Allergy warning: This post contains peanuts or peanut products!

I confess, I have been a lazy blogger. Sometimes I just don't have anything to say so I would rather provide quality rather than quantity to your reading experience...

When you choose to go against the grain with your family's diet, it sometimes feels like a job. All labels must be read, you can't grocery shop at just one store if you want to get the best deals and a lot of the food you bring home gets rejected by your love ones whom you are trying to nourish. As if that isn't enough, instead of earning a paycheck, you actually have to pay more! I expected my kids to avoid any illness this year because of their healthier diet, but as I am writing this, I am home with a boy who has been sick for the last five days and had to receive intravenous antibiotics as part of his treatment. If not for this blog, I am sure I would have given up about a month ago and resume the easy way again.

Since I have not given up, I will share with you what I think is the tastiest peanut butter I have ever had. I always assumed that peanut butter was ground-up peanuts and maybe a little salt. After reading the label on my jar of Skippy, I discovered that in addition to those ingredients it also contains partially-hydrogenated oils. This discovery led me to look for a more natural peanut butter. In fact, I made it myself; well sort of. In the bulk food section of Whole Foods, there are about four machines that freshly grind nut butters. Just for fun, my kids made some regular peanut butter that ended up costing a little over $3 for a 16 ounce container. It is delicious on a PB&J, and even better spread between two milk chocolate stars!

The more I have been using the pastured butter from U.S. Wellness Meats, the less I think I need it. It is very salty and seems to be similar in flavor to organic butter. It also is sold in 1 pound blocks which makes measuring more difficult. I gave it shot but when it runs out it won't be gracing my fridge anymore.

Our chickens have been thriving but I must confess they aren't terribly bright. The compost pile is up against a wall and they have been using it to climb up to the top of the wall. I discovered them walking on the wall behind my garden and grew very concerned that they would jump down and eat everything in it again. I shooed them off and didn't see them up there for a couple of days. Since they are chickens, I had hoped that they forgot how to do it and it wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately they did it again today. I came into their area of the yard and found one chicken in the backyard (Maddy who is in the pic) and the other five in the front yard looking into the backyard through the gate. Then when I opened the gate to let them back in, they just stood there like poultry statues. It is a miracle that one of the neighborhood cats did not discover them and I am tremendously thankful. It made me realize the importance of boundaries. In the Bible, God tells us things we shouldn't do. He doesn't forbid these things because He is out to spoil our fun and give us a boring life, the boundaries protect us from doing things that will hurt us or hurt others. Like the chickens, we ignore the boundaries that are there to protect us. Sometimes we are okay, like the chickens were this morning, but other times the consequences are much more severe. I guess chickens and people have more in common than I thought.

Would you like some pesticide with that produce?

I have just returned from a weekend ladies' retreat with my church where I might have broken every dietary rule. Somehow, when you load up the car with six friends and set out on a road trip, you feel entitled to eat whatever you want. For the fleeting pleasure the junk food gave me, I brought home 3 extra pounds and a disgruntled digestive tract. Maybe I would have done better if I hadn't stopped at Tom's Farms on the way there and the trip home!

We have constructed what I lovingly refer to as the "monster chicken fence." This 8 foot barrier has protected my young garden from my young chickens. They tried to find a way in at first but seem to have resumed their previous jobs of picking through the compost pile and leaving "presents" on my pool deck. It will all be worth it when they laying eggs in a few months.

My cookbook for grass fed beef has arrived and I have successfully prepared two of the recipes. One of the secrets to a tender steak is marinading it in unfiltered organic extra-virgin olive oil. Apparently, when olive oil is unfiltered it contains enzymes that tenderize the meat. I was amazed that I could even find such an obscure ingredient but they actually had three different kinds at Whole Foods. It has a great aroma and seems slightly thicker than regular olive oil.

I also received my first order from U.S. Wellness Meats which included free-range chicken breasts, pastured butter, ground beef and a couple of skirt steaks. The pastured butter is supposed to taste better and is the recommended fat to cook the grass fed beef in. The taste reminded me of butter that I used to have when I was a kid. I was almost out of the ground beef from my last order with Grassroots Meats so I purchased 5 pounds from them to supplement because I am not ready to place a full order yet. The author of the cookbook claims that grass fed beef's flavor changes with where the cows are from. For example, cattle raised in Colorado will taste different than cattle raised in Missouri. Since the animals exclusively eat the plants that are available where they are pastured, their varied diet creates different flavors in the beef. I haven't cooked it yet but I am curious to see if it is true.

I believe it goes without saying that the healthier food cost more and yet here I am saying it again! Since I started this, it has gotten easier to pay more and buy less but if you are not interested in a radical food makeover and need some baby steps to change your family's eating habits, check out this slide show which exhibits the foods that contain the most pesticides and chemicals and the ones that are safe to eat when they are conventionally grown. There are many naysayers that will tell you that it is impossible for organic produce to be completely organic and that it is a scam. Since our soils have been saturated with chemicals from conventional farming it may be true but at least these farmers have changed their methods to make fruits and vegetables more nutritious and less artificial. Organic produce has not been genetically modified, takes longer to grow (which allows it to draw more nutrients from the soil), and does not have chemical fertilizers or pesticide residues. If you are wondering if these compounds are safe for you, read the warning labels on these products at your local nursery. These are diluted compared to the industrial-grade versions. Up until about 60 years ago, food was grown with healthier methods but corporate farming has corrupted the system and our food supply has been compromised in exchange for higher crop yields and more profits. Whenever you are able, send a message by purchasing "real food."

If they weren't so cute...

The other day I was admiring the progress of my garden. My seeds had turned into plants that were beginning to show a lot of promise. One variety of lettuce was actually large enough to start cutting leaves off. After examining its progress, I thought I would snap a few pictures for my blog but there wasn't enough time before I had to pick my kids up at school. I arrived home about an hour later to discover that my garden had vanished! There were a couple of trampled and pecked seedlings left but basically it looked like I hadn't planted anything at all. The chicks ate the whole thing! It was quite the gamut of emotions running through my mind: shock, anger, bewilderment, denial and finally sadness. I knew chickens and gardens didn't mix, but I mistakenly believed that I had more time before they discovered mine. The good news is that there is still time to plant again and they also ate all of the little weeds that were starting to sprout. My husband built a fence around it for me and I am ready for my second attempt. Thanks Jodie for sharing your broccoli rabe seeds with me.

This week I picked up an all-natural turkey breast at Sunflower Market and prepared it in the crock pot using my grandma's recipe. It was by far the best turkey I have had in my entire life. I am not sure if it was the quality of the meat or the preparation method but it was moist, juicy and full of turkey flavor. If you pick up your own, try this recipe out:

1 Turkey Bone-In Breast or half-breast

1 Stick of butter

1 Onion cut in wedges

About a cup of Baby Carrots

Salt, Pepper and Thyme to taste

Place onion and carrots at the bottom of the crockpot. Put pats of butter underneath the skin of the turkey and sprinkle salt, pepper and thyme under the skin also. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Slice and enjoy! It is even tastier if you pour the juices on top of the meat and vegetables before you dig in.

I have finally finished Real Food by Nina Planck and have become obsessed with saturated fats. According to her research, animal fats such as butter and lard are not bad for us, it is the manufactured vegetable oils that we need to stay clear of. It's crazy and goes against what we have been taught our whole lives but if you read the book it makes sense. It is how humans have been eating since creation. Currently I am on a mission to track down leaf lard which is supposed to be the finest for frying and baking. She even cites research that saturated fat speeds up metabolism! If my family starts looking pudgy and sick, you will know that this information was incorrect. Until then, pass me some more whole milk please...

A whole-wheat recipe that wasn't gross...hurray!

I have spent my whole life eating processed refined foods and so have my kids. Because of this, some of our new healthy recipes are not always well-received but that is not the case with this one: moist whole-wheat banana bread. Even though it contains stone-ground whole wheat flour, the texture was relatively smooth and moist and it was sweetened with honey and brown sugar rather than regular white sugar. You don't have to take my word for it...my kids, husband and parents enjoyed it too. The website that I found this recipe on seems to have some other great recipes that I look forward to checking out. You can see for yourself at http://www.breadtopia.com/.

In previous posts, I have mentioned my fear of overcooking the grass fed beef. Yesterday I decided to not worry so much about it which resulted in a very tough sirloin. Due to the low fat content, this beef can become very tough if cooked past medium. The only family member that could successfully chew it was our Australian Shepherd, Lucy. I finally broke down and ordered a grass-fed beef cookbook to help relieve some of the anxiety. The ribeyes and strips came out excellent when grilled to medium rare so I know a tender juicy steak is possible. Just to be on the safe side, I will wait for the cookbook to arrive before I try to use the tenderloin. Fortunately the ground beef is much easier to use and my first chuck roast came out wonderful when prepared in the crock pot.

After seeing it on so many food labels this week, I decided it was time to learn more about maltodextrin. I have seen it listed on many snack foods, sunflower seeds and pudding. It is derived from corn, rice, potato or even wheat starch and is used as a thickener or artificial sweetener. Although I could not track down any specific health risks, I did learn that it is easily converted to energy and used by endurance athletes for a quick pick-me-up during events and training. Based on that knowledge, it could have a similar effect on your pancreas as high fructose corn syrup but I don't know for sure. Knowing that it is chemically altered compound derived from a natural product could be enough to avoid it for me. Just because it starts out as something healthy doesn't mean it will still be good for you after it has been messed with by food scientists. I am pretty sure there are no listings in my grandma's cook book for 1 teaspoon of maltodextrin. When in doubt, stick with the pronounceable and recognizable ingredients...the kind that the human race has survived on for 1000's of years.

And just like that, summer was over!

As we embark on the last weekend before school starts, I am filled with sadness. It has really been an awesome summer and I am not ready to release my boys back to their institution of learning. I am also not ready to resume packing 9-10 lunches per week. This will be the real test of my commitment--filling the lunch boxes with nutritious real food that they will actually eat. Pringles and chewy granola bars are being replaced with, well I am not sure exactly what they are being replaced with yet. I have been stocking up on Kashi's bars, natural organic beef jerky and popcorn. It has been difficult to find deli meat free of nitrites, sugars, fillers, etc. Could I possibly be dedicated enough to roast an actual turkey breast to use for sandwiches? We'll see!

I have finally found the best Farmer's Market in Las Vegas and it is also the worst. Every Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the Molto Farmer's Market, located at 7485 Dean Martin Drive Suite 106, is open to the public. It is actually a market for local chefs to purchase items from regional farmers and vendors and has some amazing and unusual items ranging from berries, beans and tomatoes to exotic mushrooms, oils, cheeses and vinegars. So how could it be the worst too? I learned about the market from the Las Vegas Review Journal yesterday and so did a lot of other people. We arrived at 11 and due to the small location, we were crammed in like sardines trying to make our way to each table. As if the oppressive feeling of claustrophobia wasn't enough, we were pushed around by some very angry and irritable senior citizens. They did not understand the kindergarten concept of "wait your turn" and would actually push past us at the tables to buy items even though the vendors were helping others (including us) at the time. In better conditions I would have browsed the tables better and tried some of the beautiful and unusual produce such as the cranberry beans (see photo) or purple cauliflower but my fight or flight response was overwhelming and I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could. I will attempt to visit it again, but since it is so close to my house I will have no problem turning around and leaving if it is like that next time. In spite of the mayhem, we brought home some wonderful green beans, pluots, golden raspberries, watermelon and corn on the cob.

Our chickens are almost four weeks old and have grown so much already. They are getting out of their brooding box and I had to add netting to the top to keep them in. We have actually came home and found chickens in unauthorized locations around the house. I am thinking it is time to move to the outside coop but I want to wait until the temperatures drop a little first. I don't know if it is in their best interest to go from an 80 degree house to a 107 degree backyard. I also need to secure my garden from them, which is full of sprouting lettuce, beets, carrots, broccoli and brussel sprouts. So far it is off to a good start and it looks like my compost pile is actually working too!

I have been reading a lot of labels lately and thought it might be "fun" to research some of the ingredients that I don't recognize. This week my featured ingredient is propylene glycol. So far I have found it in Kraft light vinaigrettes and popsicles. According to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for this chemical, users should avoid skin contact and it can cause liver and kidney damage if ingested. Other potential health effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and hemoglobinuric nephrosis. It is also an ingredient in makeup, shampoo, deodorant, styling mousse, baby wipes, after shave, tire sealant, fabric softener, paint, adhesive, aircraft de-icer, artificial smoke and wallpaper stripper. I think I will just use some vinegar and oil on my salad instead...

It's not what you think...

Would you believe the ice cream cone cupcake this handsome boy is holding is made with whole-wheat flour and organic turbinado sugar? Well don't! For those of you that don't see us on a day-to-day basis, you might think we have attained some amazing level of eating excellence. Unfortunately that is not the case. These cupcakes were made from a recipe found in a book called The Cupcake Doctor. All the recipes in this cookbook involve doctored cake mixes. It is not that I cannot bake a cake from scratch but rather that cakes from scratch do not always have consistent results. It was my son's birthday and I wanted to make sure the cupcakes weren't yucky and I knew a cake mix would produce the correct texture and moistness level. I did scan the ingredients on my Duncan Hines box and discovered many unpronounceable chemical compounds. Quickly I averted my eyes and pretended I didn't see them. I did make a homemade buttercream frosting at least. Instead of cupcake liners, they bake in ice cream cones made with hydrogenated soybean oil...put it all together and you have one yummy cupcake! We finished the birthday with a dinner to the restaurant of his choice--Del Taco. We enjoyed chili cheese fries with beef and cheese of unknown origin and fried in who knows what. It was not a banner day in our healthy eating journey. My stomach did not feel good the next day at all. In the last week I have also purchased Texas Toast (loaded was high-fructose corn syrup and bleached flour) to make French toast because whole-wheat French toast does not taste as good. At least we topped it with 100% maple syrup instead of the Sam's Club jug of Aunt Jemima.

I have started reading a couple of really interesting books this week, The Maker's Diet and Real Food. The first book is a eating plan based on Biblical eating principles and explains scientifically why God created these dietary laws. The author was suffering from Crohn's disease as well many other digestive and immune system ailments which were reversed after he started following this eating plan. The second book was written by a journalist who grew up in a farm in Virginia eating "real food" and explains what "real food" is and why it is better for us. I am loving both books but not loving The Maker's Diet's explanation on why we shouldn't eat pork and shellfish. It makes sense but those are foods I am not ready to give up. We will have to see how strong my convictions become.

Remember that several small choices in what you eat each day can have a major impact on your overall health. We still hit an occasional fast food restaurant and I did sprinkle Oreos on my frozen yogurt last night but I am not going to let that discourage my overall resolve to eat better. Some days are harder than others and it seems the best policy is to not even bring the forbidden foods home. If your kitchen is full of "real food," you will have no choice but to eat it when you are hungry. As we head back to school and a new sports season starts, it will be interesting to see how we pull this off. We are about to become a very busy family again...stay tuned!

Pleased to "meat" you...

It's overwhelming when you think about it--eating has become so complicated. There had to be a time when if the food tasted good it was good for you and if it tasted or smelled bad you avoided it. Unfortunately that is no longer the case. What seems to be perfectly safe food is causing illness and sometimes even death. The most recent case happened just the other day when salmonella was found in ground beef packed in Fresno, CA, prompting a recall of 826,000 pounds of beef. This same company recalled 1560 pounds of beef cheek products (Just knowing that there are products made from beef cheeks is disgusting enough!) a year ago due to E. coli contamination. If these problems keep appearing why hasn't something changed in the way our meat is processed? Could it be because the government agencies that we trust to protect us and uphold food safety standards are more interested in protecting the interests of the food companies? Just a thought...

I was relieved that this was one meat recall I didn't have to participate it. My ground beef came from a ranch in Colorado where cows aren't crammed into feedlots standing knee deep in their own waste. It didn't cost $1.89 a pound like the recalled beef probably did, but we have been eating it for two weeks and have nothing to worry about. So how do you know which beef to buy? There are so many adjectives describing the items in the meat case these days how do you know what matters and what is just a marketing ploy? Click here to see definitions of the terms found on your meat labels.

This week I wanted to compare some produce prices so I visited my local Whole Foods. Based on this week's prices, the Winder Farms' organic produce box came in about a $1 more than the same items at Whole Foods. It seems like prices have dropped throughout the whole store. The Kashi cereals were around $3.49/box, the Stonyfield Farms Yokids yogurt tubes were on sale and I was delighted to find hamburger buns without high fructose corn syrup(I don't remember if they were on sale, I was just happy to find them). We also tried the Horizon Organic kids yogurt tubes which did not pass Jack's taste test. They are very tangy compared to other "kid" yogurt. I didn't like them very much either and I am pretty forgiving in the yogurt taste department. I also found boneless, skinless, organic air-cooled chicken breasts for $4.99/lb. When I purchased them I had no idea what air-cooled meant, I was just happy to see organic boneless skinless breasts for the same price that Albertson's organic bone-in breasts were. I haven't tried them yet but after some research I discovered that they are supposed to have amazing flavor.

Our baby chickens are growing so fast and their only air cooling will come from our air conditioning unit because we brought them home to be egg layers not fryers. I never knew how much joy could be found from watching chickens. They are so goofy and cute. We take them out each night after dinner and watch them trying to catch bugs, taking dust baths, learning to fly and pouncing on each other...it's hilarious! I will have to film it and post a video. They will be all grown up before I know it but at least when that happens, I will have the freshest free-range organic eggs that money can't buy.