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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

There's good in all vegetables

The poor poor vegetables we've blacklisted: potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, and iceberg lettuce. And what have they done to deserve this ill treatment? Well nothing, they're just being themselves. Seriously this is a great article I read on these blacklisted veggies. I hope that we start seeing more information like this come out. What a concept, instead of only eating expensive "superfoods" maybe we should eat a well balanced variety of foods. Even non- superfoods have wonderful nutrients to offer us. Just a thought.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Where in the world is Elizabeth Root?


Did anyone else watch that show?

I have to apologize to all my awesome, loyal Belhaven market customers. I have missed the market for 3 straight weeks. I have had 2 graduations (1 out of state) and my husband's 30th birthday party at our house! It has been a very busy month. I do feel like I've caught up on my housework, as much as I can anyway. I'm ready to come back to the market & I'll be at Belhaven June 7th.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

The food industry is misleading us again...


This article was shocking to me. I personally have checked restaurants online menus to find the healthier selections before I eat out. And working in the food industry myself I am always honest with customers. If you are going to make something that is high in fat & calories you need to tell people. The thought occured to me, if they are going to lie about the "healthy options" how much are they lying about the "traditional meals". Shame on those restaurants.

Yet another reason to cook & eat at home.
-If you prepare the food then you know what is in it.
-If you eat at home you are less likely to overeat.
-Plus I've mentioned before the spiritual connection I believe exists from preparing your own food.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Environmentally Friendly

Now don't we hear a lot about this subject these days. And it is a complex one. I'm not an expert on the environment by any means, nor am I ready to leave all my modern conveniences behind, but I am trying to do my part to be more aware & responsible. Recently some bad news has come out concerning plastics, especially when they are heated. And it does make sense to me if you take a bunch of chemicals and form a product, some of those chemicals could be harmful. But I know firsthand in a medical setting plastics are necessary. More research should be done for sure.

Well I'm also trying to make more environmentally friendly decisions with my business. In addition to buying my ingredients from local sources and using some organic ingredients, I try to use biodegradable, natural materials for my packaging. I use paper plates for my cake, 100% cotton string, and cellophane bags. Here is more information on cellophane.
I try to make responsible decisions and right now it seems like cellophane bags are safer for the earth & safer for my customers. My labels are not biodegradable, but I'd like to find some that are. I also print my brochures up on 100% recycled paper.

I have spent some time & more trying to use more earth friendly goods. And I'll continue to research & be aware of products I use in my business.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Pollan makes Sense

Ok, it's Friday! and I should be baking. I really am going to be up till like midnight & get up at 4:30 to get ready for the market.

So I'm only posting this b/c I was so inspired. We all have times in our careers where we get tired and discouraged, even those of us blessed to do what we love. I've kinda been having one of those times. I don't have time to do what I need to do. I don't have the facility that I would like to have.

But when I came upon this article today I remembered why I'm struggling to bake healthy goods. I wanted a job that would allow me to have time to feed my family healthy food, and I wanted to help other families eat healthy foods. When my dream of becoming a registered dietician became too difficult to obtain Daniel supported me in my desire to sell healthier baked goods to the public. I wanted to provide healthy baked goods that were fun: Sourdough & Peach Cakes should be available in whole grains too!

When we both had real jobs we ate out much more often & ate many more convenience foods. And now that business is so busy for me I am struggling to continue to provide healthy meals for our family. But the struggle is worth it! I know first hand from working in the transplant lab the consequences of an unhealthy diet: overweight... diabetes... losing a kidney.

So I ran upon this article this morning about Michael Pollan's books

In general, I'm inclined to stick with the tried and true when it comes to food," he said. "And let the novelties be tested for a while. I think we need to begin to spend more on food, both in terms of money and in time. I know that's not a popular message. People like their convenience foods. But this experiment of outsourcing our food preparation to corporations has failed us. I mean, it's left us really unhealthy, really unsatisfied. And I think it's undermined the family life and undermined the community.



This article was really the inspiration I needed. Daniel & I both work hard, and sometimes we fall asleep bone tired. But I can rest easier knowing that I'm doing all I can for the health of my family. Food is not all there is to the health of our family, our faith comes first. But there is a spiritual element in food preparation. Preparing our meals makes me more appreciative of the blessings we have. God has blessed me to be able to do something that I believe in so much. I pray that I will have a positive effect on other's health.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

New happenings!

This spring has been very exciting for me!

The market has been hopping, the weather is gorgeous & we have had some wonderful entertainment. Thanks to all my loyal customers & to my new customers willing to try out my whole grain goods.

I was featured in the Madison County herald; here is a link for anyone that missed it & is so bored they want to read about me:) I don't know how long they'll leave it up. Thanks to the market director, Kay for putting the paper in touch with me.

Also I am now selling some bread & goodies to Negazio. This is a wonderful import & specialty store located on Pear Orchard across from Indian Cycle. It is family run and they have a wonderful selection of imported meats & cheeses, pasta, olives... So if you're dying for a ginger chewie during the week or you need some fresh bread stop in and see Lisa and Jay.