You really want to hear about me?  I’m not particularly exciting.  45 (and counting) year old, mother of two, wife of one, self-proclaimed food-nazi.

I am dedicating this entire blog to my brother, Wayne, whom I lost in January of 2017.  It was his loss that sent me into a spiral of some serious food research.  I had to occupy my mind and my hands.  I absorbed the old ways.  They keep me calm.  And feed my family.  It’s a win-win.

I’ve been doing “healthier” eating for nearly 20 years (which really just means I cook with real food and avoid processed crap).  It all started when my son was an infant, and then my daughter.  Beginning with organic milk way back when RBGh was a big thing going on in cows and I wanted no part of it for my kids.  And then there was the discovery that even small amounts of artificial sweeteners would trigger a migraine in me… which led to a significant amount of research on that subject, thus banning all such items from our diets.  Through the progression, fast food and processed food were eliminated.  More organic items were introduced (by that I mean whole foods:  fruits, veggies, meats & cheeses).  Organic processed foods are still nutrient deficient and over processed so does “organic” really mean anything there except that maybe the high estrogen soy products used in said processed foods are not GMO and haven’t been drenched in glyphosate?  That the added sugars are organically grown, but that organic sugar is going to wreak the same damage on your systems as conventional sugar?  I’ll pass.

Through my evolutionary process, my kitchen went from the standard American diet (SAD) looking place, to raw milk, locally grown and processed pastured animal products including beef, pork, chicken, and eggs; the smell of my own stock occasionally simmering down some bones for days at a whack, and a plethora of fresh produce.  Local, chemical free when it’s in season, but mostly organic grocery store buys when it’s not.  Particularly the “dirty dozen” of heavily sprayed or GMO crops.  Those not in the dirty dozen, I’m willing to buy conventional.

After getting exceptionally sick in the spring of 2014, I spent a couple years steadfastly Paleo.  I actually started it on my own and only found out later that there was a name for the way I was eating.  But my pancreas decided it had had enough and kind of pooped out on me.  Scary times.  However, removing all grains, dairy, and sugar from my diet turned everything right around.  It was only when I got down to a size 0/2 unintentionally that I started adding a carb or two back in.  And raw milk.  And butter.  I don’t seem to have a reaction to dairy products so I’m in more of the Primal diet category these days, though I will also eat rice on occasion… and of course my own sourdough creations.  In moderation.  Really fond of potatoes too.  But again, in moderation.  Mostly, I just do my best to baby my pancreas and create as few insulin spikes as possible.  And before you ask, yes, I’ve heard ALL of the pancreas songs.  Friends and family just *love* to send them to me 😀  So I’m at a comfortable size 2/4 these days which gives me enough extra padding at my age to weather through any illness should that day ever come, but still allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin.   Although, I’ve found that with a lack of sugar comes a lack of illness…

So, anyway, I’ve kind of got a mouth like a sailor.  If language offends you, this may not be the blog for you.  Even my cooking instructions are basically just a random stream of consciousness and that’s exactly how I would speak to you out loud.  I found while trying to do my first post that I’m just going to have to be me and not censor myself because it didn’t work out so well the other way.  Sounded all cardboardy.  I don’t do cardboardy.  But I have been cooking for 40 years (first thing I ever made on the stovetop was a can of Campbell’s tomato soup), have many of my own recipes, some occasionally interesting techniques, even owned a restaurant with my hubby for a while.  I also have a no-nonsense way in the kitchen.  Food is life and it should be made with love, but not made to seem so mystical that it’s intimidating.  Humans have been cooking and eating since the dawn of existence… which means all of us plebes should be able to accomplish the most basic of things:  the ability to feed ourselves, and feed ourselves WELL.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me or leave a comment post.  I can’t guarantee that I’ll answer back because most days I just really don’t care, but if it’s a question I will do my best to make sure you get the best answer I have.  May not be the right one, and may not be the one you want to hear, but it will still be an answer 🙂

Happy reading, happy eating!!

Erin