Same Old, Same Old in Our Cooking

Do you have things - boxes, packets, jars of foodie stuff in your cupboards that you never get around to using up? Do you find yourself stuck in a rut making the same things again and again using the same ingredients?

What's with that? I mean, we are interested in these foods, we even like them - yet there they sit, day after day and we somehow pass them by for the same old, same old. I mention to people all the time - our diets must have variety in order to be balanced.

Yet - when we take in a narrow range of foods or even a wide range of the same types of foods - day after day, we tend to limit our digestive and absorptive capabilities in our guts. I have seen instances where entire pathways shutdown from lack of use.

With this in mind (and because I am detoxing, therefore looking for things to keep me busy!) I have been going through some of these foods that we enjoy but do not use often enough. One of these is the yellow split pea.

Years ago this was a more common staple in my diet - coming from Canada's east coast, it was used to make pea soups, peas puddings etc. I also used to make a lovely dal with them when I was vegan - but alas, time has flown by and I have let this lovely pea slip from my diet except very occasionally.

So this week I am going through each cupboard to see exactly what it is I have - and have not been using enough of. There are so many interesting things to be making - cooking - trying out with the ingredients I have on hand....

So why not! Hopefully some more adventurous dishes, recipes and cooking will arrive on these pages in the coming days....

April

Our full moon on 24 February

Meeting Basic Food Needs

One of the many things I have noticed over the years of talking to people about food, is how very many of us out there, have a tendency to eat the exact same things day in and day out. By this I mean, they would have on any given day, all of the same foods over and over again.

I have met people who actually have not varied their diets much over a few years - a daily menu might consist of the same cereal for breakfast, the same snacks at work, the same sandwich for lunch and then go home to a dinner of the same 2 veg and meat with the same type of bread.

If this changes - it does so very little. Perhaps the meat alters from chicken to beef or once in a while some fish. The vegetables might consist of what can be found at the local grocery store - mostly sterile, dry looking things....

The only way to eat for health is to include a good variety of foods. You do not have to be eating fruit flown half way around the world to get it either. There is a good variety of local produce right at our doorsteps - usually by way of the farmers markets.

Most markets have vegetables that would not be normally found in supermarkets - a variety of coloured carrots for instance, several types of kale or farm fresh corn. They might also bring in an abundance of locally produced fruits in season such as strawberries and cheeses to go along with that.

If you find yourself caught in a rut where food is concerned branch out - get out there and seek out new and different vegetables or fruits you haven't had in a while. Then each week throw in something different. Perhaps it's a turnip, some fresh greens, red carrots, beet root and so forth.

The fun part here might be in learning how to cook them, what to eat them with and preparing different dishes for your family. However one of the most important aspects of including an abundance of different foods is that you ensure vitamins, minerals and other nutritional needs are being met for your entire body. 

You can't enjoy good health if you don't supply body, mind and soul with all it needs. 

April 

Lady's Mantle in the garden