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| 3 dozen pastured eggs from Green Goat Dairy, summer squash, cucumber, onions, peaches, sunset beets, lettuce, cauliflower, garlic and a flat of berries (red, yellow and purple raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries) |
I’ve also been listening to the Real Food Summit, which is going on for a few more days and you should totally check it out. What is Real Food you say? Isn’t all food Real Food? Not anymore. People are finally getting hip to what real food is and are co-opting the term. It’s also been known as the slow food movement and to some extent the organic food movement. Organic food, however, has been around long enough to be corrupted a bit, mostly in terms of animal treatment. Here’s a really excellent explanation of Real Food. The gist of it is, if the food (fruit, veggies, meat, eggs, etc.) have been raised and grown in the way nature intended and then are cooked in a way that your great great great grandmother would have prepared them, it’s probably real food. The key word to look for in meats and dairy foods is pastured. This means that cows and goats (herbivores) get to eat green grass in the full sun, chickens and birds (omnivores) are free roaming to scratch the earth and to eat bugs and plants, and piggies (omnivores) are given room to run and root in the earth.
For a long time it’s the way I’ve wanted to eat, but couldn’t quite identify how to express it. This way of eating has always made sense to me, despite my love for Hostess cupcakes and all things chocolate. The nice part is that it’s entirely possible to make all the foods I love out of real foods. The drawback is that it’s not always convenient. That simply means planning ahead, which I’m getting good at now that Porter is around.
I’ve started my Real Food journey by changing the fats I use. I’m stocking up on organic pastured and cultured butter, cooking with coconut oil and only using olive oil in it’s raw form. Canola and other veggie oils have been proven to be bad for your heart and health and those are out the window. I’ve also started going to the Farmer’s Market and getting to know the farmers.
When I take the time to eat good meats, fats, dairy, veggies and fruits I feel amazing. It’s only when I don’t eat that way that Real Food becomes a hassle. I’ve gotten of my diet of healthy eating and I’m ready to get back, so here are my top 5 favorite veggies (there were some ties):
5. corn, organic and non GMO
4. beets, wrapped in foil and cooked on high heat for about an hour (thanks America’s Test Kitchen)
3. asparagus & crook neck squash, from a local garden and grilled they are so sweet and tasty
2. onions & bell peppers, any way you want to prepare them, I’ll eat it
1. lettuce, give me a crunchy bitter/sweet salad any day
