Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, November 7, 2011
the way we eat: recipe resources
After reading The China Study, I was all fired up and ready to try the plant-based diet experiment. But I was used to the traditional meat + starch + vegetable dinner. Looking forward to planning a month of no-meat, no-dairy, no-eggs meals felt like peering into a dark abyss. But something toward the end of the book was useful: a man who was skeptical about the plant-based diet got one recipe from his sister, a delicious vegan chili. So he made it and he liked it. What a great and EASY first step. So that's what I did. I checked out some recipe books from the library, searched "vegan" on allrecipes.com and just made ONE meal. And then one more, and so on. Some were NOT good and we ended up eating cereal (with soy milk, of course).
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| Totally unrelated: Millie loves her shoes soooo much. And black leggings on babies! I die! |
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Kristy
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3:53 PM
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Monday, October 31, 2011
happy halloween
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| the ghost, the spy, and the kitty |
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| we also sometimes called her Renesmee |
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| No really, these are funny costumes. No really, I won't be attending the midnight premiere of what's-it-called part 1. But really, I have the BEST husband ever. |
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Kristy
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10:13 PM
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
the way we eat: books that changed my behavior
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
I read this in April 2010 with my excellent book group (I miss you, ladies!). It's a documentation of how Barbara Kingsolver and her family lived off the land for a year. They ate only local food and whatever they grew or raised themselves. It lit a fire under me. I wanted to do the experiment myself, to live it. I wanted my own plot of land in West Virginia. I couldn't believe I had never learned anything about what foods grow in which seasons. Why is this not taught in schools? Or is it now? It was because of this book that I grew my first garden that summer and am committed to growing something whenever I can, even while I live in a tiny, sunless apartment.
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
This was recommended to me by a nutritionist friend and again by a marathon runner friend after they'd heard my thoughts on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. (To me, anyone who can run nonstop for longer than three minutes is worth listening to, maybe even worthy of worship. Does this reveal anything about me?) It's fairly scientific and admittedly I skimmed some of it to get to the good stuff. But good science is very convincing to me and as far as I could determine, this was very convincing. It's a "plant-based diet" book. I went vegan for a month last fall because of this book and I loved how I felt (AND it wasn't nearly as expensive as I thought--we actually spent a bit less on groceries). Since then we've been eating meat maybe once or twice a week on average. I also try to be careful about the amount of milk and cheese we consume, because the book seems to make out dairy as being even worse than meat, but I LOVE cheese. Hmm.
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
I would say this wasn't quite as transformative as the other two, but what I really loved about it was the section about Joel Salatin's farm. I wish the farm was next door to me. I wish all of our food was produced this way. I even wish, sometimes, to have a farm just like that one. Because of this book, I went and found farms nearby that sold 100% grass-fed, sustainably-raised beef. I have plans to take the kids to the farm, educate them about where food comes from (not just magically fabricated, packaged, and delivered by the grocery fairies to a Kroger near you), and maybe pick out "our" cow. It's not fun for me to imagine looking into the eyes of my future hamburger (those gentle, innocent eyes!), but how can I truly appreciate the blessing of delicious meat unless I understand its true and cosmic cost?
When Jared and I were in college, a religion professor of ours invited us to work on his farm on a Saturday. This event culminated with the beheading of a turkey by a couple of brave freshman boys. There was a tour of the turkey's living conditions, a last meal, a discussion of the meaning of life, a prayer of gratitude, and a very reverent, and very exciting, handling of the animal itself. Jared and I got to take it home, dress it, roast it, and share it with some loved ones. It might sound weird, but it was definitely special to have seen the whole process and know exactly what I was eating.
So all this is to say: we try to eat good food. To me that means mostly plants, animal products sparingly. Whole foods, real foods, whatever you want to call them. We grind our own flour, make our own bread, eat lots of beans, and we eat often to keep our blood sugars at a reasonable level. But we're not extreme about it. There is currently a large stash of trunk or treat Halloween candy in the cupboard which we fully intend to devour, and yesterday was spent making and frosting sugar cookies to eat and share with our friends. In my mind, all those healthy, veggie-packed dinners make up a little bit for the cookies and candy I don't want to give up just now. We do what we can, right?
So have you read any or all of these books? What are your guiding principles about food?
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Kristy
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4:54 PM
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Friday, October 21, 2011
pictures for a Friday: Alpine Loop
My mom and dad and sister live in Qatar, where autumn is very...sandy...and I know they're probably missing these crisp days and flaming leaves, so I had them in mind on our drive up the Alpine Loop this week.
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| The colors were truly spectacular. |

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Kristy
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12:56 PM
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
the way we eat
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| Cake. We definitely eat cake. |
It's funny, because my conceptions of what's "healthy" (or, I guess, "healthful") have changed so much in just 18 months. I guess I am easily influenced by nutritional science. At least I'm no longer easily influenced by food commercials.
So, my question is, would you be interested in hearing about the books I read, the people I talked to, and the recipes I've tried? When I tell people we eat very little meat, they always ask me, "So...what DO you eat?" I would have asked the same question a couple of years ago.
And I'm interested: What's your healthy eating ideal? And where does it come from? Your mom? Books? The food pyramid? Or does your body just tell you what it needs?
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Kristy
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12:36 AM
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
first week of home education
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| Games are a fun way to reinforce math and build brotherly kindness |
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| A letter to some friends back in Colorado |
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| Some dramatic play. I got to be a bird, a boat builder, a duck, and a wolf. Pretty good for my first week. :) |
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| And of course, hiking! PE was NEVER this fun when I was in school! |
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Kristy
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11:58 AM
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Labels: home education, motherhood
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Almost finished with summer pictures...hopefully!
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Kristy
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11:54 PM
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
playing catch up: the middle
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Kristy
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9:11 AM
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