Such a silly title, but I didn’t know what else to call this page. Everyone has a particular perspective on food, and its role in an individual’s life. The views include everything from “it needs to be healthy in all its forms,” to “as long as it tastes good.” Reading books and articles addressing current thinking in regard to healthy eating and living put forward by the science and wellness community has brought me to several common elements: I have boiled it down to, “Eat as close as you reasonably can, as often as you can, to how God made it.” Fresh potatoes, instead of instant mashed potatoes. Whole grains in made from scratch muffins and pancakes, in place of prepackaged snack muffins and pancakes from a box. Fresh fruits and vegetables simply prepared. I don’t obsess over any aspect of it, but rather understand this is a long journey requiring gradual small changes that can be sustained for a lifetime.

You may notice I have recipes some might consider as having too much sugar. I am not opposed to sugar consumed in moderation. My daughter Anna is a martial artist and has a rigorous workout regimen. Simply put, because her eating is so clean and free of processed simple carbohydrates sometimes she needs a high glycemic snack to get her blood sugar up.

My goal is to create or modify recipes that incorporate healthy and nutritious ingredients while working within Anna’s dietary needs. With each recipe I desire that both family and friends consider the food delicious, only later to discover it is healthy as well. At times I find myself focused on baked goods, soon to be followed by protein dishes. There is no rhyme or reason for where I chart my course, except to follow Anna’s particular craving.

So, here is the list of foods I absolutely could not use…

-Apple
-Barley
-Basil
-Cane Sugar
-Carob
-Cayenne Pepper
-Chick Pea (Garbanzo)
-Chicken
-Cinnamon
-Citric Acid
-Clove
-Cottonseed
-Cow’s Milk
-Cranberry
-Cumin
-Flounder
-Fructose (HFCS)
-Grape
-Iceberg Lettuce
-Lamb
-Lime
-Mango
-Millet
-Oats
-Orange
-Paprika
-Rosemary
-Soy
-Strawberry
-Tomato
-Vanilla
-Wheat…occasionally

Doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, until you start reading labels. Soy was in almost everything, including vitamins, bread, body wash… Lime was in tortilla chips, corn flour for making tortillas, fish oil supplements…rosemary was in supplements…carob was in herb tea, supplements…grapes and apples were in vinegar which is a common ingredient in many products…and the list goes on and on.