Eat Real Food

When all else seems to be out of order...eat real food!

That's right. Even when things are in order, eat real food.

Just recently a good friend gently reminded me that while all else seems to be uprooted (and in chaos sometimes) make sure we take care not to overlook our health during the resettling and adjusting time. How true. She said to eat real food. Not junk, not "fake" stuff...not chemical laden stuff. Real, true, honest to goodness food.

It can be too easy to eat the things that we've been so far away from for two years now (ask me how I know!). What I've been enjoying though is the wonderful garden bounty that is happening here right now. We've been enjoying fresh green beans, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries (boy, did I miss berries!) and peppers. And sweet corn, oh sweet corn, how delicious! It's been a long time. I don't even put anything on it... great as is and compared to what we had in Ghana -you'd think it was "prebuttered" already!

So we have been eating fresh fruit and veggies we've missed for so long. But I have to admit, it's very easy to celebrate a little too much and eat some not so great stuff while we are not at home. And since we are in a temporary place for another month, we have to remain mindful of our eating habits that they don't get too lax in the meantime (and I'd like to keep off the pounds that so easily came off while we were in Africa!).

What I've been doing lately to eat "real food":

• Eating green smoothies when I can. Yesterday we had in the Vitamix: bananas, apples(including seeds), a peach, raw spinach, carrots, and a celery stalk, with added water. Actually ended up being very good, kind of like sweet, but green, carrot juice (which I love!). I wondered if the celery would make the finished product kind of stringy. No fear - that Vitamix made it smooth as always.
• Eat something fresh (fruit or veggies) as a first course before eating other foods during a meal. While eating out recently with my parents, my dad wondered if I was on a fruit fast when we ate at a buffet restaurant. I had gone up to the buffet and returned with all fruit on my (first) plate for myself and to share with my daughter. We dined on seven different fruits before having some hot dishes. We were eating Chinese (I know, not so great, but done in moderation can be a fun outing). My two year old daughter loves the garlic green beans.
• Eating fresh little cherry tomatoes from right outside the back door where we are staying. It's a fun thing to have amidst a flower garden for great snacking, especially after hanging laundry outside.
• When eating out, using fresh lemon wedges to make water taste better and be better for me.
• Never adding salt to dishes when eating out (or carry out). Restaurants always have more fat and salt in foods they serve, than you would use at home. Remember that! They are fast de-railers to eating well, so be careful.
• Drinking water, good purified water. Plenty of it...'nuff said.
• Eating something fresh and raw at every meal if it's available.

I am excited to get back to regular posting of recipes and such. For now, remember...eat real food.