An Eye Opener

Hi friends!

I had a change of plans tonight– my pup wasn’t feeling so hot, so I stayed home with her to make sure she was okay. My dog tends to get into some random things (trash, bits of food while walking outside, etc.) so it’s not too unusual for her to get sick and recover quickly, but I always like to be on the safe side and stay home with her when I can. She’s my fur baby!!

We decided to cuddle up on the couch, and watch a movie I rented from Netflix:

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Food, Inc. After watching Michael Pollan on Oprah the other week, I really wanted to see this movie. I was a bit nervous, too, because I dread seeing any sort of scene from a slaughter house! I wasn’t sure how bad it would be! Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad. Only a couple parts really made me cringe.

That being said, I am SO glad I saw this movie! I think everyone in America should watch it! It is SUCH an eye-opener to the food system in our country. I’m appalled!

But I’m also motivated to do my part!

As frustrating as the movie can be, showing how HUGE companies are bullying the food system (all the way up to a legislative level!)– there was a ray of hope. We, as consumers, can vote with our dollars for the types of food and products that we want. If we want organic produce, we need to buy organic produce when we can. If we want less corn-fed beef, we need to stop buying corn-fed beef. If we want more local, seasonal produce carried in our stores, we need to buy more local, seasonal produce!

I, for one, am guilty of not buying seasonally. I walk into the grocery store, and naively pick whatever looks appealing to me at the time– not even thinking of how it got into the store! How many miles did that piece of produce travel to get here? Was it ripened naturally, or with chemicals? Is it a genetically modified crop?

Eyes. Opened.

With my newly acquired knowledge, I’m going to make a point of buying seasonally, and locally, whenever possible. I found this great website, Sustainable Choices, where you can pick your state, and the time of the year, and it will tell you exactly what produce is available in your area!

You can also use Local Harvest to find organic food that is grown closest to you, including farmer’s markets, family farms and CSA subscriptions. I discovered the L.O.V.E. Delivery program near me, where I can get local fruits and veggies delivered right to my door! Pretty cool, huh?

Since winter squash season is almost over here, I better use up all the sweet potatoes and squash in my house! I made a very tasty dinner tonight, using all organic veggies:

A simpler starter salad, filled with mixed greens, red bell pepper, and my new favorite dressing.

Followed by:

A heaping portion of steamed broccoli, and sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil, garlic, onion powder and Himalayan salt. This was my first time using coconut oil to roast potatoes, but it most certainly won’t be the last! In fact, coconut oil is officially my new cooking oil of choice!

According to Natalia Rose, coconut oil and real butter should be your fats of choice for cooking– they don’t mutate and become carcinogenic like other oils can!  Plus, my house smelled amazing while my potatoes were roasting tonight! (But I couldn’t taste the coconut at all!) It’s a win win!

Alright, I’m off to bed! Hope you all feel inspired to watch Food, Inc. and take a better look at where your food is coming from! I know I will be!!

Related posts:

1. Food Revolution
2. A 'Fantastic' Wednesday
3. Pumpkin Oat Bran