Lucy has made her debut!

I'm thrilled to announce that our baby girl, Lucy, was born on Tuesday night after a very manageable labor and only five minutes of pushing! She's healthy and is fitting right into our family - loud voice, lots of snuggling, and a huge appetite. Big brother Jax keeps asking to hold and kiss her, and is trying to share all of his toys - I'm appreciating it while it lasts.

Thanks for the kind e-mails asking about us.

Picnic in the Park with our Last Local Salmon

We had a lovely picnic in the park with out of town family yesterday, and the menu featured what will be a rare treat this year: local salmon. I had a bit of local salmon in the freezer from last summer and pulled it out to defrost just as the radio was announcing that salmon fishing will be closed in California this year. Record low numbers of salmon are returning from the Sacramento river delta, from 800,000 six years ago to just 68,000 this year, and halting salmon fishing for the season will give them a chance to try to recoup their numbers.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has pointed to a sudden lack of
nutrient-rich deep ocean upwellings caused by ocean temperature changes as a
possible cause. But most biologists say it is a combination of factors,
including agricultural pollution, water diversions from the delta and damaged
habitat.

So we will not be buying any whole salmon this season, obviously, and I'm glad we made the best of what we had left. I'm also glad that measures are being taken to protect the salmon. Hopefully a year off will make a difference; otherwise, we'll be looking at a salmonless future, and how sad that would be for all of us.

For our picnic, I made salmon salad sandwiches (made with fat free plain yogurt), Mexican cabbage salad, horseradish devilled eggs (made with fat free plain yogurt), and sliced watermelon. My mom brought a Waldorf salad and a friend brought hummus with goat cheese and tasty green olives. What a treat the spread was! So many great flavors, such good company, and yummy, CORE leftovers in my fridge!

Egg and Lentil Curry for Meatless Monday... And exciting news!

First, the exciting news: I'm having a girl! I had an ultrasound and everything looks healthy. My due date was pushed back to August 15, but I'll probably go late since Jax was two weeks late, my brother and I were both two weeks late, and my family has a history of late babies.

I have been eating more junk food lately as cravings hit and I definitely need to pay more attention to getting my 8 healthy guidelines every day. It's too easy to have French fries and pickles for dinner, which offers little in the way of nutrients to either me or the baby.

So for dinner tonight, we'll be enjoying an egg and lentil curry with sauteed garlicky greens and barley. It's my first time trying this recipe and if it comes out well, I'll post it (and a photo) this evening.

Daily Menu for March 11

Jax helped me cook yesterday, so everything took twice as long, made twice as much mess, and was twice as much fun. He likes to scoop and stir, and taste. He ate part of a carrot, half a pickle, and a bite of raw potato as we were making the potato-beet salad, and even with ingredients that one wouldn't think are especially kid-friendly (like capers and strong green olives) he ate quite a bit of the salad. Getting your kids in the kitchen is fun and helps expand their culinary vocabulary, plus they're invested in the food so they may be more willing to try new things. They were HIS beets (he helped to put them into the pot to boil, then scooped the cooled beets from the cutting board into the salad bowl), so he was darn sure going to eat them!

Little sneak that he is, though, wanted in to cook after we were done but couldn't get past the kiddy gate to the kitchen. He tossed his beloved stuffed doggy over the gate then came to get me to rescue it. Once the gate was open, he tore across the room and climbed his stepstool to reach the counter, grab a wayward stirring spoon, and told me he was cooking!

Today is a lot of leftovers - both lunch and dinner made a lot of food! I have some leftover ham that needs to be finished, so I'm serving that with lunch.

Breakfast
Applesauce oatmeal
2 c. milk

Lunch
Potato-beet salad
Ham

Snack
Carrots and hummus

Dinner
Spanish rice and beans
Mexican cabbage salad
1 c. milk

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (whole grain bread, brown rice)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and Beans for Meatless Monday

Tonight we're having Spanish rice and beans for Meatless Monday. I made this last week one night and it was delicious, very easy, and a hit with the whole family. The Mexican cabbage salad on the side made for an especially delightful combination - warm, savory and spicy beans and rice with cool, crisp, vinegary salad. My husband put a bit of each on his fork for both flavors in one bite.

I don't know if the salad is at all authentic. I was trying to recreate a mayo-free cole slaw that I had over the summer at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, and this came reasonably close and just as tasty.

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and Beans

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups dry beans, soaked overnight, picked over and drained (Pinto, black, kidney, or a mixture of beans would work well)
1 onion, chopped
1-2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, diced
6 cups vegetable stock
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, not drained
1 teaspoons chili powder OR 1-2 chipotles in adobo, minced (more if you like it spicy)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

In a medium-hot skillet, saute onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic in 1 T olive oil until onion is translucent. Add 1 T. olive oil and the rice and cook until the rice browns slightly. Transfer mixture and all remaining ingredients to the rice cooker and set to cook. (My rice cooker has a "cook" setting with no other functions.) Fluff with a fork and serve.

Mexican cabbage salad
1 large head cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, diced fine
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Dressing
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 t. canola oil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried basil
pepper to taste (I used quite a bit, but I like the peppery taste)

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake to combine. Pour over the vegetables, toss well, and serve.


Daily Menu

Breakfast
1 c. milk
banana
toast with plum butter (local bread and plum butter - yummy!)

Lunch
Potato-beet salad with olive oil vinaigrette (using Full Belly potatoes and beets from this week's CSA box and my own vinaigrette recipe)
served with lettuce and a hard boiled egg
1 c. milk

Snack
Orange

Dinner
Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and Beans (using Lundberg rice and Phipp's Buckskin beans)
Mexican cabbage salad
1 c. milk

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies, 5-9 servings a day - yes
2. Whole grains - yes (whole grain bread, brown rice)
3. Milk, 3 servings a day - yes
4. Healthy oil, 3 teaspoons a day - yes
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin - yes

Cooking for my sick boy

Jax has yet another ear infection, his third in less than two months, and we were recommended a dairy-free diet for him as a potential fix for his constant congestion (and runny nose, eye crusties, puffy circles under his eyes, persistent night time coughing.) He may need ear tubes if the ear infections won't clear up, and I'm willing to try any reasonable options to help him feel better, since he's been just miserable since the beginning of January.

Last night I made ham and bean soup with vegan cornbread and collard greens. The vegan cornbread wasn't bad, and Mr.M, his mom, and Jax said they liked it fine, but the texture was a little off for me and it just didn't taste like Grandma's cornbread, the standard keeper of cornbreads. I think I'm going to have to play with that a bit before finding a recipe I really like. Either way, dairy or no, cornbread isn't Core. It is the perfect side for ham and bean soup with collard greens, though - definitely a meal my Southern Grandma would have made!

The ham and beans were delicious. It was also easy-peasy since everything was just tossed into the pressure cooker.

Ham and Bean Soup

1 cup dry beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed (I used Desert Pebble beans from Phipps Country Store, but you could use Great Northern, Cannelini, or even Pinto beans)
1 lb. cooked ham, diced
1 onion, diced
1 c. carrot, diced
1/2 c. celery, diced
4 c. vegetable stock
2 c. water
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2 T brown sugar

Put everything into the pressure cooker. Cook under high pressure for 25 minutes or until the beans are tender. The ham made it salty enough for me, but you might want to add salt to taste.

Resolutions

School is over, the holidays have passed, and it's time for me to get back on track with both my locavore and Core resolutions. I haven't done as poorly as I expected over the holidays, but I certainly haven't been as on track as I need to be. So here is my New Year's resolution for this and every year: I'm going to eat the 8 healthy guidelines every day. I'm going to support local agriculture by buying as much of my food locally grown as possible. And I'm going to blog regularly to keep me accountable!

I have even more important reasons than weight loss to be healthy these days: I'm pregnant! If all goes well, I'm expecting a new addition to our family this summer. My doctor has approved my Core eating plan while I'm pregnant with just two adjustments. I need 3 teaspoons of healthy oil and 3 servings of lowfat, not fat free, dairy per day. Core is such a sensible and healthy guide for eating that my doctor felt it was perfectly safe to continue, and I can lose weight while pregnant so long as everything progresses normally. I cannot continue to Weight Watchers meetings while pregnant (they don't allow it), so it will be me and your comments of encouragement to keep me on track.

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5-9
2. Whole grains
3. Milk - 3 servings a day
4. Healthy oil - 3 teaspoons a day
5. Protein
6. Limit sugar and alcohol
7. Water - 8+ cups
8. (Prenatal) Multivitamin

If you're pregnant, please consult your doctor before considering any weight loss program.

A whole lot more than a hill of beans!

Today, my mother in law, Jax, and I drove out to the coast for beans and quality family time. I haven't been to Phipps Country Store since my birthday in July, and we'd eaten through our supply of lovely heirloom, organic beans so it was about time to make another trip. I picked up quite a variety of lovely beans with such fun names like Buckskin, Desert Pebble, Cranberry, Adzuki, and Gigantes. And who but fellow foodies would appreciate rows of beans in their recycled glass homes? (The glass jars were a Freecycle find - four boxes full of large mason jars, perfect for storing grains and beans, free to me and kept out of the landfill. Hooray for Freecycle!)

I also cleared out their bin of organic yellow popcorn, since Mr.M has been making popcorn on the stove most nights for a snack. I'd never made popcorn outside of the microwave, which is a sad confession, and it is so much tastier from the stove! With fewer unpopped kernels and no fake chemical butter flavoring, it's a better value all around. He makes it with 2 teaspoons of Canola or Olive oil and we split a batch, so each serving has one of the healthy oils we need for the day.

We had lunch at Duarte's Tavern, a family owned business since 1894 and James Beard "American Classic" award winner. I had locally caught sole and a Mexican cabbage salad made with cabbage grown on site. The Mexican cabbage salad was the highlight of my meal, with a tangy lime and cilantro dressing, jalapeno, and olive oil. My mother in law had their famous artichoke soup, and Jax had a fit, upset about being restrained in a high chair and not allowed to eat his crayons, followed by a quarter of Grandma's soup, half a tuna fish sandwich and most of my broccoli, a piece of crusty sourdough bread, a few bites of my mashed potatoes, a pat of butter that I couldn't pry away from him, and a fork-full of the cabbage salad! I think it's more food than he's eaten in the past week, combined, and he'd had an orange and raisins to snack on in the car and half a cucumber that he snitched in Phipps (we paid for the cucumber, of course.)

We picked up a jar of the Quince-Rhubarb jelly at Duarte's, and Strawberry-Rhubarb jelly at Phipps. Since cranberries aren't grown locally, I'm putting sweet-tart jellies and pomegranate seeds on the table to quell the sweet-tart-with-turkey needs of my cranberry loving diners at Thanksgiving. As cranberries are one of the few foods that I just don't like, it's not too much of a sacrifice for me. I'll be sure to report back if the jellies and pomegranates don't pass the turkey test!

***

Mr.M and I spent Sunday at the Green Festival in San Francisco, and I had lunch at Cafe Gratitude's booth. Their menu is organic, raw, and vegan, and the meals have names like, "I am Honored," "I am Fabulous," and "I am Passionate." Ordering there was fun, and while I was skeptical that raw and vegan would be bland and boring, I was pleasantly surprised to find my meal flavorful, filling, and fun to eat! (I had "I am Honored," a nacho-esque meal of carrot-flax chips, fresh salsa and guacamole, and a salad that had grains and sunflower seeds.)

***

Our grain CSA shares should be ready this week, and I'm looking forward to trying teff for the first time. We'll also be getting more pancake mix, rye flour, and wheat flour, so I need to do more baking. Does anyone have a good rye bread or whole wheat bread recipe that doesn't call for all purpose flour?

Project Birthday Party was a rousing success!

Jax (left) and his cousin "driving" the fire engine.

If you have young children, consider the fire station as a birthday party location! We had 7 kids under 3 and their assorted grown-ups and everyone had a great time. The fire men talked to the kids briefly about not playing with fire, then one showed the kids how he could get into his uniform quickly and how to crawl on the floor in a fire. He told the kids that if there was a fire, he would come in dressed like this to help them get out, and they should go with him. The kids could touch his uniform, and he kept saying, "See, it's me outside of the uniform, and still me inside the uniform!" Some of the kids were hesitant to touch him with the mask and helmet on. They let the kids try on the uniform, too - so cute!

Then, they got to help the firemen use the hose and spray water. After that, they could climb on the fire truck, ring the bell, and "steer". There is a restored 1935 fire truck in the station and the kids were allowed to climb all over it. They each got a "junior fire captain" sticker and hat. Even the shy kids got in on the action, climbing on the truck and ringing the bell.

We had snacks and cupcakes in the station. We had about 2 hours of little kid heaven, playing on the trucks and playing with the firemen (who were amazing with the kids and grown ups), and we left before anyone hit melt down stage. All in all, a perfect toddler birthday. It would be equally fun for pre-schoolers and school aged kids, with more age appropriate educational information.

The snacks were all a big hit, too. I made 5 plates of finger sandwiches and a big bowl of melon, and all but one plate of sandwiches and a few pieces of melon were eaten. (The veggie platter was left at home, and it's just as well - there was plenty of food.) I ran out of steam when it came to cupcakes and succumbed to the Safeway bakery department. Bad locavore! I tried three local bakeries, all of which were closed Sundays, before resorting to the grocery store and their brightly-colored cupcake-cake - cupcakes all iced together to look like a cake. The kids all loved them, but I found them way too sweet. The leftover cupcakes went back to the dorm with a college student cousin, as someone else had dropped a dozen cupcakes off at the firehouse that morning and they did not want any extras!

Preparing to Party

Jax turns two tomorrow (when people say "they grow up so fast," they really mean it! It feels like he was just born!) He's been all about the fire trucks these days, calling them "Woo-woo chucks!" and playing with his wooden woo-woo chuck almost exclusively for weeks. To celebrate his birthday we're heading over to our friendly neighborhood fire station for a tour with half a dozen of his toddler buddies and their assorted adults, and I can't wait to see Jax's face when he sees the fire truck up close! They'll even pull out the fire truck so we can have snacks and cupcakes in the station.

What kind of snacks and cupcakes will be enjoyed at our little guy's party, you ask? It is a menu of tried-and-true toddler favorites in our house: finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off, carrots and celery with hummus, and melon, with chocolate-zucchini cupcakes for dessert.

Finger sandwiches that Jax has known and loved
Chicken and apples with yochee-cream cheese on raisin bread - Soul Food Farm chicken, apples from my CSA box
Carrot, raisin, and sunflower seeds with yochee-cream cheese on raisin bread
Low-fat Egg salad on rye - Soul Food Farms eggs
Smoked salmon and caper spread on rye
Cucumber and cream cheese on wheat - cucumbers from the farmer's market
Peanut butter and jelly on wheat (it is a 2 year old's birthday party, after all!) - Peach jelly from a neighbor, who canned it with peaches from her own tree

Carrot and celery sticks with hummus - hummus made from Phipps Country Store chickpeas
Melon Trio - watermelon, cantaloupe, and a mysterious yellow melon from my CSA box
Chocolate-zucchini cupcakes - I've never made this recipe before. If it comes out well, I'll post the recipe.

The entire menu is home made and organic. Just about everything in the finger sandwiches is local, with a few small exceptions like sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and cream cheese. (With all the local dairies, I'm surprised that local cream cheese isn't available!)

The cupcake ingredients are not local, other than the zucchini from a neighbor's garden and eggs from Soul Food Farm. I'm making an extra dozen cupcakes for the fire fighters; they deserve chocolatey goodness with a little healthy zucchini mixed in!

Yochee-cream cheese is a half and half mix of strained plain fat free yogurt (the yochee) and low fat cream cheese. It makes a nice low-fat substitute for mayonnaise, with the creamy texture and mild tartness of mayo but significantly lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol. I'm using the yochee-cream cheese in the egg salad, but also add about a tablespoon of real Canola mayo to a round out the flavor. The Canola mayo, made by Spectrum, has such a strong mayo flavor that a little goes a long way.

Here is one of Jax's favorite sandwiches. It's not CORE, but is very healthy, full of fiber, and is very tasty. My mom made a similar carrot-raisin combo with cream cheese when I was young, and that's another yummy combination.

Carrot, raisin, and sunflower seeds with yochee-cream cheese on raisin bread

1 c. shredded carrots - mine are from Earthbound Organics
1/3 c. raisins - mine are California Thompsons from Sigona's farmer's market
1/4 c. sunflower seeds - mine are organic from the bulk bin at Country Sun
1 t cinnamon
1 T honey
1/2 c. yochee (about 1 c. yogurt, strained overnight through a coffee filter) - mine is Wallaby
1/2 c. lowfat cream cheese - mine is not local, bought at Country Sun
raisin bread - I'm using Alvarado St. Bakery bread

Mix together everything but the bread. Spread a thin layer on the raisin bread, cut off the crusts, and enjoy. If you're not a picky toddler, you can leave the crusts on. :) This is also tasty with pineapple tidbits, but that's WAY outside local, so we're skipping those this go around!

Anniversary at Flea Street Cafe

Hello, Eat Local Challengers! My blog was featured on the Eat Local Challenge website yesterday, and I'm excited to have some new visitors reading along! Please comment if anything strikes you (I love comments!), and do come back again.

***


Three years ago yesterday, Mr.M and I were married, and to celebrate our anniversary, we went to the Flea Street Cafe for dinner. What a great restaurant! With a focus on local, seasonal, sustainable ingredients, it's the perfect choice for an Eat Local Challenger. And with delicious food and friendly service, it would be a great choice for a nice dinner whether you care about the source of your food or not.

From the top of their menu:

For twenty five years, Jesse Cool and the staff of Flea St. Cafe have been committed to using local, organic and seasonal ingredients. Our seafood is chosen with consideration of over-fishing and endangered species. We cook with meat that is raised naturally and humanely, without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics. Our free-range chicken is from Marin Sun Farms in Petaluma. We buy all of our produce and dairy products from local farms and dairies. We are committed to a healthier, more sustainable environment involving all aspects of the food we prepare for you. We honor and respect the hard-working, caring individuals who grow and produce these foods. Their efforts in the field, on ranches or on the fishing boats are transformed in our kitchen. We partner, hand-in-hand to create beautiful, delicious and nurturing food.

For an appetizer, we shared the Crab & Smoked Trout Cake with caper tartar sauce and watercress salad. We dug in before I took a picture, but believe me that it was gorgeous in addition to the wonderfully smoky fish, tart, salty caper, creamy sauce and peppery green flavors. We were also served a dish of seasonal flavors - cucumbers and an eggplant spread that even Mr.M, an eggplant avoider, enjoyed.

We shared two entrees. The first was Coleman Pasture Raised Lamb Two Ways, braised ribletts, grilled loin chop, fig chutney, and saffron wheatberries. Juicy and beautifully seasoned, the lamb chop was just perfect, and a fig and red onion sauce complimented it perfectly. The ribletts were also really tasty, but the chop won out in flavor for me.

Our second entree was Coleman Organic Slow Braised Short Ribs, red wine beet au jus, green beans with blue cheese, heirloom tomato salad, and potato salad. The meat was crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside, rich and juicy, and paired beautifully with the tomatoes and green beans.

We shared a trio of chocolates with a truffle, cake, and mousse. I was already full and just tried a small taste of each. All were delicious, but the truffle was my favorite. I'll try the meyer lemon semi froddo next time. After the rich meal, a tart and fresh dessert would have been a better finish.

All in all, we had a wonderful meal and will definitely return to Flea Street Cafe.

How I got here in the first place

I received an e-mail today from Vickie in Iowa, who is also eating local on CORE (and makes her own yogurt, butter, and cheese!) Here is an excerpt from that e-mail:

There are only a couple of other Core folks at my meeting so the flexers can get very fixated on what you can fool your body into thinking is food.....I've had it with the fat free cool whip cheers. That's not food...

I find you particularly interesting because we share something: a sincere commitment to healthy foods, and yet we're both pretty overweight. I can't get my head around that really. Sometimes I think that I'm overweight because I'm obsessed with food, (that comes from my family,) and the localvore CSA slowfood movement just helps me to channel that obsession away from cookies and into making yogurt. On the Core I still get to think about food all the time, but in a positive way; that works for me. Nonetheless, I'm still fat, and the other people in this movement around here are not. If we're who we claim to be, how can we be fat in the first place?????

So how did I get so fat? It certainly wasn't from eating locally grown, organic foods in moderate portions like I am now. Before I started to learn about agribusiness and the industrial food industry, before I understood the importance of buying local, I was the woman who ate everything. I was a chubby baby, kid, teen, and young adult, slipping into obesity somewhere around my 16th birthday and never getting back out of it. I was on Weight Watchers half a dozen times before this, starting with the Exchange program when I was 12, but it never stuck. I never had the determination. I knew what I should be eating and patently ignored it.

I used food in a lot of ways, but filling physical hunger wasn't always at the top of that list. I was not picky, and unfortunately ate fast food, junk food and processed crap far too frequently and in huge quantities. Why I am heavy is not such a surprise to me, although there is certainly more to it than this, and it is not because I ate whole foods in reasonable amounts.

It took becoming a mother to get me to wake up to what I was eating, how I was living my life, and made me step back and evaluate. I was feeding my son all organic baby foods, carefully making sure he received balanced nutrition, but I wasn't giving the same nurturing care of my own body. I realized that as his role model, it was my job to demonstrate healthy eating habits so that he doesn't grow up overweight and with the food issues I've struggled through. Also, if I didn't get healthy, I couldn't be the kind of parent I want to be. I couldn't easily chase him around the park or get on the floor to play with him, and I wouldn't be as healthy or live as long if I remained obese. I didn't want that for him, and I started to change my eating habits not for me but for him. In the process, it has become about me.

At about the same time, I read an article about the 100 mile diet in the Utne Reader while waiting for a doctor's appointment and it resonated with me. I'd never considered the source of my food before, and didn't think I could do it. It was the push I needed to do more research, and I read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, the book that changed my life and view of food 100%. If you haven't yet read it, I highly recommend it. I learned about industrial agriculture, monoculture, subsidies, and our entirely screwed up food system, and I wanted out! I went into it with no notion of how food got to my plate, and I quit eating industrial meat cold (pastured) turkey in January of this year. I wasn't watching my weight, but I was watching where food came from and started buying organic and paying attention to buying local.

In May, I rejoined Weight Watchers with a commitment I'd never before had, and with a new way of looking at my food. I'm making conscious food choices not entirely based on the calorie count, but on the quality of the food, and I've found something surprising: I don't need a huge quantity if the food is high quality. A small amount of good, real cheese is so much more satisfying than a whole package of fat free cheese product.

Another surprise to me: I've become picky! My list of things I will eat is now smaller than the things I won't for the first time in my life. (I never expected this!) This is wonderful for my health, and for the first time, I'm eating according to my values. I don't want animals to live in inhumane conditions so I can eat meat, but I don't want to give up meat. I don't want to eat genetically modified foods or chemicals dressed up as foods. I want nutritious, flavorful food that hasn't spent weeks in transit, hasn't been sprayed with toxic chemicals, and isn't leaving the environment (and people growing and harvesting it) irreparably damaged. I'm enjoying the "hunt" for new sources, the success of new recipes, and real, whole food - none of it individually packaged and frozen. So I skip industrial meat, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, genetically modified foods and artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners/preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated fats, and so in short, almost all packaged foods.

I've said the same thing as Vickie: I'm still obsessed with food. I am not sure that will ever dissipate, but it has found a new focus. Instead of constantly wondering how I'd get my next fix of sugar and deep fried (fill in the blank), I'm searching for new sources for healthy, sustainable foods. I'm excited when I find local beans and pastured chickens. The obsession may never leave me, but my life and the lives of my family members are better off for the obsession finding this direction. I am not cured of my food issues and I still struggle with fast food cravings and wanting to eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's to console myself over bad news, but I'm now making conscious choices and learning to feel the feeling instead of feeding it. That hard work is outside of the scope of this blog and I'm not getting much into it here, but it's going on behind the scenes.

My son, who will be 2 years old this month, is a great eater. He'll eat just about whatever I put in front of him and eats the same daily menu that I post here with a few modifications - more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and whole milk, for example. So far, he loves fruits and vegetables and has never had a chicken nugget. I'm striving to keep it that way.

Fresh, pastured chickens and eggs: it doesn't really matter which came first, they're both in my fridge

Today brought a new adventure in local food scouting. After the discovery on my morning walk of a neighbor's front yard zucchini garden with a "please take these zucchinis!" sign (I took one enormous zucchini) and another neighbor's offer of homemade peach jelly, made fresh from peaches grown in her yard, I headed up to Vacaville to buy certified organic, truly free range whole chickens and a dozen colorful eggs direct from Soul Foods Farm.

Chickens greeted me as I pulled into the driveway past the hand-made "Soul Foods Farm" sign and another simply stating "PEACE." I parked in front of the garden, where a few more chickens wandered loose. A slew of them were fenced into a large area behind the house, and wire baskets of multi-colored eggs were in the foyer as I was greeted by Morgan, the teenage daughter of farmer Alexis Koefoed.

I had spoken with Alexis on the phone to arrange picking the chickens up, but she hadn't arrived home when I got there and I had a pleasant conversation with her Morgan in their modern, stainless steel kitchen overlooking the chicken yard. Morgan is a vegetarian and was excited to hear that we'd bought a cow but quite startled by the fact that we had a quarter of it at home in the chest freezer (and the whole conversation was held over two bagged, plucked chickens, heads and feet included!)

When Alexis returned we talked about how good real food is and how great it is to raise kids eating it - her teenaged children still prefer oatmeal to processed cereal, so some of those whole food values really do stick - and the importance of supporting local farms. If you have the opportunity, buy from a farmer! They'll be happy to talk to you about the food that they've grown for you, it will be fresher not having spent 7-14 days in transit (the chickens were dispatched this morning), more nutritious, and you'll be supporting an actual farmer who is making a living making real food in your area, not supporting faceless corporate agribusiness. Alexis was recently interviewed for an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about pastured eggs and their recent resurgence among foodies and those who just want honest-to-goodness eggs with the dark yolks, tender whites, and flavor that warehoused chickens just don't produce.

I also visited my parents while in Vacaville and Jax (22 months) had a chance to play in the kiddie pool with his 3 year old cousin, a pool noodle, rubber ball, and a plastic watering can: a guaranteed good time for the toddler set. We had to drag them into the house, shivering and grousing, as it started to get dark. After many kisses and hugs (Jax says "moooWAH!" when he kisses) we drove the hour and a half home, chickens and eggs nestled in a cooler in the passenger seat, and Jax babbling contentedly in the backseat.

A good day was had by all, except perhaps the chickens.

Daily Menu for June 17

Today was a busy day and I didn't get a chance to check in with my menu until now, but I was on track all day, counting Points for the non-CORE foods and enjoying every bite.

I hit the Mountain View Farmer's Market first thing this morning since I didn't have much time at the Palo Alto market before our beef expedition yesterday. How fortunate that there are so many wonderful outdoor venues for fresh, local vegetables in our area! I picked up raspberries, peaches, oranges, and the first tomatoes of the season (lunch tomorrow!). I also hit up the booth with Indian food by Sukhi's for a tasty brunch for the family. Last week I bought Tomato Chutney, which was a tasty treat at 0 Points per serving. This week, a curry will be made for dinner with one of their spice mixes and fat free yogurt.

The Mountain View market is right next to the Caltrain station and as we pulled up, a train went by, spurring Jax to call out "Choo Choo!" for the duration of our visit. He's also a fan of the samples - everywhere you turn, sweet, juicy fruit is sliced up and handed out, and he was thrilled to be a taste tester for peaches, cherries, raspberries, and nectarines.

What I forgot to buy: eggs, which we've been eating more and more of lately. Between the egg curry that we've eaten once a week for the past two weeks, hard boiled eggs that Jax enjoys as snacks, and the occasional scrambled egg breakfast, we're going though a dozen early in the week, and I probably could buy more and still use them up quickly. Usually bought at the Palo Alto or Menlo Park markets, I didn't see any at Mountain View and it was too late to get to Menlo Park before they closed. I'll have to pick some up at Country Sun when I get over there for more yogurt, which I'm also going through like crazy these days in my Summer Muesli (yogurt, oatmeal, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon, and fruit), a hearty breakfast that keeps me satisfied all morning.


After the farmer's market and lunch, we headed up to my parents' house for Father's Day with my dad, M and Jax, my brother and his son, and much ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the barbecue - male bonding over beef appreciation. My parents bought some of the beef as well and we had our first taste of the steaks. My dad and M each had a Porterhouse, and the rest of us had Sirloin. We learned that the grassfed meat, without the marbling that usually accompanies its cornfed cousin, is very lean, without the usual drippy-fat flare ups, needed more time to cook and had less juice left on the platter. The end result was worth it, though; we all agreed that the meat was very flavorful.

The two little boys played in the kiddie pool for much of the afternoon, enjoying the sunshine and a family of admiring onlookers as they splashed and slid around in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Bob the Builder underpants. (Swimsuits were left at home; we made do with what was on hand!) They then wore themselves out running the loop around the hallway and dining room, chasing each other and laughing for well over an hour of loopy fun. Fun with cousins!

Overall, it has been a busy, productive, happy weekend, and I'm ready to hit the sack, hopeful that Jax will sleep in after his own long, busy, happy day!

Daily Menu

Brunch
From the Mountain View Farmer's Market:
2 papadums heated over the flame of the gas grill - these are like very thin lentil-based tortillas with cumin seeds in them, and they get bubbly and crispy over the flame - yummy! (0 Points)
Channa Masala (all CORE ingredients)
Fire roasted eggplant spread (all CORE ingredients)
leftover quinoa salad
raspberries

Dinner
Grilled Sirloin steak from Chileno Valley Ranch - very tasty!
Corn on the cob from my mom's farmer's market
Green beans and mushrooms, also from my mom's farmer's market, picked out by my 3 year old nephew who planted one in the backyard to see if it grows into a magic beanstalk like the one in the story (how cute is that?)
1/2 whole wheat roll with 1/2 t. butter (1.5 Points)
Salad with tomato, cucumber, and 1 T. regular dressing (2)
Watermelon
Mom-made Lemon Bar (3)

WPA (Weekly Points Allowance) points used today: 6.5
WPA points available: 26
Activity points today: 0
Activity points this week: 4

Daily 8 - the 8 Healthy Guidelines
1. Fruits and veggies - 5
2. Whole grains - quinoa
3. Milk - Not today
4. Healthy oil - one
5. Protein - yes
6. Limit sugar and alcohol - yes
7. Water - 8+
8. Multivitamin - yes