A Side Of Truth

Do you know where your meat comes from? And do you even care?





I am not trying to convert anyone to vegetarianism. But no one can deny that letting go of at least some meat would do the body good. My daughters best friend tried to go meatless a while back just for one day and she couldn't do it...what does that say about us.

First off, we are led to believe that we 'need' animal protein in order to get stronger. 'NOT'
Secondly, we are told that if we do not consume dairy products that we will develop osteoporosis.'NOT'

It is nothing short of brainwashing to get you to buy their products. You notice I did not call it food. Trust me when I tell you anything that comes in a Styrofoam box and you can get delivered through your car window is not food. It is edible food like substance. And if you don't have thee ingredients on the container in your cupboard, then why are you eating them?

It's big business to sell you 'stuff' that resembles food, or things that you have called food your entire life. But this is not food. Or at least the the food your great grand mother knew as food. What would she say and do if she came back and saw us eating this way. She would kick our backsides all the way to the fresh market and not leave until we purchased fresh fruit and vegetables and if you chose to eat meat, you went to the butcher and got it from him, not the local drive-thru.

Think long and hard if this is the stuff you want floating around and 'staying' in your gut. I know I don't. I care what goes into my body, so should you.

That's It, I'm Taking the Plunge

Well, I am going to do it, no, not that. After reading Skippy's blog about not eating meat (which I was a vegetarian during Skippy's pregnancy) I have decided to head back in that direction. And I will explain why.

I know eating meat is taxing on our environment, but I can save that for another post. But bottom line, I know how much better I feel when my body does not have meat in it. I am not a cold turkey type of person, so I will start to eliminate things as I see fit. And due to the fact that I do the grocery shopping, then I have control (Insert evil Frankenstein laugh here). Here was what jolted me into thinking I could do this.

I went to the grocery store, with my measly $??.?? and had to adhere to a strict budget (Nothing new these days). And we did not have the luxury of a 9-5er job that would give us Memorial Day of to BBQ with our families so we usually improvise and have our meal when the most of us are at the table at one time.

So I picked up a package of ground turkey instead of ground beef. Ground turkey is not a new concept to me, it's just my in-laws have been helping us with some groceries here and there and they are staunch supporters of beef. I asked my husband the last time they offered to help, if he could only purchase poultry. He did and I was happy. Now back to the ground turkey. My daughter and I were preparing potato salad and burgers (Turkey of course) and I spiced those puppies up, for I know that turkey has less fat, less fat means less flavor. Never fear, my spice cabinet is filled to the brim with things I can barely pronounce, let alone know what to do with them (Just kidding). They don't call me the Cooking Lady for nothing. So in went wasabi paste, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, a bit of cumin and a few other things. Put them in my manual patty maker (Wow is that thing cool), which makes them perfectly sized so they actually fit the bun...what a concept.They went on our generic George Foreman grill and whamo!, they were deeelicious.

I knew then that I could curtail my red meat and eventually give it up. There are nights when my son and husband both work the evening shift and me and my daughter do not have to consume meat. Well she never does...duh! But we are nearly giddy when meat is not on the table, and trust me when I tell you, we do not go hungry.

Years back I had vegan friends who lived up north (As did I) and I put together a vegan Christmas meal. No, I did really, and man oh man, were we all full. I had to do a bit of research, but I had a blast. It definitely stretched my culinary skills.

So keep tuned into see how I manage this task. I think I will be successful. I have given up white sugar and white flour, the rest should be a breeze.

What's In a Name

How do we come to name our blogs? We all have stories, and I think mine is a bit interesting.

We are a home schooling family, and I have taught cooking classes for the last 4 years. I used to teach all age groups, but I got a bad taste in my mouth from a few disrespectful teenagers and I quit teaching that age group. I felt bad for those who wanted to learn, but I was angry. I then decided to teach only the youngest group. They were innocent and would not say in the middle of class, "That is not how my mommy does it!" And they are like sponges and bring no attitude to class.

But as time wore on, they too got comfortable with me and their personalities would come out. That's another description for attitude. So I would politely stop the class and wait for them to finish what they were babbling about. Now, you have to remember, this was not an art class, or a P.E. class. We were in the kitchen, with hot pots and pans, boiling water and sharp knives. I needed their undivided attention, and for one hour, it needed to be...All about me.

This phrase caught on so much that it stuck, and so much so that one of my classes had a shirt made for me and had it embroidered with that slogan on it. And to this day if I ask my class, "For this hour, who is it all about?" They know. It's not ego, it is safety and time crunch. I only have 1 hour to show and prepare a meal with these children and listen to their stories, and hopefully get something taught to them.

I love cooking. And thee only thing I ask for in return is that they 'get' something...anything. I want them to be with a girlfriend, or a wife, 10-15-20 years form now, and be in the kitchen and they be doing something and all of a sudden they stop and say, 'Hey, I remember the Cooking Lady teaching me that."

That's all I ask.

So the name for my blog came form one of those lovely vivacious teenagers who is just a ray of sunshine. She is goofy, quirky and a pure joy to be around. So, credit for naming this blog goes to KC. Thanks KC!!