TASTY TUESDAY

Since February I have been on what I would deem a Food Adventure. Because an adventure is certainly what it has been.

I was not born domestically gifted. I managed to ruin quite a few boxes of Kraft Mac n' Cheese in my time. When N and I tied the knot I am afraid I almost ruined mediocre Italian for him because we made pasta with marinara sauce a lot. It was comfortable and easy- so sue me!

Vegetarian was my way of life for quite awhile, I wasn't the healthiest veg head out there (re: abundance of empty calories 'Italian" fare) but I was semi-conscious. Or so I thought. Earlier this year I finally sat myself down to watch some documentaries on our food future, I started with Food, Inc and have moved through most of what Netflix offers on the topic. In these few months I have learned a lot and it has fueled me to research on my own. My One Year Challenge is a direct product of all this research on the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the waste we make.

The number one lesson I have learned through my research is that you can never take your food at face value. If you want to eat well, live well, and be kind to yourself and the environment you will have to research and be mindful of your groceries. It is a lot of work in the beginning. I was very overwhelmed the first time I stepped into my local health food market. But it does get easier. And I am so proud to be able to say that I am saving the lives of animals everyday by choosing not to let my dollars go towards farmers who are inhumane to their livestock.

Now you might recall that though I am practicing a vegan diet, the mister is still very much a carnivore. You can still eat meat and do good! The important thing is to research and know where your dollars are going. Eat less meat and find out if it came from a farm that treats its animals kindly.

The sourcing and purchasing of food was only the first step. Since this all began I have learned and practice 'Juicing', I have cooked with more fresh produce than I ever have before, I have tried more new recipes in the past 6 months than I have in my whole life, and I actually bought spices that didn't come on my spice rack (amazing!). And I am loving it! The girl who let mac n' cheese kick her butt is loving making stirfry, cooking Quinoa, researching recipes that involve kale, and figuring out exactly what cardamon is and why does it cost $16 for a bottle?!

Tasty Tuesdays have become one of my favorite posts- and I hope they become more informative as I learn more on different foodie topics. In the future I hope to talk more about how a vegan can coexist with a carnivore, what in the heck do you substitute egg with in a recipe?! and other vegan/ health conscious kitchen dilemmas and revelations. 

Some resources and more food for thought ...
Whole Foods Blog
The Skinny Bitch Books
Know who Owns your food ... the dirt on Monsanto.  
Food Inc (film)
Vegucated (film)
Forks Over Knives (film)

And there are so many blogs out there by people trying to make us a healthier nation- I utilize sites like Tastespotting and Bloglovin' to find new foodie inspiration! If you too have had a food journey I would love to hear! ♥