Resources for Healthy Food

Here are some other books I have found helpful in my quest to give my family REAL food:

Nourishing Traditions
How to Pick a Peach
Slow Food Nation
Eat Fat Lose Fat
-Three diet plans: weightloss, health recovery, and everyday gourmet
-makes Nourishing Traditions seem less intimidating
Real Food
-I have already recommended this one- I LOVE it!

Unless I am baking, I rarely follow a recipe. Nevertheless, I love cookbooks and here are some of my favorites:

Can I Freeze It? (beautiful pictures and helpful information- I just found this one)
The Farmers Market Cookbook
The Unplugged Kitchen
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Complete Outdoor Living Cookbook (Williams-Sonoma Outdoors Collection)
The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World
The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: Recipes for the Best Pan in Your Kitchen

Books I'd Like to Read:
Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products
The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements
The Real Food Revival

The Gap Between Ideals and Reality

A fellow blogger just posted about some lovely books she purchased that are full of information about how to lead what I would consider the perfect life. By that I mean a healthy beautiful life connected to the Church, community, home, and family. She asks rhetorically, "Should a person with so little time even think about buying these?" I think many of us feel this way. Should we even think about adding one more iota of information to our already unattainable ideal life?

I think the answer is yes, and I assume so does she, because she did buy the books. I say, "Good for her!" We should at least dream of the way things should be and make little steps toward what we want. Knowing that somewhere in the world someone still knows how to do the things we hope to be able to do gives some comfort not to mention inspiration.

As for me, right now, I am tired of there being such a huge gap between the way I think life should be and the way it is. Some of it is in my control and I really just need to take the plunge. But some of it I can't do too much about. An area that I think is most essential to a good life is food. What should be a simple topic is full of conroversy. For example, we can't even legally buy real milk or afford to feed a large family on organic produce. In terms of overall cost (including the cost to the environment and people's health) it is better to eat local organic produce (especially homegrown) and drink raw milk from clean healthy pasture-fed cows on an organic farm. These are small things compared to many problems in society, but they are indicitive of our loss of culture and our loss of priorities. Big business wants more product for more profit and they cut corners where it helps them (like deals with the pesticide company) and short-changes the consumer (like adverse health effects and reduced nutritional content). Similarly the consumer wants products at "Wal-Mart" prices and whenever they want it (like produce out of season) in nice convenient packaging.

I think the disspearance of the family cow is a good illustration of how the gap between a beautiful natural life and the consumer-oriented life most of us lead got so big. Having a cow ties you down. You have to slow down, focus on getting things done and keeping the animal healthy, you have to nurture it, and everyone has to pitch in. Unless you have a very generous neighbor, you can't leave for a vacation and let Bessie milk herself. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is a trade off sure, but in return you get a faithful animal that provides some of the most nutritious food available (raw milk and cheese), and you place family life and family health first. Not to mention the closeness to nature that increases our awareness of God's providence. A connection to the source of our food that keeps us humble.

Some may say I am exaggerating but I don't think so. That is not to say that we should all have a cow out back. Most of us can't right now and many of us wouldn't want to. But I think we should do what we can to support local dairies and farms and start spending our money on real food that fosters real culture.

For those who would question me I suggest you read this book:



Someday I hope to be out milking my own Jersey. I pray God gives me the strength to make the break from my "Wal-Mart" ways to live the life that I dream of.

Too Much Inspiration

Lately I have been overwhelmed by the amount of inspiration I have had for various projects. There is just so much that I want to do, nothing is getting done. Like this blog for example. I want to write about so much that I can't write about anything.

A friend and I are going to combine efforts and set up a workspace in her garage. Maybe then I will be able to outlet some of my creative energy and avoid a traffic jam of ideas.

A Fresh Start

Things have been crazy here in the valley. We just finished moving from Florida all the way across the country to Oregon. My husband and I drove our van and a uhaul the entire seven day journey with our three daughters.

Let me just say, "Three kids, three colds, one mini-van, seven days...I don't ever want to move again!"

Some of my family is in Oregon, but we had to leave his family and my mom behind in Florida. I feel terrible that we had to leave, but I know it was the best thing. We don't want to settle for suburban wasteland that gives us little and takes too much. Our dreams cannot be accomplished there, our family cannot flourish there.

The past few years have not been easy for us, but I see that things are going to get better. I don't know what God has in store for us but I am excited for our fresh start!

Oh that We May be Holy!

I am back -at least I hope to be back- to the world of blogging. All of my energy has been spent trying to persevere in our quest to create/develope/manitain, good Catholic family life, amid all the disrruption and stress we have been enduring this past year. It seems that the good Lord has decided to bless us with a number of trials (by which I hope he means to increase our faith). So we have been in cacoon so to speak.

I thank God that he has given me such a loving and devoted husband who is concerned for his family's temporal and spiritual welfare. We are a good team. Sometimes we get a bit malancholy over how much we have to learn though. So much that used to be routine in family life has been thrown out. What for many used to be "just the way things are" is now nearly forgotten. For those who were not fortunate enough to be raised in a traditional Catholic home, it is not as easy as doing what mom and dad always did. We eagerly dig through books, observe, and apply principles to discover how a Catholic family should live. Books like The Story of a Family, and other lives of the saints, are very helpful, but it isn't the same as having lived it. In Wisconsin we were blessed with the ability to observe many great Catholic families, and they were wonderful sources of friendship, inspiration and support. Now that we find ourselves in Florida, we know no large families (Catholic or otherwise).

What I long to give my children is a home where their hearts and minds are drawn to God. I want them to feel comfortable and safe. There should be a sense of order and calm. I want the children to feel inspired to learn and to create. Above all, I want them to be aware of God's divine providence, and that every fiber of our family life is touched with the light of eternity. Everything we do should be conciously ordered that we may be holy. Some days I think I am making progress, and some days all I can do is pray that God will help undo the damage done.

Venerable Zélie Martin pray for us!

Templates, High-heels, and What Really Matters

I traded in vanity for practicality. The other template which caused me to lose all my "widgets" was like a beautiful pair of high heels, it looked great but was way too much trouble. Today was one of those days... I only have a few minutes tonight so this is all the progress I'll be able to make. Check out the clock (to your left)! It isn't pretty but I thought it was really fun so I put it up for a while.

So as not to leave you without anything edifying, here is a link to a little article about Our Lady Help of Christians. Today being "one of those days," reminded me that I am powerless. God's grace and abundant mercy is the source of all the good that I have, and it comes to me from the hands of our Lady.

Auxiliatrix Christianorum

Ora Pro Nobis!

Prayer To Our Lady, Help Of Christians:

Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christian, how sweet it is to come to your feet imploring your perpetual help. If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can you, the most loving of all mothers forget me? Grant then to me, I implore you, your perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow, and especially in all my temptations. I ask for your unceasing help for all who are now suffering. Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners. Grant through your intercessions many vocations to the religious life. Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked you on earth we may love and eternally thank you in heaven.(By St. John Bosco)

And that is what really matters!

The Price of Vanity

Ok I couldn't resist playing around with my blog template and this is the price I pay. I have deleted all my "widgets" on accident, which translates into "a lot of great links" bummer. But doesn't it look pretty? Please bear with me while I piece the site back together. Hey, maybe this is good , I have been meaning to change some things and now I have to.