Lentil and Cauliflower Rice Tacos

Not an original title for a post, but stay with me.  Our healthy living and eating journey has caused us to try food and food combinations we would not have in the past.  One huge change we have made in our diet is the amount of meat we eat.  We LOVE all-natural, local meat.  You name it, we eat it, but in small quantities.  We are eat real food on a budget and organic, all-natural meat stretches our budget so we substitute other protein sources for meat.  (STAY WITH ME)

The O'Tooles could live off of Mexican food...well O would need to have his Indian food fix, but you get the point.  Our family really enjoys the flavors in Mexican food, specifically lime, cheese, and cilantro.  Tacos are a weekly meal at our house.  However, we no longer eat beef or ground turkey tacos, we eat lentil tacos.  

This recipe is one I found on the internet and tweaked along the way.  My boys enjoy taco night just as much as they did when we had beef tacos, if not more.  I cannot remember the last time we had beef tacos, they are that good.  They both actually request lentil tacos now, I promise they are that good.

Plus, these tacos are economical and you probably have everything you need in your kitchen already, except lentils.  Don't be fooled by the length of the recipe, it's mostly spices.  Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Cooking Lentils

Ingredients

1 cup brown lentils

3 cups water (or 2 cups water and 1 cup broth - chicken or vegetable)

2 cloves garlic

Salt as needed

Directions

1.   Rinse and drain the lentils

2.   Place in medium saucepan with water or water/broth combination, garlic, and salt (if you like)

3.   Bring to a boil

4.   Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tender (approximately 15-20 minutes)

5.   Remove from heat (do not worry about draining the lentils)

Lentil and Cauliflower Rice Tacos

Ingredients

              1 cup brown lentils, uncooked, or 3 cups cooked lentils

              3 cups water 

              2 cloves garlic, minced

              1 large head cauliflower

              1 large onion, chopped

              4 cloves garlic, minced

              2 tablespoons mild chili powder, divided

              1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

              1 Jar (or small can) tomato paste

              1/2 teaspoon cumin

              1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

              1 teaspoon oregano

              1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne pepper (to taste)

          Cilantro (to your liking)

              Generous grating black pepper

              Salt to taste

Suggested Toppings        

Cabbage (shredded to be used as a topping on your taco)

Avocado

Lime

       Cheese (we use Queso Fresco because of the limited ingredients – REAL food – and the saltiness of the cheese goes very well with this dish)

Salsa

Directions

1. Cauliflower “rice” 

Remove the leaves and bottom stem from 1 large head of cauliflower

Grate the cauliflower using either a box grater or the food processor to create rice-sized pieces.

To use the food processor, cut the cauliflower into quarters and then cut or break each quarter into pieces. Process one quarter at a time, pulsing on and off, until grated. Be careful not to over-process. 

2. Prepare the taco mixture

Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat. We use cast iron so we rarely use oil, you may need to use olive oil or another oil of your choosing.  Please stay away from canola/vegetable oil as it is highly processed and contains GMOs

Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown.

Add the cauliflower and garlic - saute for 3-4 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder and continue cooking until the cauliflower is tender, about 4 more minutes

Add lentils, their ‘broth’, and the jar of tomato paste to the skillet.

Add the remaining chili powder and all remaining seasonings including cilantro to your liking.  We use about ½ tablespoon of cilantro.

Cook on medium until heated through and flavors are combined.

Squeeze the juice of one to two limes on the mixture (we enjoy lime immensely, you may like less lime than we do)

Add salt to taste.

*Please adjust the spices to your tastes. 

3. Build your tacos

Corn tortillas (we use Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas)

Avocado or guacamole to your liking

Lentil Taco mixture

Shredded Cabbage

Cheese (please try the Queso Fresco with this dish)

Salsa (we use homemade but look for a very simple, flavorful salsa)

Lime juice (we squeeze the juice of ½ of a lime on each taco)

Preparation time: 30 minute(s) | Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 7

This is the original recipe I adapted to fit our tastes http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/04/lentil-and-cauliflower-rice-tacos.html

ENJOY!

Cyndi

"Cleaning" the Kitchen (part 1, follow-up)

I’m letting the little guy sleep in this morning and while I wait for him to wake, I thought I would give you all a quick follow-up from my post on spices yesterday.  Sometimes it’s easier for someone to give suggestions and that is what I’m going to do in this post.  I’ll tell you what we use for our spices and you can use this information to guide you in your quest to “clean” up your kitchen.

SALT:  We do not use typical iodized salt because  “Commonly purchased iodized salts, available at super markets or sitting on the table of your favorite restaurant, have synthetic chemicals added to them. These chemicals include everything from manufactured forms of sodium solo-co-aluminate, iodide, sodium bicarbonate, fluoride, anti-caking agents, toxic amounts of potassium iodide and aluminium derivatives. It may come as a shock, but most table salt is not only unhealthy, but can sometimes be toxic.

The natural forms of important iodine is lost when we manufacture salt. Without this natural iodine, the thyroid is severely harmed, leading to growth and metabolism issues. Because of this, the chemical-based salt industry began to add synthetic forms of iodine to their products.

Other salts add things such as processed white sugar and toxic MSG (mono-sodium-glutamate). And what about the color of table salt? Salt found in the natural world is not usually white. Table salt has been colored white with bleach. And where does this salt come from? Much of it is the actual flaky residue from oil digging. That is correct. Crude oil extract is one way we produce table salt” (Global Healing Center).  We use REAL SALT I buy this at our local grocery store and Whole Foods has it in bulk.  Check it out online at http://realsalt.com/

Here is a picture for those of you who are taking my word for it and need a visual.

TACO SEASONING: We use a recipe I found online for taco seasoning.  Easy and delicious

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp	chili powder
1 tsp	smoked paprika
1 tsp	cumin
1/4 tsp	cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp	oregano
1/2 tsp	salt
1/2 tsp (15 cranks)	fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp	corn starch (optional)

All-Natural Spice Blends/Brands

Frank’s Finest LLC – I have never seen these in stores, you may need to order online.

The Spice Hunter – These can be found at various grocery stores, we use a variety of these spices.

Morton & Bassett San Francisco - These can also be found at various grocery stores.

Mrs. Dash – I’m only talking about some of their “Seasoning Blends”, not the marinades or seasoning packets.  Be careful when choosing a Mrs. Dash product because some of them indicate they have “Natural Flavor”, modified food starch, sugar, vegetable oil (GMO and highly processed), etc. 

Stay away from: Hamburger Grilling Blend, Italian Medley Seasoning Blend,

Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend, Onion & Herb Seasoning Blend, Steak Grilling Blend, Tomato Basil Garlic Seasoning Blend

Wellness Mama is a blog I follow on Facebook.  She has a post titled “14 Homemade Spice Blends”.  Here you will find recipes for Taco Seasoning, Curry Powder, Italian Seasoning, Rajin’ Cajun Seasoning, Ranch Dressing Mix, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, Fajita Seasoning, French Onion Soup Mix, Chili Seasoning, Herbs de Provence, Caribbean Jerk, Chinese 5 Spice, and Pumpkin Pie seasoning.  She buys her ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs.  Mountain Rose Herbs is a great place to buy herbs and spices in bulk, plus great customer service. 

I suggest you spend some time and money rebuilding your spice rack with more natural, healthy ingredients.  Once you have the staples on hand, you can easily whip up any mixture without added chemicals.  Plus, it is fun to experiment with flavors and adapt your mixes to fit your palate. 

I hope this helps!

Take care,

Cyndi

"Cleaning" the Kitchen (Part 1)

When my brothers and I visit our parents, we typically open the pantry door and stand there staring at all of their food.  We do this regardless of hunger, we just do it.  I haven't figured out if it is habit (all those teenage years when we were STARVING and there was NOTHING to eat) or if we are just curious.  When O and I visited my parents a few weeks ago, I found myself staring in their pantry for a completely different reason.  I wanted to see what kind of food they were eating.  You see, I care about my parents and I want them around for years to come so I care about what they eat.  I also care about what they feed O when he is visiting.  I've spoken with my mom several times about switching to whole foods and she always reminds me that they eat healthy but living in a very small town in west Texas it is difficult to find good food.  Standing in my mom's kitchen I took it upon myself to "clean" her kitchen and show her that even she can eat clean food.  I started with her spices.  

Spices?  Really?  

I started with spices because they are easy to replace and it is amazing what you will find if you just pay attention to the labels.  For example, my moms' favorite 'spice' is Season Salt (Seasoning Salt, Seasoned Salt, etc.).  I noticed she put it on some vegetables we had for lunch one day, I had not looked at the label yet, but knew I probably wouldn't like it.  Here are the ingredients found in one brand of Season Salt

Ingredients: Salt, Spices (including Chili Pepper, Black Pepper, Celery Seed, Nutmeg, and Coriander [Cilantro]), Onion, Paprika, Maltodextrin, Garlic, Silicon Dioxide (added to make free flowing) and Annatto (color).   I was good until we got to Maltodextrin.  Here is what I did and what I suggest to anyone who is learning about real food.

1. If you don’t know what an ingredient is, look it up.  It’s amazing how much information we have at our fingertips these days, you really should take advantage of technology.  Run a Google search or use Wikipedia. 

2. If you find an ingredient you prefer to keep out of your body, run another Google search to see if there are alternatives.  You may also find alternatives on Pinterest.  Usually there are homemade alternatives, but you may find another alternative that you can buy at the store. 

Let’s do this with the ingredients in Season Salt. 

1. I can’t readily tell you what MALTODEXTRIN is, so I want to look it up.  Wikipedia says maltodextrin is absorbed in the body as glucose (a simple sugar).  In the US it is typically made from corn (a GMO crop in the US).  It’s not terrible, but it is highly processed and acts like sugar when it enters the body.  Not something I am thrilled with.  What is SILICON DIOXIDE?  Well, according to Wikipedia “Silica is used primarily in the production of glass for windows, drinking glasses, beverage bottles, and many other uses. The majority of optical fibers for telecommunications are also made from silica. It is a primary raw material for many ceramics such as earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain”.  It also is a “common additive in the production of foods, where it is used primarily as a flow agent in powdered foods, or to absorb water in hygroscopic applications. It is the primary component of diatomaceous earth, which has many uses ranging from filtration to insect control. It is also the primary component of rice husk ash, which is used, for example, in filtration and cement manufacturing”.  No thank you!  I’ll say, “No” to my family eating Silicon Dioxide.   Finally, what is ANNATTO?  Annatto is a plant used as a ‘natural’ food coloring.  I choose not to eat food with annatto as an ingredient.  There has not been enough research on this ‘natural’ coloring and some resources suggest it may be a carcinogen.  

2. Find an alternative….click here for one of many homemade alternatives to packaged season salt.  I made this for my mom and she said she liked it even better.

What about Lemon Pepper?  Just thinking about it one would assume it is lemon and pepper, but here are the ingredients from McCormick’s Lemon & Pepper Seasoning.  SALT, SPICES (INCLUDING BLACK PEPPER), CITRUS ACID, ONION, SUGAR, GARLIC, CALCIUM STEARATE, CALCIUM SILICATE, AND SILICON DIOXIDE (ANTICAKING AGENTS), AND EXTRACTIVES OF LEMON AND TURMERIC.

1. Let’s look up calcium stearate.  According to Wikipedia, applications for Calcium Stearate include: Calcium stearate is used as a flow agent in powders including some foods (such as Smarties), a surface conditioner in hard candies such as Sprees, a waterproofing agent for fabrics, a lubricant in pencils and crayons.  The concrete industry uses calcium stearate for efflorescence control of cementitious products used in the production of concrete masonry units i.e. paver and block, as well as waterproofing.  In paper production, calcium stearate is used as a lubricant to provide good gloss, preventing dusting and fold cracking in paper and paperboard making. In plastics, it can act as an acid scavenger or neutralizer at concentrations up to 1000ppm, a lubricant and a release agent. It may be used in plastic colorant concentrates to improve pigment wetting. In rigid PVC, it can accelerate fusion, improve flow, and reduce die swell. Applications in the personal care and pharmaceutical industry include tablet mold release, anti-tack agent, and gelling agent. Calcium stearate is a component in some types of defoamers.  Ummm, no thank you!  Let’s look at calcium silicate.  According to Wikipedia, “Calcium silicate is commonly used as a safe alternative to asbestos for high temperature insulation materials. Industrial grade piping and equipment insulation is often fabricated from calcium silicate.   One of the most successful materials in fireproofing in Europe is calcium silicate”.  Again, no thank you! 

2. I found an alternative to McCormick’s Lemon & Pepper Seasoning.  This recipe may be a little time consuming, but it looks delicious.  Yumm…

Can you believe what is put in our spices?  Makes you wonder what else we are eating, doesn’t it?  When you are going through your spices, look at all of them.  We had to throw out chili powder, cinnamon, and other spices at my mom’s house.  She and my dad were shocked, but love the alternatives we found just the same, if not more.

Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 of “Cleaning” the Kitchen.  I’ll explore my mother’s refrigerator and pantry.  Until then, happy clean eating!  

If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Take care,

Cyndi

Smoomie

Every morning my little guy wakes up and says, "Good morning, momma.  Smoomie!"  I then hear him chant, "Smoomie, smoomie, smoomie" until his beloved smoomie is delivered.  What is a smoomie?  A smoomie is the two-year-old version of smoothie.  I'm not sure about anyone else, but at the beginning of 2013, my Facebook page went crazy with my friends talking about smoothies.  It seemed as if everyone was thinking about or starting a smoothie regime.  I can't remember when we started having smoothies, but I do know that we all love them and I love the health benefits.  I know that no matter what else Owen eats during the day, he has had some kind of raw, leafy vegetable first thing in the morning.

Our smoothies started some time ago when we began seeing our nutritionist.  She suggested smoothies consisting of coconut water, protein powder, 1 tbsp of nut butter OR a half of an avocado, a handful of berries, and a tbsp of chia seeds.   (For more on Chia Seeds, click here, "...chia seeds are “super” because, like a superfruit, they deliver the maximum amount of nutrients with minimum calories. They have several of the same benefits as the more well-known “super seed” flax, but unlike flax seed, you don’t need to grind them to reap the health benefits. The nutritional benefits of chia include fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants and much more – even protein!")  

I stopped making this smoothie because I wanted Owen and Matt to enjoy the benefits of a morning smoothie.  With three people drinking smoothies, coconut water became expensive and I could not use the protein powder recommended by our nutritionist because it was dairy based (O cannot tolerate dairy, yet).  So, I began improvising and have come up with some tasty, and not-so-tasty, smoothies.

I use water as my main base.  There are days when I use water with coconut milk or just coconut milk, but usually it's just water.  I add 1 - 1.5 cups of water per person.  For example, I typically use 3.5 cups of water for my family.  I'm not sure who gets the 1.5 cups, but this is the amount that works for us so I'm sticking with it.

My everyday ingredients:

• 3.5 cups water (or a combo of coconut milk and water to equal 3.5 cups)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp flax or hemp seeds 
• 1 handful blanched almonds 
• 1 handful of leafy green vegetable (spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, turnip greens, etc.)
• 1 scoop Green Vibrance 
• Green Vibrance is a powder that is full of vitamins and nutrients.  What are the benefits of Green Vibrance?  Click here  We buy ours at the local grocery store, health food store, or you can buy it on Amazon.com  Green Vibrance 
• frozen or fresh fruit

Most people are concerned about getting their kids or spouses to drink a smoothie with a green vegetable in it.  I don't worry about it with Owen anymore because he will drink just about any smoothie I give him.  I can't think of one he hasn't scarfed down.  However, if you are nervous about the leafy green vegetable, try spinach first.  Spinach doesn't have a strong taste so you may be able to sneak it in a drink.  Try a small amount and build up to a handful.  After a while you can move on to a different green.

If you are trying Green Vibrance, I suggest you start with a small amount and build up as well.  We can't taste either the leafy veggies or Green Vibrance in our smoothies anymore.  

I buy frozen fruit in packages at the grocery store.  If you are using berries, you may need to add something else to your smoothie because berries are not sweet enough on their own (IMHO).  Our go-to sweetener is a ripe (almost too ripe) banana.  Another option would be dates or honey.

Our favorite fruit combination, and this may be a great starter for those of you who are worried about your kids, is mango, pineapple, and some coconut (we always have fresh on hand, but use what you have or none at all).  Sometimes I add banana to this combination and it's like we are on a tropical island!  This is the sweetest combination we make.

Here are some suggestions for you:

Pineapple + Mango (approximately 8 ounces of each for three smoothies- honestly, I just pour in what I think looks good)

Pineapple + Mango + Coconut (handful or 1/2 cup - 1 cup)

Pineapple + Mango + Banana

Berries + Banana (I use about 10 ounces of berries for three smoothies)

Peaches + Banana (about 8 ounces of peaches for three smoothies)

2 fresh oranges + 2 fresh apples

3 fresh oranges + 1 banana

2 fresh oranges + Mango

2-3 fresh oranges + Coconut (handful or 1/2 cup - 1 cup)

Today I bought cranberries, I think I'll do cranberries and oranges soon!

I also make smoothies based on our mood or if there are any illnesses going around.  For example, when O had a cold, I added a half of a cinnamon stick and some fresh ginger to our smoothies.  Ginger helps support the immune system and cinnamon for it's vitamin c (yes, vitamin c) and anti-inflammatory properties.  If I were living with someone who is a diabetic, I would consider cinnamon in many of their smoothies because it may lower blood sugar.  We used the ginger and cinnamon throughout cold and flu season this year, yum!  Plus, it's an easy way to spice up your smoothies without much effort.

Smoothies are, in my opinion, a fantastic way to start your day.  Even if you have dietary set-backs, you know you started with a good base in the morning.  I think the biggest thing to remember with smoothies is to find a combination that tastes good to you and is easy.  I love Dr. Oz's smoothie recipe (below), but needed something easier in the morning.

• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/4 head of celery
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1 bunch mint
• 3 carrots
• 2 apples
• 1/4 orange
• 1/4 lime
• 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 pineapple
• Directions
• Combine all ingredients in a blender. Serve and enjoy

What are your favorite smoomie recipes?

Cyndi

Want to Participate in a Challenge that Will Change your Life?

Eat a diet of 'real food' for 30 days and see how you feel.  Most of you are probably thinking this challenge would be simple, you already eat healthy what more could you do.  I thought the same until Matt and I began our journey into eating real food.

Here is a little information on eating real food.

1. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables.  Matt and I eat more fruits and vegetables than we ever have and we love it.  I love the variety, freshness, and health benefits we get from the produce we consume.

2. Use natural sweeteners.   See my post on eliminating processed sugar for more information.

3. Snack on nuts, popcorn (organic, air popped is best in order to avoid genetically modified organisms, GMOs, and the chemicals found in microwave popcorn), dried fruit, make your own granola, or yogurt (unsweetened).

4.  When looking at ingredients on products at the store, stay away from items with more than 5 ingredients and/or ingredients that you cannot pronounce.  Okay, some of you may be fantastic decoders and can read any word you come across even if you don't know what it is.  Either way, why would you eat something if you don't know what it is?

5.  Dairy products, as long as they are unsweetened, are a part of a whole food diet.  However, don't forget to read the labels on your yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese packages.  You may be surprised to find more than five ingredients on the list.

Case in point: Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (Light):

Nonfat Mozzarella Cheese (Pasteurized Skim Milk and Milk (Trivial Source of Fat), Water, Inulin (Ingredient Not in Regular Mozzarella Cheese) [a Natural Extract of Chickory Root], Sodium Citrate (Ingredient Not in Regular Mozzarella Cheese), Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor (Ingredient Not in Regular Mozzarella Cheese),Whey (Ingredient Not in Regular Mozzarella Cheese), Milkfat (Trivial Source of Fat), Sorbic Acid as a Preservative (Ingredient Not in Regular MozzarellaCheese), Artificial Color (Ingredient Not in RegularMozzarella Cheese ), Sodium Phosphate (Ingredient Not in Regular Mozzarella Cheese), Enzymes, CheeseCulture, Vitamin A Palmitate); Potato Starch, Cellulose Powder (cellulose is wood pulp), and Calcium Sulfate Added to Prevent Caking, Natamycin (a Natural Mold Inhibitor).

Organic Valley Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: Organic Cultured Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes

6.  Meat (pork, chicken, beef, etc.)  Local, organic meat is the best option.  For a variety of reasons, financial being one of them, meat should be eaten in moderation.

7.  Seafood is also a part of a whole food diet.  Choose wild caught over farm raised for your health and the health of the fish.  Farm raised fish are fed a diet of corn and other ingredients, including antibiotics, they would not naturally eat.  These fish are often gray in color due to nutrient deficiencies and are fed pellets of food coloring to turn them pink.  Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

8. Eat healthy, whole grains  Here is a quick and dirty guide from 100 Days of Real Food

•  Whole grain corn, whole grain cornmeal, whole grain flour (a.k.a. masa harina), and popcorn = whole grain  Try to always eat organic corn and corn products. 
• All oats = whole grain
• Whole wheat = whole grain

• Corn meal, enriched corn meal, corn flour, degerminated corn, grits, and corn starch = refined
• White rice = refined (the germ and bran are removed)
• White flour, "Wheat", enriched flour - refined

Look for the Whole Grain stamp on any pre-packaged items you may buy.  

If you are interested in taking a great 100 Real Food Challenge, try the 100 Day Pledge found here, 100 Days of Real Food.  They also have a 10-Day Pledge and Weekly Pledges for those who are interested in the challenge but not sure about committing to 100 days.  The blog has great information for those who are interested in Whole Foods.  

My next posts will be about how we eat a Whole Food diet on a budget.  Stay tuned and good luck on your journey.  Your body will thank you!

  

WHY?

At work we have been talking about our "WHY" lately.  Why do we do the job we do, what is our motivation.  We were inspired to talk about this by a TED Talks hosted by Simon Sinek and The Golden Circle (see image below).

I feel like I need to tell you about my WHY, my motivation.  The main source of my motivation is O, a 2 year-old spitfire who brings joy and happiness to our family that we never thought possible.  In my journey to give him the best start to life I can, I've learned more about our environment, food, and lifestyle choices than one person should.  However, my husband, Matt, and I are completely responsible for this little life so I continue to learn and cannot erase what I've learned.  I've learned how unhealthy we, Matt and I, were even though we thought we were healthy and I vowed to change that.  Luckily, Matt is 100% supportive and has enjoyed this journey (I think).  I've also learned that if Matt and I don't have a healthy lifestyle, O may not have us around as long as he would like - thus more motivation for us to eat well, live simply, and exercise.

Throughout this adventure, Matt and I have reaped the benefits of a healthier lifestyle and mourned the loss of our favorite foods.  Many times in the grocery store I hear, "Cyndi, do not look at the label.  Please, I love my chips." Or, "I feel like we can't eat anything anymore."  While there were times in the beginning it did feel like we were losing everything, however, we have found ways to add healthier versions of our favorites back in our diet.

I realize, and have heard many times, that there will be a day when O makes decisions that go against decisions I am making for him now.  There will be a day when he eats a hot dog, pizza, or some other processed food - this I know.  However, I can control what he gets now and my hope is that I'm creating a healthy eater who prefers unprocessed food to processed food.  If that is not the case, I've given him the best start I can and will honor the choices he makes.  He will still be offered healthy, unprocessed food at home and we will talk about why we make the decisions we make.

I also want O to know where food comes from.  I want him to understand that it is a process to cultivate the food we eat and not take for granted the farmers and ranchers who grow our food.  I want him to know that vegetables and fruit come from the earth, eggs come from chickens, beef from cows, bacon from pigs, etc.  I want him to appreciate the entire process, not just the meal put in front of him three times a day.

Finally, I know that if I do this for O now, he will more than likely pass this on to his children who will pass it on to their children and so on.  I'm changing my family tree - what an amazing gift to provide.  What better motivation than that?

If you have some free time (18.30 minutes), watch this TED Talks Video with Robyn O'Brien, a local (Austin) food crusader!  If you have kids, please try to watch, it was very powerful for me.  I wish I could meet her so if you know her, set up a play date!

Finally, if you can find another 18.30 minutes, watch this TED Talks Video with Jamie Oliver.  Towards the end, watch how much sugar a child ingests in elementary school with milk alone.  Yes, added sugar in cow's milk.  WOW!

There is my WHY, what is yours?