Our BLACKBERRY & CUCUMBER FEAST
I had to laugh at the story that Maintenance Mommy told in her last blog. Someone calling her “extreme”… it definitely hits close to home. I’m sure people call me that as well…the funny thing is, I haven’t seen myself this way? I guess it helps that I consistently surround myself with like-minded people (also very smart people- I’d like to add).
But it turns out- that the word “EXTREME” is such a wonderful description for how I want my family to EAT.
DEFINITION of Extreme:
- Exceedingly great in degree
- Of a kind farthest removed from the ordinary or average
Opposite of Extreme: MODERATE
Do you want to be MODERATE in your nutrition…or
Do you want to have your NUTRITION exceedingly GREAT in degree?
Do you want to be ORDINARY? Or far from it?
If there is something that I want to be FAR from ordinary from…
or something in my life that is exceedingly GREAT in degree…
I DEFINITELY want it to by my NUTRITION!
Here is a sample of my EXTREME life:
Stopping at a local park with my children, after an afternoon of running errands.
Having an overwhelming sense of JOY while watching each of my children…
Seeing my 7 month old get excited about each of the new sites and sounds around her. Having her smile and laugh every time she gets a glimpse of her older brother and sister.
Having my 3 year old run around and tell me-
“Watch this Mommy! Only boys can do that!”
And then my oldest daughter- watching her do tricks on the bars I had no idea she could do. When did she get so old? I continue to tell her that she has to stay 5 forever!
My kids are hungry.
Do I hop in the car and head to the closest FAST FOOD RESTURANT?
Fortunately – one of our errands that day was to Costco to pick up our weekly bulk produce. I head to the car to see what I can find.
I return with our FEAST:
A box of fresh BLACKBERRIES,
my 3 count ENGLISH CUCUMBERS
and my bag of RAW ALMONDS.
I smiled as I watched the excitement on my children’s face as they
first see the juicy blackberries.
Then I laugh as my son grabs his own cucumber and yells “This GREEN VEGETABLE will make me BIG and STRONG” then he proceeds to run as fast as he can around the playground.
The ALMONDS were my added nutrient punch that they don’t always favor…but they didn’t protest as I told them they each had to eat only 10. They each counted their own handful (which was a welcome challenge for my 3 year old) and had a contest to see how fast they could eat them.
The rest of the evening was spent watching my children LAUGH, PLAY and DEVOUR the rest of their FEAST.
__________________________________________________________________
I don’t consider myself VEGAN, not even Vegetarian.
My family and I try to eat a WHOLE (unprocessed) plant based DIET.
We limit our animal products (we eat them sparingly)
WHY?
Where do I start…
Because the closer we eat foods to their natural state, the healthier the food.
And the easier the food is to digest.
The less our bodies have to work on digesting food- the more energy it has to do the many other jobs it has…like keeping us healthy and disease-free.
ALSO
“Reducing the consumption of animal foods reduces the consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat. Low intake of cholesterol and saturated fat leads to a leaner body, clean arteries, and a reduced risk of developing heart disease and many other diet-related disease such as stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, and obesity.” Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Start off slow…resist the urge to hop in the car for that quick lifeless meal.
I tend to find when my kids are the hungriest- they will eat most anything I offer them.
Give it a try-
Blackberries and Cucumbers…what a feast!
LIFE IS GOOD!
Source: WFM 1-10