I am a salad-eating fool...right Mikey?

I try to eat vegan, vegetarian or raw for lunches. Supper is usually the meal that we eat "cooked" and it can be vegetarian, poultry, fish, lamb or beef. We only eat beef and/or lamb about once or twice a month.

I usually get on a salad kick and eat a particular kind for a while, before I tire of it, and move on to something new. This salad is something I currently eat a couple times a week and it is really delicious...

I take a big handful or two of baby mixed lettuce and top with a big handful or two of Mann's Broccoli Slaw. This is found in the produce section near the bagged salads. It has no dressing on it...just broccoli, red cabbage and carrots finely julienned. Then, I add a handful of pumpkin seeds - either raw or tahini roasted, maybe a bit of cheese - like mozzarella, if I am in the mood, and a handful of cherry tomatoes, if I have them. Finally, I sprinkle on black sesame seeds and drizzle all with Annie's Shitake and Sesame Seed Dressing. I love the crunch - so yummy!

New juice combo

I am sitting here enjoying another fresh juice concoction...this time it is carrots, apples, ginger and pomegranate seeds...wow...my taste buds are actually tingling - in a good way! My DDs don't really care for the carrots, apples, ginger and cranberries combo I made recently. It must be the cranberries because they like the carrots, apples and ginger. DH and DS like just about everything I juice. I try to use honey crisp apples if I can find them...they taste delicious.

Another tasty juice combo

The other evening, I realized I didn't have apples to juice, so I improvised and used what we had...it ended up being delicious! I juiced pears, beets, carrots, grapes and ginger. The color was gorgeous - crimson and orange swirl. We will definitely add this to our favorites.

Juicing

I love garage sales and this past summer, I found a Jack LaLanne Juicer for $2! Absolutely one of my best finds! We love this juicer. It works perfect! Our family's favorite juice right now is carrot, apple, ginger. We try to have a big glass every evening. Even our little guy loves it. Nummy! (as we like to say)

Change is good

Our family recently moved from the Twin Cities area to the Madison area. It is so cool to be able to start over and explore a new community and meet new friends. We are really enjoying ourselves.

I should back up and tell you about our year thus far. DH took a job at a water park in the Wisconsin Dells. He loves his company and job. Who wouldn't want to work at a water park? It has been a positive change for him. The really great part was that since February, our whole family lived at the water park during the week and then home to Twin Cities for the "quick" weekends. It was "easy" to do because we homeschool our children. They continued their studies during the days, and in the evenings enjoyed life at a resort. Pretty cool, huh?

Well, it was because of this change that I am where I am right now - literally and figuratively. Our house had been on the market since June 2006, as our plan was to move closer to family, church and work in the Twin Cities. (But the Lord had other plans.) Our house finally sold last month and we moved to our new community 4 weeks ago.

OK, now don't get me wrong, it was a blessing to live at the resort for six plus months - we were together as a family - but you can only eat so much "dude food" - eating out at establishments with huge portions and burgers with fries. I only had a kitchenette in our room - bar sink, microwave, dorm fridge to work with. We brought an electric skillet and a blender from home. At times, it felt like glorified camping.

I have always loved to cook, always tried to feed my family healthy - whole, organic foods as much as possible. For the most part, I did a pretty good job while at the resort. But, I must say, unfortunately, convenience foods reigned supreme during this time. On the weekends, we couldn't wait to get home to cook a "real" meal in our "real" kitchen.

So, during our stay at the resort, I did a lot of praying and reading. I realized what I could live with and without. I learned to be innovative and creative. My thoughts about nutrition have definitely changed and have, in a sense, "come full circle." Now, I clearly see the benefit in raw, fresh, organic, whole foods. Where before I was willing to compromise, I am not so much now. It is definitely a process and I am taking baby steps. There is much to learn, but I am an eager student.

It was an eye-opening experience and I am so thankful for it. I learned a lot about God, myself and my family. I wouldn't change my experience for the world and change is good.