Eat Fresh!
For the last year and a half I've been working on improving my diet by taking better inventory of what I'm consuming and making more responsible decisions... not because I need to change my body shape but because I believe I have a responsibility to be a wise steward of the resources I have and to minimize my negative impact on the earth's resources. Plus, the more I study and learn, the more I realize I have a responsibility to God to take care of myself and the world in a way that has become lost in the midst of today's thinking.
Some of the steps I've taken include cutting meat from my diet that isn't vegetarian fed, hormone-free and locally produced*, reducing the amount of food I buy with preservatives and ingredients that aren't all natural, and making a lot of my own food with fresh and naked ingredients. It's been a learning experience but it's also been a lot of fun... and I've learned to appreciate so many new things, too!
*So I pretty much don't eat much meat... but I'm still looking for locally grown meat resources in South Florida and I welcome anyone who has ideas for me!
I've always enjoyed cooking and baking. When I was a kid my mom assigned me easy dinners to prepare and my grandmother brought me to the kitchen with her to help her cook... even then I was thinking of ways to tweak the recipes and try new methods to get improved results**. For Christmas this year, my mom put together cookbooks with recipes collected from friends and family and I enjoy pulling that off the shelf and reviewing it on a regular basis.
**I was successful in my efforts to make a better lasagna and mashed potatoes, but I have yet to improve upon the mac 'n' cheese and applesauce that hold such fond memories from growing up.
This weekend I had another opportunity to play in the kitchen when we invited friends over for dinner and wii. I've made a homemade whole wheat pizza crust before, but this time I decided to cut it in half and create two thin pizzas. I topped them with a homemade pizza sauce and fresh veggies from the farmers market to create two of the most delicious pizzas I've had so far. Here's a picture of the second pizza after it just came out of the oven but before I cut it up.***:
***Yes, I realize it's not a circle. I did great with the first pizza but by the time I went to throw the second dough ball I think it had dried out some as it gave me a hard time. Not perfect but it's okay because I'm still learning.
Toppings included tomato slices, spinach, mushrooms, green pepper, avacado, mozzarella cheese, bleu cheese and olives (though I didn't eat the olives). I still have three slices left if you'd like to come over for leftovers!
making my mouth water, spinach always makes a pizza
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But that's what being an artist is - feeling crummy before everyone else feels crummy. ~The New Yorker
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