, and umm I celebrated the second anniversary of my 15.5 birthday... okok I turned 31, I don't know how that happened, but it did! So... my dear sis knows that I love to cook and asked me to tell her what new small gadet I would like to get for a gift this year.  HELLO, LIKE A SPIRAL SLICER O-M-G - in that totally valley girl voice and everything.  So there you have it, in just a few days this puppy will be mine ohh mine, move over potato peeler!


    


Spiralized Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce Recipe
1 zucchini, spiralized
2 avocados
1/2 lemon, juiced
2-3 cloves garlic (or less, if desired), minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
Note, this step is optional: In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add zucchini and stir frequently until desired consistency is reached.
In a large bowl, add avocado, lemon juice, garlic, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until a creamy yet chunky consistency is reached. Serve the avocado sauce over the cooked zucchini.

Do you have a spiral slicer? what is your favorite things to make using the spiral slicer?



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Village Green Network featured publisher!!

Wow!!  That is all I can say, well not really... I am about to talk your ear off because I am beyond excited you might even say giddy. Don't worry our two goats heard about it last night at feeding time, so I can be a little more concise here.

I have been accepted into the Village Green Network

 as a featured publisher!!!

Upon returned from our camping trip this weekend I received this email:
"Congratulations! You have been accepted as a Village Green Network featured publisher. 
Village Green Network is the global content and advertising network dedicated to natural food and healthy lifestyles. With over 500 blogs and 7+ million monthly visits, we grow audiences and connect great brands with customers."
The email was filled with loads of info on the network and instructed me to add this fancy pants "badge" to my blog, isn't awesome!??  


Since I am so new to this whole blog thing I am still learning the "techie" side of things and trying to figure out how to actually place this badge on my side bar. If you are savvy with this sort of thing - PLEASE LET ME KNOW!  Until then, I plan on printing it and pinning it to my shirt and might even wear it to bed. 
It brings back memories of when I was an innocent little freshman in high school being pinned with my "green hand" degree in FFA. The Greenhand degree is for first year (freshman) high school students. To earn the Greenhand degree members must have satisfactory plans for a Supervised Agricultural Experience Program (SAEP) (AKA an awesome blog named Yuppie Farm Girl) and demonstrate knowledge of the creed, code of ethics, motto, salute emblem (well you guys all believe what I write on here right?!), official dress (umm hello, I totally just hit up the LOFT the other day during their 50% off sale), and important dates in FFA history (my son's 1st birthday is in a little over a month, I would classify that as important!). The Greenhand degree pin is made out of bronze for its strength and durability (I am in it for the long haul and plan to fill your feed burner with lots of great posts).

Green Hand Degree Pin - isn't it cute! 
Thank you all for being so supportive of my new adventure in blogging.  It would mean the world to me if you spread the work about my blog and tell your friends to follow me (have them sign up on the main page  - you do it too if you have not already! yaya give me a badge and I become bossy!) Also, make sure to 'like me" at  The Yuppie Farm Girl on facebook too!

How do you think we should celebrate??

xoxo

The Yuppie Farm Girl 


PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.


Monday, August 26, 2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

One of those days...

Yup, today is one of those days.....

You see,  tomorrow is my birthday I will be thirty-onederful.... ha!  I am not upset that tomorrow is my birthday, or that I am closer to 40 than I am to 20, or that I noticed I have new wrinkles under my eyes no REALLY I am FINE!! haha

Ok, Ok, it is bothering me, but why? I realized this morning it is not that I am having a birthday, it is that I just realized my youngest brother (14 years younger than me) is in his last year of high school.  WHAT HAPPENED???  How is it that my baby brother is a Senior??  I feel like one of those sappy moms that cries to her BBF after dropping off her first born to college.

My "little" brother who is over 6ft tall now was my first baby!  He was totally my kid, my mom had him "late" in life at 40 and I was her main helper for him.  Heck some people even thought I WAS his mom and that she was covering up for me that I had a kid at 14!!  Yes seriously... people love drama.

Growing up on a farm away from "town" your bothers, sisters, and cousins are your FRIENDS.  They are the best friends you can ever imagine having.  In fact when your family is so close, you have trouble having "other" friends because it takes away from the family time you treasure.

Here is a picture of my little brother Chad (on the left) and his "best friend cousin" Massimo, when they were little boys, just how I think if them today.


Here they are now, still best friend cousins. Still the best boys I have ever met (I might be bias), and twice as tall as they were in the top picture.


I have two other siblings that I ADORE, but there will always be a special place in my heart for my little Chadito, he gave me a glimpse into what it would be like to have my own son.  I have missed most of his "older" life due to me moving away to college and then Arizona. It makes me sad to watch these years fly by, but elated to see my little baby brother become a strong, faith filled, super smart, outgoing, daring, young man.

I am uber proud of you Chad and totally a mess all at the same time.

I Love You little bro!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Monday Mash-up - My favorite "pins" of the week

Monday Mash-up - My favorite "pins" of the week

Click the name/link below the photo to repin the recipe:


Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Paleo Dinner Rolls

Egg Bake

Chili Lime Chicken Wings

Paleo Berry Crumble
Almond Chocolate Freezer Fudge



I would love to hear which ones you plan on making this week and what you think of them.  Enjoy!

Love,

Yuppie Farm Girl!



Sunday, August 18, 2013

More about Soy Lecithin

If you read the blog post answering my most frequently asked question (here), you heard me go on a side rant about Soy Lecithin.  My wonderful friend Tami (you might recognize the name from my first blog post here, talking about how she "unlocked the happy" in her child) shared a article from RealFarmacy.com going more into depth about this ingredient that is in 1,000's of processed foods.

Soy Lecithin: How it Negatively Affects Your Heath and Why You Need to Avoid It:

Here are some bits of the article that might catch your attention

"Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a “de-gumming” process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and has a consistency ranging from a gummy fluid to a plastic solid

 "One of the biggest problems associated with soy lecithin comes from the origin of the soy itself. The majority of soy sources in the world are now genetically modified (GM). Researchers have clearly identified GM foods as a threat to the environment, pollution of soils and a long-term threat to human health with links to of the world with unnatural genetic material that may have unknown long-term consequences with links to decreased fertility, immunological alterations in the gut and the exacerbation and creation of allergies."

Read more at http://www.realfarmacy.com/soy-lecithin-how-it-negatively-affects-your-health-and-why-you-need-to-avoid-it/#C6fkLEFhw5LHsEHq.99 

What do you think about Soy Lecithin, what products were you surprised that it was used in?



Thursday, August 15, 2013

How to make Real Food = Fast Food

Last week I posted the answer to my most commonly asked questions: What do you eat?  

Since then I have posted a few photos of quick and easy dinners on the Yuppie Farm Girl Facebook Page 



Some of you are are probably  thinking... ya that is nice Miss Yuppie Farm Girl, but I don't have time to make  a meal from scratch every night...But you do, you really do!

In this post I hope to give you real insight on how I plan my menus and make real food the easy way! 

Where do I start?

When we first starting eliminated items from our pantry and fridge, I was worried, I kept asking the same questions... What am I going to cook for dinner?   It seemed that everything I wanted to make had items on the "do not eat list".... then it hit me.  The reason my family is not feeling great and my husband has been suffering with allergies is because all my go-to recipes have things on his "do not eat list"... we need to CHANGE and simplify this new way of eating. 

First step is to change your way of thinking about dinner.

But I don't have time....


With a new baby, both of us working outside of the house, and not having family nearby to help, I felt like I didn't have time as well... I had to come up with a "recipe" to make Real Food Fast!


How do I make "Real Food" = "Fast Food"


1) Choose a Protein
First, I stopped thinking about dinner in "recipes". Instead I simplified it into: what protein am I going to focus on for dinner?
My weekly meal schedule looks something like this now:

Monday - chicken
Tuesday - pork
Wednesday - beef
Thursday - turkey
Friday - fish
Saturday - chicken
Sunday - out /cheat day


2) Fit in your Veggies based on what is available that week

Once I have my protein listed for the week I "fit in" my fresh veggies and starches based on what is available that week in the grocery store and for us my weekly order at the Backyard Farmer  or trip to the local farmers market. 


We always try to have two sides, but if you are happy with one, that is great too!


List with veggies "fit in":

Monday - chicken+carrots+summer squash
Tuesday - pork+sweet potato+kale
Wednesday - beef+green salad+asparagus
Thursday - turkey+sweet potato fries+purple cabbage
Friday - fish+asparagus+spagehiti squash
Saturday - chicken+parsnips+green salad+green beans
Sunday - out /cheat day

This concept really helps us to eat what is in season and what is fresh and tasty!  There is no reason to eat green beans with your dinner this week if when you go to buy them they look terrible!

3) Have a system to put it all together in under 30 minutes?

Making dinner in our house looks the same almost every night, unless I have energy to whip something fancy up... but we like to keep it simple most of the time
(Photo Source)


Short and sweet break down:
1) We grill a meat
2) We sautee a veggie or two
3) We bake a sweet potato, spaghetti squash, or other "starchy non white potato" veggie/tuber

If you can get your head around just those three items, you will save yourself, time, money, and countless hours "planning dinner".  

NO MORE "What do you want for dinner???....I don't know what do YOU want for dinner?"  Ughh I hated that conversation on the way home for work.  Vow to stop it now and just keep it simple!

Need a more detailed breakdown on how to execute those three steps? (I know we are all at different levels) Here is the process to get your dinner (or at least the dinners I listed above done in under 30 minutes) - I do assume you have a little help and can enlist your helper to grill the meat!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

First batch of second fermentation Kombucha

So excited to finally try a second fermention on our Kombucha. Our first batch will be infused with mango. If it turns out as yummy as we hope I will post the recipe.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Foodie Friday - how to make homemade raw milk yogurt

Until very recently I was not eating/drinking milk products of any kind.  I just did not feel well when I did and my skin suffered greatly.  My life long battle with acne was totally because of processed foods and dairy products (made from homogenized and pasteurized milk).

During our quest to find more probiotics to add to our diet, we found a local dairy in Arizona that sells raw milk very close to our home.  They are the only dairy in AZ that can legally sell raw milk for human consumption, we are soooo lucky!  Read more about them here www.saveyourdairy.com



I plan to post more about raw milk soon.  Why I drink it now (sparingly) and why I use it to make yogurt, kefir, and whey. We will cover the benefits of drinking it, the reason why raw milk HEALS, and  why we should not be scared of it.

Until then I am going to share with you my raw milk yogurt recipe (since I made a fresh batch for my family today I thought I should share).  I have also included modified instructions on how to make it with store bought pasteurized and homogenized milk.

Why make yogurt at home?

  • It tastes better
  • It is better for you (no preservatives, dyes, sugars, or chemicals added)
  • It's less expensive
  • There is no packaging waste
  • Plus it is easy and a great way to get kids involved in cooking

How to Make Homemade Yogurt 

I use a Euro Cuisine YM80 Yogurt Maker - I bought it on amazon here is a quick link for you to check it out:



I really like the simplicity of this yogurt maker, but I also do not have anything to compare it to.  It was the first one I bought and I mostly went off other people's reviews. It just has an on/off button and numbers on the side that you can place the "marker" onto remind you when your yogurt will be done (there is no timer).

It comes with 7 perfectly sized glass jars with lids, great to take on the go for a healthy hi-protein, probiotic filled snack.

Ohh and did I tell you... home made yogurt (especially from raw milk) is AMAZING! 

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups (or 1 quart) fresh raw milk, whole, skim or partly skimmed (try to get the best milk you can)
  • 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 cup) plain yogurt, from the store. I use Chobani Plain Non Fat Greek Yogurt

Prep:

1.  Heat raw milk in stainless steel pot to 110° F (43° C), if using pasteurized and homogenized milk heat to 160-170 to kill the bacteria then bring back down to 110° F. Note do not heat the raw milk to above 110 otherwise you will kill off the good probiotics found in the amazing raw milk. 
2.  Remove from heat.
3.  Add in the store bought plain yogurt and whisk thoroughly. 
4.  Pour into the glass jars for the yogurt maker. **do not put on the lids. Follow your manufactures instructions.  
5.  Place jars in the yogurt maker, let it incubate in the yogurt maker, without disturbing, for 8 hours or until firm.  The yogurt maker simply keeps the jars at the perfect temperature during the time needed to set the yogurt. 
6.  Remove jars and refrigerate until ready to use. I have found it thickens up after 2 hours in the fridge. 

Since raw milk isn't homogenized you may find that milk fats (cream) have floated to the top and formed a layer at the top of the yogurt, the same as in milk.  This is normal... enjoy the rich creamy taste.  :)

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Answer to my most frequently asked Question...What do you eat?

What do you eat? This is my most commonly asked question.  
At first I want to say, what don’t we eat, we eat everything?? 



But then I remember…..

I remember when I thought I was eating healthy when I ate a Lean Cuisine every day for lunch….. I remember when I thought having a low fat (sometimes sugar free, yikes!) Yoplait yogurt was healthy…or thinking having Wheat Thins and reduced fat cheese spread was a wholesome snack….

Now, knowing what I know… I can never look at those seemingly “healthy” snacks /meals again.

Yes all of those things might help you lose weight, might curb a craving, and might be a better choice than you once were making before, but what is that food doing for you?   Is it even helping you lose weight?  Do you feel good when you eat it?  Is it serving you or taking from you? Is it full of toxins, dyes, and processed who knows what?  Is it part of the circle of life? Do you recognize everything on the label as something you can hunt, grow, or gather?    
Would you break it down ingredient by ingredient and eat each one separately? Does it pass the REAL FOOD test?


Seriously, ask yourself those questions the next time you: go grocery shopping, look in your pantry, and search pinterest for your next recipe idea.  Would you REALLY eat everything that is on that label if it was broken down?  Broken down, ingredient by ingredient, put in bowls (if possible), and served to you. I wonder what a plate of Soy Lecithin tastes like? Aka one of the top 10 ingredients used in processed foods.  What is Soy Lecithin anyways?
From www.Preventdisease.com:

"Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a "degumming" process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and has a consistency ranging from a gummy fluid to a plastic solid. Before being bleached to a more appealing light yellow, the color of lecithin ranges from a dirty tan to reddish brown. Historian William Shurtleff reports that the expansion of the soybean crushing and soy oil refining industries in Europe after 1908 led to a problem disposing the increasing amounts of fermenting, foul-smelling sludge. German companies then decided to vacuum dry the sludge, patent the process and sell it as "soybean lecithin." Scientists hired to find some use for the substance cooked up more than a thousand new uses by 1939."
"One of the biggest problems associated with soy lecithin comes from the origin of the soy itself. The majority of soy sources in the world are now genetically modified (GM). Researchers have clearly identified GM foods as a threat to the environment, pollution of soils and a long-term threat to human health with links to of the world with unnatural genetic material that may have unknown long-term consequences with links to decreased fertility, immunological alterations in the gut and the exacerbation and creation of allergies."
 Ok.... I digress....

The point about the Soy Lecithin is that it is in everything processed (ok I might exaggerate, but seriously look next time).  In our house we have tried to eliminate all processed foods, we  avoid foods that come in a box!

OK OK ENOUGH ABOUT SOY LECITHIN – you get it... it's bad…now get back to the real question, 

What DO you eat?

We eat Real Food


Meats/Protein

These are high quality, organic (if possible), grass fed, and best if bought from the person who raised the animal!  Now if you can’t find this, then buy your meat from a reputable source, as close to its natural form as possible (aka bone in, skin on)

  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Turkey (we do eat ground turkey)
  • Goat (did you know this is the #1 most consumed meat in the world!?)
  • Lamb
  • Wild Caught Salmon and other fish
  • Shellfish
  • Venison (if we are lucky)
  • Organ meats – liver, gizzards, heart, etc
  • Broth - made from the bones of all these meats - super food!
  • Bone Marrow
  • Bacon, lots of bacon
  • Eggs – pastured, fresh local eggs – look on craigslist or ask around, there are fresh eggs for sale everywhere and it is on my list of “MUST BUY from the Local Guy” because it is so easy!  

Fruits and Veggies

Eat them all! Fresh, local, organic (if possible and especially if on the dirty dozen list), and best if bought from the person who grew it! Venture out to your local farmers market; get the kids involved in the shopping.  Having them help choose the items will help them try new foods.  Find a local farmers market here http://www.farmersmarket.com

**Potatoes – we choose to only eat sweet potatoes and yams, we have found the hi-glycemic index in “regular” potatoes does not do our body well.  Now if you found a local farmer raising heirloom style purple, gold, and other yummy potatoes, I would go for it.

Fats

  • Coconuts and Coconut Oil
  • Avocados – lots of avocados, I probably eat at least  ½ to 1 whole avocado a day.
  • Nuts (this does not include peanuts as they are not really a nut)
  • Olive Oil
  • REAL butter from a local dairy or made from raw milk
  • Bacon Grease
  • Schmaltz (from a grass fed source)
  • Lard (from a grass fed source)

Fermented Foods

This is such an under rated food group in this country, I will be posting more about this soon.
  • Sauerkraut – homemade or Bubbies Brand http://www.bubbies.com/prod_sauerkraut.shtm
  • Pickles - homemade or Bubbies Brand http://www.bubbies.com/prod_pure_kosher_dills.shtm
  • Kombucha - homemade or store bought (just watch for sugars exceeding 5g/serving)
  • Yogurt – homemade from raw milk (yes I make yogurt, it is super easy, I will post about this soon) or store bought, plain, full fat, with live active cultures, no added sugar
  • Kefir - homemade (we make this as well, we will do a post soon) from raw milk or store bought plain, with live active cultures, no added sugar

Drinks

  • Clean water -drink from a glass or stainless steel container - I will save my rant post about bottled water for another time
  • Kombucha – homemade or store bought (just watch for sugars exceeding 5grams or more per serving) 
  • Bone Broth - homemade broth/stock - quickest way to really heal your gut naturally
  • Unsweeted Herbal Tea or Coffee – hot or iced, could be sweeten with raw honey and raw milk   
  • Raw milk (sparingly) - http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder
  • Almond Milk
  • Coconut Milk
  • Wine (lots of good wine, of course I recommend my parent's Tenbrink Vineyards)

Sweet Stuff

  • Raw Honey – find this locally, you want raw, unpasteurized honey.  Local honey will help you with your seasonal airborne allergies too. Ask where the bees where located when they produced the honey you are buying.
  • Real Maple Syrup
  • Black Strap Molasses
  • Dried Fruit (sparingly)
  • Palm Sugar
  • Chocolate - high quality, must be at least 60% cacao, preferably dark chocolate
  • Dates

Herbs/Spices/condiments

  • Spices - anything goes here, just READ THE LABELS. Try to buy the spices individually (fresh is best) and make your own mixes
  • Mustard
  • wheat free soy sauce (Tamari)
  • homemade ketchup
  • homemade BBQ sauce
  • oyster sauce
  • fish sauce
  • olive oil mayonnaise – best if homemade or lacto fermented 
  • Tomato sauce – look for brands that are lower in sugar (but no fake sugar added) and gluten free… yes they add wheat into tomato sauce… WHY??? Grrrr….
  • real salsa
  • real pesto
  • curry paste 


I hope this list inspires you to focus on what you CAN eat and realize it is all about simplifying your grocery list. 


All you need to do when you go grocery shopping is:
  1. Hit the produce section (stay here the longest), fill your cart with everything that looks good that day.  That is of course if you are not signed up with a CSA or heading to the farmers market this week.
  2. Hold your breath when you walk through the devil area the bakery that separates the produce isle from the meat department...why do they do that to us??? You think I am kidding... I look down, sprint and hold my breath to make it through that evil, evil area! I am sure people look at me like...ok who's the crazy with the kid in the Ergo carrier in isle 1.   
  3. Hit the meat department, we get a mix of chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and fish for the week.  
  4. Swing by for a couple dozen eggs
  5. Then finish off in the yogurt section if you are going to include plain, yogurt with active cultures.    


Be prepared to get funny comments and questions from the checker... here are my fav's

Do YOU eat all of this?
Ohh.... you must have a tortoise (yes she really said this!)
Ummm... what is this? when they hold up a parsnip, swiss chard, or bunch of kale
Why are you buying all this "stuff"
One lady in line seriously asked me... "you don't feed HIM this do you?" pointing to our cart full of AMAZING groceries, then to our son.  I looked at her and said... "yup right after he breastfeeds!"

Seriously folks, it is time for a change, we need to get back to our roots, back to eating FOOD, REAL FOOD, not make believe food that has been altered to look and taste "like food". Do it for yourself, do it for your kids, do it for our future generations, do it because you CAN!

I promise to help you along the way; to post recipes, to show you it is possible to change the way you and your family eat.  Let's get healthy together.

Are you in??
 Leave me a comment below to tell me how you are going to get started!




Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What does ADD and food dyes have to do with me starting a blog?


For the past few months I have been telling Cliff that I should start a blog to put all the information and research I have been doing over the past few years in one place.  I would hem and haw when someone would ask me about his allergies and what we are doing about them, or how I was feeding our 9 month old. I found myself always wishing I could just point them to one spot.  Most of the time I would have to make a list of blogs, websites, and books to get them the info they needed. Sometimes they would listen intently, and I would hope and pray they would actually do something about what they were suffering from. Other times I just knew when they left our conversation they went straight home and told their husband or wife that the Howards are a bunch a loons that have spent too much time in the sun lately.  I am sure many of our close friends are thinking I am turning more into a crazy hippy than a Yuppie Farm Girl. 

Why I finally decided to start the blog:
Over the past few months I have been receiving "signs" from every direction that I needed to start something to help my friends and those that I meet along this journey we call life. Sometimes the signs were mild and questionable and sometimes they were so in my face it was like God holding up a billboard.... something like this:


I am by no means an expert on anything, but I LOVE to research and pick through the facts of studies, books, and other data.  It is a passion of mine! I suppose that is why I became and Engineer and not a Farmer.

This was the final "sign" that I just had to do it:
We arrived home from vacation to a leaking water heater (uhhgg).  We have a good family friend who is a plumber who came to the rescue (yaya for handy friends).  After the water heater was replaced we started talking about some issues they had with their son. I mentioned an article I had read on food dyes found in Macaroni and Cheese (and tons of other products) that must be labeled "this product may effect the behavior and attention of your child" in other countries and it is not required to be labeled here. 

Do your kids eat/drink any of this?  



Foods with artificial food dyes on display at a Washington, DC news conference.
 Photo credit: Moira Donahue.

Do you or your kids suffer from these symptoms (from Happy Healthy Mama)?  
1.  Cancer, including brain tumors
2.  Allergies, asthma, and sensitivities
3.  Behavioral issues, hyperactivity, and ADHD
4.  Decreased cognitive function, lowered IQ

After talking to him about some of the symptoms and how food dyes were made from toxins, I wasn't sure if he totally believed me or was even going to mention it to his wife. To my surprise (and delight) he did.  Here is the testimonial they just posted on facebook (7 weeks later as a total surprise to me!): 

"Recently we took all food dyes (every color) out of our kids diets and are seeing AMAZING results in our oldest son Jacob who has ADD. He used to be quite defiant, not bad, just never did what he was told without a fight. I should also mention that we send him to school on Concerta, an ADD medication. It has been 7 weeks now and I swear to you all that he is a different kid. He does things the first time he is told, his temperament is so much more calm and pleasant, and he seems more happy! I swear that they dyes in food have so much to do with it. I just wanted to share this life changing event with you all in case you would want to try it at home! There is so much information out there on the dyes in food and what they do to our bodies. I felt horrible once I found out that dyes were in almost every food Jacob was eating for the last 9 years!!! Mac & cheese, fruit snacks, pudding, Gatorade  muffins, Eggo waffles, M &M's, Skittles, (a ton of other candy items), jello, fruity cereals, chips, frosting, MULTI VITAMINS!, cookies, cakes, sprinkles, and a ton more!! Here is a website that explains a bit more! Maybe it could help your child too!http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20439038,00.htmlThank you Lisa and Cliff (aka Yuppie Farm Girl) for talking to Joey about this when he fixed your water heater! We are so grateful!! xo"
Tami's new quote for her son is:
Removing food dyes from his diet
"unlocked his happy!"

When I read this I was almost brought to tears. I kept thinking did this really happen?  Did Joey really go home and tell his wife? She believed us enough to do her own research and execute a plan?!  I would like to think that most parents would do this without hesitation, but they don't. This family took on the challenge of first educating themselves, then educating their KIDS! They had a family meeting and explained that the dyes are poison to their bodies and they will no longer be eating them.  It is hard for the new age family model: working mom and dad, fast paced life, packaged foods everywhere.... it is a big challenge to eliminating so many of those easy, convenient, dye laden foods, but when you do it, you will be rewarded.  Plus once you purge that pantry and stop worrying about having to fill it with JUNK, you will start saving time and $$ and it will become normal!

HOW YOU CAN START

1) Read more about food dyes here:

2) Talk to your kids about it, have a family meeting, they will feel empowered. 

Article from Primal Kitchen on how to get your family's buy-in for real lunches

3) Start packing real lunches for them (that is where you can cut out a high about of products with food dyes). Many of the links I found are for gluten free or paleo families, but don't get hung up on the labels, these diets require you to eat REAL FOOD.

Lunch box ideas with photos: :  http://gfreemom.com/easy-kids-lunchboxes/


The Primal Kitchen has tons of ideas, here is one sample http://primalkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/lunchbox-23.html

My favorite link - a month of real food school lunches from Primal Bliss Nutrition (great pictures too!):

4) Many of these sites feature the kids lunches in "bento" style boxes.  These help moms and kids to fill it with a variety of healthy options.  Here are some great options:

Planet Box (affiliate link)http://amzn.to/GNgFlr

Lunch Bots (affiliate link)http://amzn.to/19zLLswh

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