In the beginning...

It all started with a simple cheap spiral bound book given to me by my mother-in-law.   Battling the "MSG myth" A survival guide and cookbook.  I have no idea where she came across it but it somehow invaded  my family's lives.    Before I knew it I was throwing  everything out.  Like the pop-tarts, the Ramen noodles, the staple convenience foods in our house and my kids thought I was crazy.  I started making common food from scratch. Why wouldn't I be doing this?  I did go to culinary school for a reason.  But it was so easy to just buy it! So the challenge began of being more self-reliant, reading labels, and being more mindful of what we were putting into our mouths.

That started a passion and desire to know where our food was coming from.  The garden adventure began.  We were fortunate enough to move from a house in town to a house with a big yard and plenty of room to grow a garden.  The first plot was small but  cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers were plentiful.  These found their way into our everyday meals.  Knowing where food was coming from was a blessing!   It permeated into the offseason and created a family culture.  Once you allow fresh vegetables into your diet, vegetables that are "not fresh", seem to lose their appeal.  There was a snowball effect to all that we were doing and it just grew and grew.  

And so the documentaries started flooding our living room.  The years went by whole foods and whole living became a focus in our lives.   Documentaries, books, friends, mother earth news fair, all played a part in the food choices we are making today. It was a slow transition.  Not because we coudn't go plant based cold turkey, but because we were learning along the way.  We began chipping away at our eating.  First cutting out MSG, food additives, and preservatives.  Next baking and cooking from scratch.   Then being more mindful of where our meat and dairy were coming from.  Making friends with farmers and starting a community raw milk run. (which is still going today even though we don't get milk!).  

This past year has been a learning year for giving up meat and adopting a plant based diet.  It has been a long journey for me and my family.   Literally 8 years!  That's a lot of learning!  But there is still so much more to learn.  Join me on this journey!

Much Love,

Lindsey