in leu of recent events...

i made chocolate chip cookies without butter (not my fav). still drinking fresh whole milk. lightening up on the salt...

our world was thrown a twist last week when the "H" factor, aka my dad, was in need of sudden open heart surgery (5 bypasses). gratefully everything went well, just a big shocker to everyone. my dad has the biggest heart of anyone i know. i guess it was in need of some major rest. i'm sure it won't slow him down too much. but it sure has us all thinking about things differently.

for the past number of years food has been a big part of my life (well, i suppose everyone's life). but it's consumed my thoughts and efforts daily. i've been a proponent of whole foods. nixing the additives, preservatives, fat free, light, and the nasty hfc's (there are actually commercials promoting these things, what?!!!). i fully support whole grains, whole dairy, whole fat & yes, whole sugar. none of these processed substitutes. it's definitely a bit more work, but i still feel it is worth it. even the money. even the time. but now i've had to rethink the whole heart healthy diet. there's a full spectrum of thought out there - just "lowering" your intake of meat, fat, oil & salt to forgoing everything except a few fruit, veggies and grains. the latter is pushing it a bit much for me. but the status quo is quite sickening (literally). i know it is painful for some to read the lables. but it's painful if you don't.

now where we buy or get our food from is a whole nother issue...

currently we are proposing to start a CSA (community supported agriculture) in our little neck of the woods. we will begin with a dairy cow. it's an endeavor, but an exciting one. (i'm putting my opinion out there again) these things are IMPORTANT, folks. it's not big news. it was the way of life a few decades back. were those times better? perhaps not, but i know they were eating better (and probably not as much).

i'm sure i will soon go back to keeping my thoughts to myself. but for now, grow a garden, support the locals, eat smart. it does a body good.