What's Wrong With People??!

I wish someone could explain to me why people get so bothered when someone chooses to eat differently than they do.

I buy my bread at a bakery outlet. I've been going there maybe twice a month for more than a year. They lady who works there has always been polite and sometimes even friendly. Lately I've been bringing my 4 year old Grace with me.  She's always made it a point to talk to her and last month she gave Grace a small package of expired Zingers.  When we got in the car we talked about healthy food and "sometimes" food.  The thing that made the biggest impression on Grace was the lady's stained crooked teeth.  She made the connection in her mind that treats from the bakery outlet make your teeth brown and rotten.

And just so you know, we'd already been to the credit union and the pharmacy that morning and they'd given her suckers at both places.  I know they're just trying to be nice.

The next time we went to the bakery outlet, the lady offered her some donuts.  Grace politely said "No, thank you."  And the lady was saying "It's ok! You can have them.  You can eat them later!"  Grace again said "No thank you".  Then the lady said "Why!?"  And Grace said "I want to be healthy."  The lady did not handle it well. It was weird.  Like she'd been personally offended.  (side note: I should be grateful she didn't say anything about the teeth!)

So this week when we went the lady was smug and snotty.  She didn't say a word to Grace or even look at her. When she rang up my purchases said in a real snotty voice "Do you want a Ding Dong?", holding out 2 of them in her hand.  She didn't even look up.  It was so rude!

This kind of thing from strangers is one thing, but sometimes I get it worse from people who are supposed to be my friends.  It's not like I go around making comments on what everyone else eats.  I eat the way I want to and teach my kids what I know and hope one day that it will catch on. 

'Just a Little Heart Attack'

Have you seen this? Love this video. Thanks Amy for sharing.

Healthy Fudge

       Each time I go to the health food store I've been buying a few things to try. Lately I've tried Larabars, coconut butter, lentils, chopped dates, almond milk, collard greens, carob powder and beets.  All things I've never eaten in my life!

       The collard greens, chopped dates, almond milk and beets went in various smoothies.  The lentils were for this yummy Sloppy Joe recipe. The coconut butter and the carob powder (along with some other things) all went into this tasty fudge.  I'm having so much fun finding new things that I like and that my family likes as well.

  

If you want to try something tasty and good for you, try this healthy fudge recipe.  That said, Fudge is not a vegetable.  Show some restraint.

 Healthy Fudge Recipe

2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups if you cook your own beans)

1/2 cup coconut butter or coconut spread (I used Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread)

1/2 cup plus 2 TB honey

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup carob powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup chopped cashews

Put everything but the cashews into a food processor and process until smooth.  (I don't have a food processor, so I used my BlendTec blender to mash up the beans and then I scooped them into my Kitchen Aid mixer to combine.)

Stir in the cashews.  Spread into a 8x8 pan and refrigerate for one hour.

Cut into pieces.

If you're not going to eat it all within a few days. (And I hope you don't!) Then wrap fudge pieces in freezer wrap and store individually in freezer. 

Guaranteed to satisfy a chocolate craving!

Find the  original recipe and more healthy recipes here at simplynaturalhealth.com.

A little something about coconut oil: 
Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight.  It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzyme systems. Further, it increases the body's metabolism by removing stress on the pancreas, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

Green Smoothie Girl

        Last week I attended a free class by the Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn Openshaw.  I thought it was good info.  I'm already in the Green Smoothie habit, but she inspired me to try some different greens in my smoothie.  This week I added kale.  It's going to take some getting used to!  But today I threw a golden kiwi into my regular recipe and it was really good.

  

        I also purchased her children's book "The Adventures of Junk Food Dude".  It's a cute book to use to teach your kids about eating good real food.  Maybe there's a free Green Smoothie Girl class near you.  Click on the link then the "events" tab to find out.

       You could also win a free BlendTec Blender and some other fun things at her class. 
        Happy Blog Anniversary to me.  My first post on this blog was one year ago today!

Breakfast Quinoa

Instead of my usual fruit and steel cut oats for breakfast, I tried fruit and quinoa.  I'd made the quinoa for dinner the night before, so all I did was heat it up and add fruit, cinnamon and some local raw honey.   I'd definitely do it again next time I have leftover quinoa.  After I took the photo I decided it needed raisins.  Which made it just about perfect!

Stats and the Winner of the Peppermint Oil

        Thanks to all 3 people who entered the giveaway.  :) Thank you for your recipes.  I will try them all.

Here's what I've learned from my stats:
1-  Even though only 3 people commented, I've had 1300 hits to my blog in the last month. 
2-  Almost all of those hits came from people searching for information (not followers).
3-  I thought that a giveaway would help me know who my readers are, maybe I'd get to know a few more bloggers and get a few healthy recipes in the process.  Obviously that didn't happen.  Whoever you are, thank you for reading my blog.  I will keep posting because it keeps me motivated and focused on my health and I hope I can help someone else in the process.

Congratulations to Chelle - winner of the Peppermint Essential oil!!

Teaching Kids About Healthy Eating

       Last Sunday the lesson for the kids was all about what we should put into our bodies.  The teacher would hold up a picture of something (for example, carrots or a cigarette) and the kids had to decide whether it was good or bad for our bodies.   Carrots and cigarettes were easy enough.  But when she held up the pictures of chicken nuggets and macaroni & cheese, there was definitely some confusion among the kids and even the adults.

  

       This Sunday lesson got me thinking how greatly opinions vary on what healthy food is.  Some of the more common things I've heard people disagree over: artificial sweeteners, sugar vs HFCS, dairy, meat and preservatives.

       Some families might consider baked potato chips, cottage cheese or packaged granola bars as health foods.  I admit that a couple years ago, I ate them thinking I was doing something healthy.  I will still buy them for my children OCCASIONALLY if they want them.  I try to teach them why certain things are better choices and show them by example and then hope that they will choose wisely for themselves as they get older. 

       My kids have a wonderful preschool teacher.  She teaches a lesson on healthy eating.  She gives the children a paper plate and some pictures of different foods cut from magazines.  The kids get to paste the pictures on the front of the plate if they're "Healthy Foods" and on the back if they are "Sometimes Foods".  They really enjoy this activity and talk about healthy food and sometimes food for weeks after.  I only wish they'd remember it when they get to Jr. High!