Food, Glorious Food!!!

My life seems to be made up of diet information right now.

After my sister was diagnosed with MS a couple weeks ago, on top of my brother having gastric bypass 3 months ago, it's been a hot topic of discussion around here. So much of our health is tied into diet, but we put so little thought into it. Yet, really, we are fueling our body with junk most of the time. Is there any wonder that we then feel bad, and end up on medications or supplements to help? No, I don't think diet is the cure-all, but I do think that if we give our bodies the food they need, they will function a lot better over time.

I have been reading up on diets for MS, and since I believe in practicing what I preach, have become a Pescetarian. This was surprisingly easy. Now, cutting out sugar - that's another story. I know, that I can not have cakes, cookies, etc, and ice cream is the same way. If I have those in the house I will simply eat them all one bite at a time. I mean, if you cut a slice of cake, and it's uneven, you have to make it even again, right? It's kind of an OCD trait. The long and short of it, is, any baked goods I produce, I must have a clear exit strategy for. Which means people really like me, because I come with treats. My old work loved me, I bet they are still in homemade cookie withdrawl...

Of course, I have an edge on this, as I do the shopping, and cooking here. Other family members might be puzzled, but they go along with it, because there's no other food in the house. They are still eating meat when we eat out, which is fine, I'm not making them make the change, but they're assuring me that at home, they aren't missing the meat.  Of course here, I am talking about the adults. The kids are another story. The kids, don't miss the meat either. But - I did have a throwdown with one over eating green beans the other week. The end result (after an hour) was he did eat them, he didn't throw up, but he wouldn't even carry the fresh green beans out of the car from Costco yesterday. I think we'll ignore the issue for awhile, and then try again. I am slowly trying to wean them off of their junk food, and working on making fresh. Today, when we pick them up from school, I am taking baby carrots and grapes for their 'tide them over snack'. We'll see how they do with that.

But I have a feeling, that I am starting to put this together in my mind. I notice my palate has been changing, and I can pick out the subtle flavors better. I went to Costco yesterday, and we bought practically every vegetable they had, along with fruit and fish. Then, it's a fun challenge to figure out how I can use all these veggies in recipes through the week.

So far, I have made 3 versions of vegetable soup, vegetable lasagna, broccoli and crab pasta, and of course salmon. The favorite soup was a leek onion soup, that had the depth of flavor of a really good French Onion, but was loaded with veggies.

 This morning, I woke up, and wandered into the kitchen to put together a new vegetable soup. This one (yet untasted) has vegetable stock, brown rice, barley, black beans, carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic (I sauteed those 3 in olive oil), green beans, and I'll finish it with frozen corn and fresh spinach before it's done cooking. I added a small amt of smoked paprika, pepper, and Italian seasoning. It smells amazing. The best part, is that the soups are averaging 200 calories per bowl, but have so many nutrients in them that they fill you up, and keep you satisfied. And, with the crockpot full, this will feed us for a few days, so I won't cook again till Wednesday.