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The W.H.O.L.E. Gang Newsletter - header image

Hello {!firstname_fix},

It seems this newsletter does not get out on the same day each month, but it does get out. 

I'm so happy you have signed up to receive it.  I think it's great that you have an interest in food.  After all, we all need to eat.  

As I write these newsletters I wonder what is it that you really want to read about.  Some newsletters I get have lists of all of the author's blog posts that were posted last month or their travel itinerary.  While it's interesting to read and I'm glad they took the time to write, I'm a food for thought gal.  Give me something to chew on, not to droll over the travels I wish I were taking.  

So with that in mind, I am sharing lots of food for thought this month.  I hope it sparks something.  It can be agreement, disagreement, a question that makes you ponder the answer or one that you already know the answer to.  Either way, I hope it gives you a little spice to your life.

Thank you so much for taking the time to sign up and to read these newsletters.  Feel free to pass them along to anyone and I hope they will join the ride. 

Oh and sorry for the swear word.  It's just no other word really describes what I meant so perfectly.  

Have a great month!

-Diane

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Latest Blog Posts

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Stew Recipe

Menu Plan Monday - March 15, 2010

Do You Know What You're Eating?

I don't know about you, but I get really tired of so many foods being recalled because of undeclared allergens, food contamination, or foods containing prohibited materials.  Considering the crap they allow, I don't really want to read the list of prohibited materials.  

I signed up the other day for the First Lady Michelle Obama's initative, Let's Move

It's a great program and I hope it works on so many levels.  When signing up to receive updates I also had the opportunity to sign up for other updates so I included the US Department of Health and Human Services and specifically, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services.

I can't believe how many foods that we are producing in this country that have problems and are being recalled.  It seems like every day I get an update.  Here's the latest.

California Firm Recalls Assorted Meat Products Due To Mislabeling And An Undeclared Allergen  It goes on to share that undeclared item was wheat.

So it begs the question, what have we done to our food supplies?  Why do we need shows like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for people to even notice what they are eating? 

Now I realize we can't go back to the caveman days and all go out and hunt and fish for our foods and have gardens and orchards.  But isn't there a way to make a shift to a better supply of food?  Can't we have it be affordable and something everyone can live with?

What can we do individually, as a family, as a community and as a country? 

I recently read Melissa's blog post on Gluten Free For Good titled, Healthy Eating Food Stamp Challenge.

She made a meal to feed a family for less money than it cost to but that same family a meal at Jack In The Box.  Great information and I suggest you check it out. 

Here is what I think the real problem is and one trap I have fallen into also.  First, we can get ourselves so busy that we don't really pay attention to our lives, we're just trying to get through the day.  We may not even notice what we ate and when.  Was your last few meals and event, a time to nourish your bodies, a time to share with family or friends, or a drive by eating squeezed in-between two of the most important life events like a soccer practice and the late bus? 

Even when we pay attention to the foods we purchased, it's still easy to get caught up in life.  That can lead to purchasing short cuts, which can lead to eating recalled foods.

What is really important to us and are we living our lives like it is?  What excuses have we come up with to justify the way we are eating?  Is it time, money, knowledge, interest, or that elusive myth known as will power?  There has to be some reason we are doing this to ourselves. 

So as you may have noticed I have not given you any answers, just questions.  I've done this on purpose.  I'd like for you to think on this and then journal about it.  If you are a daily journal writer like me this will just be a new topic one day. 

If you don't journal, please start one.  It's the most amazing thing you can do for your life.  It's a place to contemplate things, hash them out.  It's a place to name the dreams you have and lament the hard parts.   It's a daily cleansing process that will give you so much more than you ever expect.  Nothing fancy needed, just paper and pen.  A kids spiral notebook, a pretty journal, or anything in-between. 

How do you start?  You just start writing.  My first journal started from the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  3 pages a day were required.  It said write anything so my first week went something like this:

I have to write 3 pages a day in a journal about anything.  So anything, anything, anything, anything, oh this is so stupid.  What do I have to say.  What if someone reads it.  Maybe I'll make up things and when they read it the joke will be on them.  What else could I write about.  Anything, anything, anything, oh the other day I had a conversation with.........

Your mind works in mysterious ways, let it out!

If you find out some things about yourself that are new, that's great.  If you feel like sharing them drop me an email. 

But if all you do is read this and then not think about it again, I have failed you.

30 Days to A Food Revolution!

30 Days, 30 Tips, 30 Recipes, 30 Bloggers

In case you missed the announcement I'm very excited to be launching 30 Days to a Food Revolution.   Running April 26th to June 4th, each weekday a different guest blogger will share their tip for moving away from processed and fast food and towards real food.  They will also share a recipe with you.  There are an assortment of bloggers from across the spectrum of food.  Some are not gluten free, some are vegan, some are gluten free, but all will be sharing real food.  

To check out the schedule and the list of blogs visit the dedicated page on the blog called 30 Days at the top menu bar.  Or click that handy link I just shared.

I hope you will visit the blog to see what each of them has to share during those 30 days and then also visit their blogs.  Please tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and anyone who eats, to tune in.

This was of course inspired by Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution TV show.  He has gone to Huntington, WV, where my husband grew up and two sons were born, to help them learn how to eat better to get healthy.  Watching this show has inspired me to not just sit and watch what he's doing in that town with our family and friends, but to be active in getting the message out about the food we eat.

He has started a petition to save cooking skills and improve school lunches.  Have you signed the petition yet?  When I signed there were around 30,000 names on there.  I just looked and the count is now 368,835.  Go look now and see how many people beat you to the punch, then sign it. 

I have also started a Facebook Group for everyone to join in the conversation.  I hope you will visit and join our group.  Leave a comment, a question, a recipe, or anything you find on topic.  

So in 30 days, will you have joined in and also shared the Food Revolution?

3 Grain Hot Cereal

The Gluten Free Diner CookbookServes 8-12 gluten free, dairy free

Here is a recipe from that elusive e-cookbook I keep threatening to publish.  Yes I'm still working on it but if you follow the blog, you see I'm into so many projects.  Oh, and that pesky full time job that pays the bills and allows me to blog has kept me busy.  But, I'm still plugging along.

I thought I would share this recipe from the book that is not on my website.  I love it because it cooks when I'm asleep.  It also freezes really well. 

I take a one cup ramekin, fill it up and turn it upside down on a cookie sheet.  I do that with whatever is left over the morning I first make it.  Put the cookie sheet into the freezer until the cereal is frozen.  Then toss them into a plastic bag.  All I need to do for a long time, is pull them out of the freezer, reheat in the microwave and I have instant breakfast cereal!  How cool is that?

Ingredients:

  1 cup Quinoa

  1/4 cup Amaranth

  1 cup Millet

  1/2 cup Raisins

  1 Apples

  1 Banana

  5 cup Water

  1 Vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp pure vanilla

  1 Cinnamon stick or 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

  1 TB Organic Virgin Coconut oil

  Walnuts

  Maple syrup

Directions:

3-Grain Hot CerealMix into the crockpot the grains, fruit, water, oil, cinnamon, vanilla as you are getting ready for bed.  Give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon.

Cover and set the crockpot on low. With my crockpot I can set it to cook for 6-8 hours and when it's done it automatically shifts to warm.  If yours does not do this, no problem.  Just don't sleep for 12 hours.   

When you wake up in the morning you're breakfast is served.

Serve with chopped nuts and maple syrup on top.

Note:  You can change up the fruits according to what you have on hand and what you like. I often leave out the banana.  When I have other dried fruits I add them too. 

 

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