My Favorite New Thing

Okay so I readily admit that I really don't like to exercise.  I have a hard time getting motivated and I really have an aversion to sweat.  However, what I really do like is good food.  I especially love the food from my two favorite food groups- fried and sweet.  Unfortunately, that dislike and that like do not go well together and have a tendency to cause heartache and heartbreak in the form of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes (all of which run strong in my family).

That being said, I have had to slowly and sometimes painfully retrain my brain.  One thing I have really been focusing on in the last year is to think about food in a different way.  Instead of thinking that I "Live to Eat" I have had to learn how to "Eat to Live".  Instead of looking forward to meals and snacks as an "event" I have had to learn how to look forward to meals and snacks as a way to prepare my body for what I demand of it everyday.  I am constantly vowing to eat better and treat my body like the temple that it is.

One of the ways I have discovered to learn how to eat better is by subscribing to a farm delivery service called "Farm Fresh to You".  That little box that is delivered every few weeks is such an inspiration to me and my eating habits!  I receive the "small mixed box" and inside every box is an assortment of fresh off the farm, organic, and in-season fruits and veggies.  I love sorting through my box and scouring the internet to figure out exactly what to do with chard, leeks, beets, kale, and lipstick peppers! I love that the carrots look like something that would come out of Winnie-the-Pooh's friend Rabbit's garden and not those tiny bagged carrots that are imported from who knows where.  I love that the heirloom tomatoes are big, thick, and juicy.  I love that the oranges are gigantic and when I bite into one the juice drips down my arm. I love that the apples don't have chemicals sprayed on them that will make my throat itch.

So when my box arrived the morning I was to leave to spend the MLK weekend in Santa Cruz I was super excited to be able to take it with me for fresh food all weekend long. One of the things I do when I am not quite sure what else to do with the veggies is just make a stir fry.

I heat some olive oil in a skillet and simmer garlic and onions to start. The I add the veggies in the order of how long it takes for them to cook. This week's box came with leeks, cabbage, kale, carrots, baby red potatoes, and garlic. Then I add salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I eat it with brown rice, sometimes chicken or steak. (I stopped at Trader Joes to pick up some pre-marinated chicken for this meal). Either way it's a super healthy meal-- and I just remind myself of all the great things I'm doing for my body-- how I am providing fuel for my body so it can easily get through the demands of the day-- and, well, I suppose, that next workout.

to learn about how you can receive farm fresh produce at your doorstep, visit: http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/

cheers, Jonalin