Poke Bros | Columbia, SC | Fresh Fish NOT-Hawaiian Style

Imagine a girl from Hawai'i (ME) in South Carolina. I'm craving yummy raw fish. (In Hawai'i we call it poke - pronounced po-kay). I'm walking up to the theatre to go watch a movie and to the right of the entrance is a restaurant called Poke Bros. "Fresh Fish Hawaiian Style". Of course, I'm going in there! Of course I want a taste of home whenever possible.

I made a rookie mistake and did not grab a menu pamphlet when it was offered to me. It would have been nice to look at it now that I'm out of the store and ready to "review" the menu. Also it would have been nice to take a closer look at how they're marketing this "Fresh Fish Hawaiian Style". I am positive that whatever was on their pamphlet can be found on their website. Which, by the way, is well developed and to my surprise there are four restaurants that are already open here in South Carolina. Two stores that are within thirty minutes of me. And they are opening five more locations in this state. I didn't know that the interest in raw fish was so high here in South Carolina to warrant a total of nine stores in this state. Wow!

In my opinion, this operation is a very cookie-cutter, assembly-line style restaurant that was conceived for the sole purpose of franchising. On the one hand, it's a great business model for the owner but on the other hand, the food suffers because there's just NO SOUL in this food. I suppose that sums up my review for Poke Bros - the bowl I ordered had NO SOUL in it. I have to compare it with the fish counters at home.

My #1 Favorite Poke spot in Hawai'i: FRESH CATCH | Kaneohe, O'ahu.

What you find at Fresh Catch that you will not find at Poke Bros are variations of poke from all types of ocean animals. I say animals because fish is not the only thing that is served poke-style in Hawai'i.

There's tako poke. Tako is the Japanese word for octopus. The Hawaiian word for octopus is he'e, pronounced "hay-a". Octopus can be caught fairly close to shore in Hawai'i. As a teenager I often went with my father on his diving expeditions. When he didn't need to go quickly, he would allow me to swim along. We would stay in the water for hours. The only reason we would return to shore was because we were thirsty and hungry. I remember one specific time being out in the water for eight hours straight. Me and my dad! When he was out diving, his main search was for octopus and it was usually for someone's luau. I remember my father coming out of the ocean with loads of octopus still writing along his t-bar. He would tenderize it by beating it and pounding it in the sink or in a pot. Then he would hang it to dry in the sun. The he'e would turn a deep purple and white. Though there are some recipes for raw he'e, most times it is served after being dried or smoked and tossed with a poke sauce and green onions.

There are two types of tuna that are most commonly served poke style. Aku, pronounced "ah-koo," is a skipjack tuna and was my most favorite fish when I was a child. I especially liked it dried. It is sort of like jerky. The high blood content is probably why I like the flavor so much. After it is caught, the blood rushes into the flesh and will turn black quickly. For most people that is not appetizing but me, I love it! The other tuna is the yellowfin tuna or better known as ahi.

There's scallop poke - the scallop is cooked and tossed with a poke sauce.

There's mussel poke - also cooked before tossing with a poke sauce.

There's crab poke - raw and cooked variations.

I feel like I'm rambling like on Forrest Gump when he talks about all the different ways of cooking shrimp. Because there's opihi poke, smoked meat poke, pipikaula poke. Seriously, the list can get extensive.

The Hawaiian yellowtail or amberjack, known by it's Japanese name in Hawai'i -hamachi- is another great fish to use in raw preparations. The fat content is high in this particular fish, which makes it melt like butter when you eat it. So delicious!

All poke preparations in Hawai'i boast a variety of ingredients:
Seaweed - Hawaiian word is limu
Hawaiian salt - typically red alaea, unrefined sea salt
Furikake
Green Onion
Sweet Onion
Round Onion
Ginger
Cilantro
Chili pepper flakes
Mayonnaise (Best Foods or Kewpie)
Sriracha
Tobiko and/or Masago - fish roe
Fried Garlic - my fave
Inamona - dried and preserved kukui nut (another fave)
Shoyu - everyone has their favorite brand, mine is a toss up between Kikkoman and Aloha Shoyu
Oyster Sauce
Sesame Oil
Wasabi
The list of ingredients could go on and on.

Considering all of those ingredients and the variety of seafood at a typical poke counter in Hawai'i, Poke Bros is not a place I would consider a leader in "Fresh Fish Hawaiian Style." Sorry - it just isn't! I am almost offended that they even reference Hawai'i in their advertisements. It is what it is - clever marketing, exploiting Hawai'i's unique flavors.

NeenaLoveCooks: Beef Stew In 90 Minutes or Less

I was at work utterly bored with building a database. As I looked out onto the beautiful view from my office, I couldn't help but notice the thick rain clouds that had gathered. Within minutes, the rain began to fall and I was immediately craving a nice hot bowl of beef stew and rice. Beef stew is definitely one of my comfort foods. My father makes really good stew and my mom did too. I carry the tradition on with my own cooking skills.

I don't normally follow a recipe. I "eyeball" everything and then taste my food often while I'm cooking. For the sake of this post here is a list of the ingredients I used:
-2.85 Pound Boneless Chuck Roast
-Water or Stock
-2 Pounds of Potatoes
-1 Pound of Carrots
-6 Celery Stalks
-1 Large Round Onion
-5 Cloves of Garlic
-6 Stems of Fresh Thyme
-1 small can of tomato paste
-2 TBSP All-Purpose Flour
-1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
-Salt and Pepper to taste

The great thing about stew is that you can mix up the quantity of the ingredients. Use what you have on hand. If you only have 1 pound of meat, adjust the other ingredients to your taste. I don't really like carrots so when I make stew for just me, I omit the carrots and increase the potatoes. I also LOVE garlic so I will use an entire head of the stuff instead of five cloves.

In the video, I go over the instructions on how I make beef stew. This is meant to be a quick stew. Normally, when I make stew it is an all day process. I cut everything in large chunks. In this recipe,  however, everything is cubed into smaller pieces so that it will cook quickly. This stew will be done in less than 90 minutes.

PREP:
-Cut beef into roughly 1/2 to 3/4" cubes and dust with 2 TBSP of flour and salt and pepper
-Peel and slice onions
-Peel and slice garlic
-Clean and slice celery into 1/2" slices, diagonal
-Clean and chop carrots into 1/4" slices, diagonal
-Clean and cut potatoes into the size of half a golf ball

COOK:
-Heat up a large pot with one tablespoon of vegetable oil
-Brown beef
-Add garlic and onions
-The juices from the beef, garlic, and onion should be thick. Add either stock or water to cover the meat.
-Let cook on med-high to high for 45 minutes.
-Add celery and carrots and cook on medium for 15 minutes.
-Add potatoes and cook on medium for 15 minutes.
-Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

And that's it -- you're done. You can do variations by adding ingredients that you like. For instance, I usually add a couple of jalapenos. That is always yummy but I know that the people I'm dining with this evening do not like a lot of spice. You can add green chile, which is another one of my favorite flavor profiles. It's really up to you. I have seen people add green beans. I have seen clams in the mix also. There is nothing you can do that would be wrong. Eat Up!

Restaurant Review: HY'S STEAK HOUSE | Waikiki, O'ahu

KNEE-JERK-REACTION: Ummm... we should have gone to our favorite Steak House -- RUTH'S CHRIS @Restaurant Row.

Husband and I have a few things to celebrate so we decided to do it at Hy's Steak House in Waikiki last night. We celebrate my successfully passing the SAP Certification Exam. Second, husband got a new job. Yayy for celebrating great achievements!

LOCATION: Hy's is housed on the first floor of a condominium on Kuhio Ave in Waikiki. It is not the most convenient place to get to. A simple google search will get you there without a problem. Let the GPS guide you.

PARKING: Free valet --  nice touch!

DRESS CODE: Men are required to wear collared shirts. Based on the other women that were in the dining room, we aren't required to wear anything special. I saw women there with khaki capri pants and tshirts. **shrugs** Why did I go through the trouble of dressing up when, apparently, women can wear whatever they want?

RESERVATIONS: Yes! We did it online, through the Hy's website, "powered by OpenTable".

AMBIANCE: Dark. I felt like I was in an old white man's cigar room. The walls are beautifully finished wood and shelves filled with old books. There are paintings of white men with long white hair. Personally, I did not care for the art work on the wall. It would have been sufficient to feature the wood finishes and the shelving and books. The noise level was nice. It could be because we were seated, as requested, in a corner booth.

SERVICE: The staff were attentive but not friendly. Contrived? Yes! They were all trying a little too hard. Some of them felt..... rehearsed like they say the same thing to the guests over and over. And every dish you select is their favorite. **rolling my eyes** We interacted with five different servers throughout the evening.

Stewart took our drink order, delivered on the waters then took our order for the rest of the evening. The timing between delivery of appetizer to delivery of the entree was about thirty minutes. I am disappointed with that. What was even crazier is that not one server had come to tell us how long it would be or if we would like to order a drink. We just sat there until the entree was served.

FOOD: For appetizer, I ordered the Duck Foie Gras with Poached Figs and Brioche. This dish was one of two reasons we went with Hy's instead of going to my favorite place - Ruth's Chris. The one thing that came out of this one and only visit to Hy's is my new obsession with Foie Gras. It is, by far, the most delicious thing I have tasted in a very, very long time. If I do ever go back to Hy's, it will be for the Foie Gras. Even though it was an extremely tiny serving, it was very delicious.

Duck Foie Gras

Husbands appetizer was the Lobster Bisque. They only prepare this for the weekend crowd so of course we had to try it. It was tasty. I wish they had served it with crackers or toast. It needed some crunch for texture. A slice of toasted baguette would have been really nice to go with it.

I ordered Beef Wellington for my entree. I ordered it medium-rare. It came well done. There was not an ounce of pink. :-( I was supremely disappointed by this but did not want to make a fuss cause I was darn hungry. Ugghhh!!! This dish lacked seasoning! I should have ordered horse radish cream to go with it because it was so bland. Even the buttery crust did not add much flavor.

Beef Wellington

Husband had the 32oz Bone-In Ribeye. His, oddly, was medium-rare and he ordered his medium-well. Husband also did not make a fuss because he was darn hungry! Sad to say, the steak was not seasoned very well. We were all kinds of disappointed. We didn't even bother to look at the dessert menu.

Bone-In Ribeye

SUMMARY REVIEW: I would skip Hy's. The service is not exceptional. The food even less than that. What I liked most about my trip there was the foie gras and the valet parking and that's it.

Alabama: Visiting Camden

**Map Photo Credit**

Husband and I rode along with the in-laws to Camden, Alabama. It was a three and a half to four hour drive. I slept the entire way. If I had thought about it, I would have taken a pillow because when I arrived in Camden I had all kinds of kinks in my neck. Anyway, Camden is a little town southwest of Selma. History enthusiasts might recognize the town of Selma because it is the location where Martin Luther King, Jr. organized thousands of non-violent demonstrators to march on Montgomery back in the 60's. That is some serious history in this part of Alabama.

This is my second time visiting Camden. We are talking backwoods - deep - South - hear - the - whispers - of - slaves - from - centuries - past - Alabama. I am amazed at how isolated it  is. I know that seems strange coming from me being that I live in Hawai'i, which IS thee most isolated place on the planet. Thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean separates Hawai'i from all other land masses. Camden is another story. There is land everywhere. Poverty too. The last time I was there was back in 2009. Honestly, not a thing has changed. The Piggly Wiggly reminds me of the small IGA(Independent Grocery Association) grocery store that was in the town I grew up in.

My father-in-law's connection to his family reminds me of how my mother was. While we were in town, we visited with his mother whom we call Madea. She is very sickly and she suffers from dementia. She goes in and out of coherence. When we first arrived, she didn't recognize any of us. We hung out at the house for a little while. Madea's faithful pup, Lil Bit, was there to entertain us.

After a while we went out to get something to eat at a place called Dallas Soul Food. According to google, it's located on Claiborne Street. The left plate pictured is mine. Starting with the bottom left - smothered pork chops, potato salad, black eye peas on rice. The potato salad was a bit much. I tend to like a plain potato salad. This one had too much additions from sugar to sweet relish and pimentos (I'm guessing). I feel like I can make most of what I ate on that plate better but I was hungry and I devoured it all. I had a side of greens to go with it also. The plate on the right is husbands. He had ribs, yams, black eye peas and greens. Heaps of southern hospitality by the girl who served us.

After a late lunch, we headed to my father-in-law's uncle's house. He had broken his hip and was not recovering well. How my F-I-L attends to his family reminds me of how my mother used to do the same. No matter where we were, she always made it a point to see family. I think I should be more like that and return to the ways in which my mother taught me. Anyway, Uncle Charlie's wife is just the cutest lady. Her home is heated by a wood-burning furnace located in the living room. As soon as you open the door, the smell of the smoke hits you. It was a very humble home. I can't recall her name right now but I know it will come to me. Her dedication and love for her husband was very endearing.

When we returned to Madea's house she was wide awake and ready to talk. As soon as we walked in the door, she started hollering at us. We went to her room and chit chatted with her. She knew all of us including me. I love-love-love how she tells everyone, "You look fine. Big, fat and fine." It just rolls off her tongue. Madea has a booming voice that fills the room. She has beautiful skin and she has to be in her 80's, maybe even 90's. No wrinkles. Dark, flawless skin. They say she may not live long but she's been hanging on for a quite some time now. I'm just glad we were able to visit with my extended family. Who knows when I will find myself in Alabama again?

This visit was just for the day but this small post skims the surface of my experience there. I really could go on and on about the different people and events that happened this day. Please enjoy my pictures from Camden, Alabama (with my watermark on it). Click on the picture to see a larger pic.

This is the Courthouse/Library/Tax Collector all housed in one building. I love that. Their building serves all of Camden, maybe even all of Wilcox County.

 

Husband says this sign has been up since he lived there. I had to capture it. I wish I could see pictures of my grandmother's home. When she passed, her will directed the attorneys to sell the home and the profits be split equally between her children. This was one of the driving stories behind my desire to snap some pics

 A rear view of Madea's home.

Restaurant Review: Kiss My Grits

LOCATION:
1035 University Ave
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 348-0626

Cozy and quaint restaurant;

Open seating - we sat at a Luau table outside of the building; the server came and asked us to move because a family wanted to sit there. That was NOT cool. If it was open seating then we should be able to sit where we want to. If not, then the server should seat us where they want us to sit before we get cozy.

AMBIENCE: casual. rustic. cozy.

SERVICE: **shrugs** Average service. Not something to write home about but they weren't rude.

FOOD:
Hubby ordered the chicken and waffles with two sides: Macaroni and Cheese & Collard Greens. He said the chicken had no flavor. The waffle was the best thing he ate on our visit there. The macaroni and cheese was really delicious on top. It was topped with slivers of fried chicken skin and some bacon. The greens must have been prepared in a health conscious way because there was no flavor. It is not authentic southern where the greens are prepared with ham hock or some kind of fat flavor.

I ordered the pork barbecue (pulled pork) with three sides: black eye peas, hush puppies, and cheesy grits. I also ordered macaroni and cheese and a biscuit. I wanted a sampling of everything because I was really craving Southern food and Barbecue. The biscuit was large and on the dry side. The apple butter that it came with was really good. I probably would have liked the biscuit to be warm so that when I put the butter on it, it melts.

The cheesy grits did not have any butter in it -- that's something I really enjoy about eating grits in the south is the butter and cheese. Southern food is about rich, full-fat flavors. I don't eat that way everyday but when I do want to indulge, Southern food is normally what I like. The grits was disappointing. Very under seasoned.

The macaroni and cheese was greasy and under seasoned. The macaroni was dry and not cheesy enough.

The black eye peas were decent but lacked fat flavor from ham hock or salt pork. It was missing that smoky flavor.

The hush puppies were perfect. It wasn't greasy and the batter was very delicious.

The pork was alright. I would have loved to have the ribs but they didn't have any. I would have also loved to eat some sausage but that wasn't on the menu. The two sauces that came with the pork left much to be desired.

The excellent thing about the food is the way they present it. It is really pretty on the plate! Overall though, the food was very under seasoned! The fried chicken was not fried to order. That sucks! Almost everything on the menu can be prepped and simmering on the stove so I don't know why they wouldn't drop the chicken into the fryer as needed.

PARKING: This is on University Ave @ Pucks Alley. Limited parking but the upside is that the restaurant validates - free for an hour. If you're going to linger longer, make sure you have money to pay for parking.

I don't know if I'll go back to this restaurant.

I Heart Gardening

Over the years, I have dipped and dabbed in gardening. There is something so satisfying about eating from my own garden. Kale Chips have become a regular appetizer at dinner time. Roasted Eggplant is also a regular.

One thing that always seems to get me down is pest control. I get so frustrated sometimes with the different pests to deal with. The challenge comes when trying to remain chemical free in the garden. Growing organic is always the goal. We have tons and tons of banana bunches. The soil is so rich and the water so abundant. I am so grateful for this beautiful earth and for this beautiful place that I live.

The herbs in my garden are also so abundant. Basil, Cilantro, Rosemary, Scallions, Garlic... so healthy and so fresh.

I also have marigolds in the garden because of it's orange and gold beauty but more because it chases the pests away.

Gardening and eating from the garden is so satisfying. It's important for children to get in touch with the earth and know that food comes from the earth and not from the grocery store.

The two flowery blooms is pak choy -- part of the cabbage family. This has to be my favorite cabbage. It has a mustard flavor and I usually put it in a soup or stir fry it. Delicious. Right beneath that is arugula -- this usually shows up in salads. It never disappoints!

This is my bed of manoa lettuce. It is very delicate but so delicious. Handle with care when harvesting this!

I harvested some swiss chard (left) and manoa lettuce (right) for dinner. I wash it very thoroughly as both delicious leaves are visited frequently by creepy critters - snails, slugs, lizards, etc.

Migraine Musings

My week started with the most horrendous migraine. I have had migraines since I was a little girl. I'm 36 now and am just beginning to understand what triggers my migraines: FOOD! Here's a list of the foods I suspect are causing my migraines:

Wheat -- anything that is made with wheat, from bread to pasta. White or wheat... it all makes my gut unhappy and my head even worse. So I am thinking that I am super sensitive to GLUTEN.

GLUTEN-sensitivity is only now emerging, in recent years, as a common diagnosis. My grandmother used to prepare gluten all the time as a protein replacement in some of her meals (even though there's no protein in it). Her religion called for vegetarianism. I was never very fond of the gluten and now that I know I am sensitive to it, I have dropped the consumption of it.

MEAT - particularly BEEF. Beef causes a serious migraine for me but it is also my favorite protein. In terms of taste, Beef is IT for me. Short Ribs (my favorite cut), Chuck Roast, Spencer Steak, Corned Beef, Rib Steak, London Broil... I could go on and on. Why would such flavor be such a menace to my brain? **sigh**

QUINOA - I just started putting this on the menu at home. The couple of times I ate it at Down To Earth, I remember getting a terrible migraine after consuming it but did not make the connection until I started preparing it at home. I was going to make this grain a regular part of my diet but I quickly learned that this grain is soooo not for me!

Anyway, many of the ailments we all have can be linked back to food. So, I suggest that maybe you start keeping a food journal and take particular note of how your body feels during and after consumption. My migraines feels like my brain wants to explode out of my skull. I feel like if I stuck a needle in my eye it would relieve the pressure. I get nauseous and completely sensitive to light and sounds. Having a migraine is just not a good place to be. If I can prevent it, I will do so at all costs!

Staying Motivated to Lose....

A couple of posts ago I reported that I was sick of being large and totally ready to let go of this excess weight FOREVER. Well, I'm super serious. This picture is one of my motivations. I just posted it on Facebook as my profile picture also for the same reasons I'm posting it here -- motivation! This was me at my goal weight. The picture was taken back in 2004 right before the first wedding anniversary. **sigh**

Here I am 7 and a half years from that picture, about 50 pounds heavier, and just realllllly ready to let go of the weight -- fo realz!!!

Some of the observations I make as I look at this picture is that I actually have a neck in it. LOL. My face is well defined. Lipstick--flawless. **big frown face** because AVON discontinued that particular lip gloss. The color was TEDDY BEAR. In fact, I still carry that same lip gloss from that era just hoping that I will run into a matching shade. I've gone to Sephora, Mac Makeup, Bobbi Brown to try and match and have just run out of ideas on where to get it. I should have bought a dozen of that lip gloss. **sigh** I also see a hoop earring peeking out from behind my hair. I have not worn hoop earrings since that era. I've been doing dangly earrings.

I've employed several different approaches to my weight loss journey.

#1 : LOSE IT!
This has got to be my favorite tool. It is the Lose It! website with companion LoseIt! App on Android and Mac. There's a bunch of us using it. It logs exercise and food intake/calories consumed. It tracks your weight, gives you an amount of calories you can take in and tells you what your balance is on. For instance, today, based on what I ate and how much activity I was involved I had 500 calories left on the day. That is amazing to me! I had a super difficult time a couple years ago trying to calculate "points" on Weight Watchers. This app makes it super duper simple. I find myself strategically estimating what I'm going to eat for the next meal or snack. I just love it! It also tracks your weight. I just started this and it's at the tail end of my period so all the bloating and water weight is gone. So since my starting weight of 265, I'm down 6 pounds. I'm so encouraged!

#2 : MEDITATION
Most people are unconvinced that meditation is a useful tool but it is PRICELESS. I use Kelly Howell's guided meditations found on her website BrainSync. Things that I experienced as a child that I thought were long gone emotions are actually preventing me from progressing because I've held onto it for so long. Emotions like fear, helplessness, shame, etc. are explored in depth. It can get pretty intense but the exercises are PRICELESS and very "free-ing". I use several of her meditations. This time I have actually listened to the weight-loss one several times in month.

#3 : PLAIN OLD EXERCISE
I have changed up my exercise regime to include so many different types of calorie-burns. I have acquired BIGGEST LOSER YOGA. A friend of mine has the zumba dvd's, Biggest Loser dvd's, Jillian Michaels Ripped in thirty days. The family has just been mixing it up.

To each his own. I need to stay motivated so that I can increase the quality of life as I age. My father is turning 70 this year. He still looks sooooo YOUNG. Not a wrinkle on his face. His hair just turning gray here and there. He is as healthy as an ox. Anyway -- I want that for me! It starts with taking off this excess weight.

Beef Hangover and Other Ramblings

I ate a hamburger yesterday. Today I'm paying for it! Trust me, this just does not look appetizing to me. Yuck!!

I have found that I have an allergy to beef (as well as gluten). Can you believe that? Beef happens to be one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. I read Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type a couple of years ago. As soon as I read it, I went veggie for a whole year. Well, semi-veggie. Apparently A+ people should follow a plant-based diet but I had to reintroduce chicken and fish after a couple months because I felt so weak.

Since the New Year, I've been juicing regularly. My father has suffered from leg cramps for quite some time and he was interested in juicing as well. Husband is DOWN for whatever I put in front of him. I drink about 16 oz of juice prior to a meal or as a meal replacement. In the mornings I usually have fresh juice (celery, carrots, apples, ginger, peppers), 2 bananas, and at least a cup and a half of raw nuts.

Lunch consists of maybe brown rice and tomato chutney. I love that meal. It is always so satisfying and so delicious. I can put together a really good tomato chutney in about 30 minutes. It is one of my faves.

Dinner is usually a protein and a veggie, if I can help it. Usually I splurge on any cravings during dinner. The other night I made spaghetti. Anybody who knows me knows that I prefer my homemade sauce over any canned prego or ragu or del monte sauce. It takes a good 3 hours to make the sauce. 1 hour of prep time and 2 hours of simmer time. It's better if you simmer longer but who has time? Next time I'll start it in the morning and crock pot it all day. The sauce can be used for lasagna and any other dish requiring a red sauce. So dinner is usually my splurge.

To take care of my beef hangover this morning, I am reduced to taking migraine medication, a cup of stiff, hot coffee, and a healthy 30 minutes of YOGA. If there's anything that I love for fitness, it's yoga. Since I'm such a novice at yoga I'm super grateful for my favorite dvd, Biggest Loser Yoga. Bob makes it simple. (Thanks Bob!!) His instructions and demonstrations are clear and so helpful. As much as I love high intensity things like Insanity, I really prefer the slow and methodical moves of yoga. It's challenging but so relaxing.

I'm feeling better. The pain killers are kicking in due to my combo of meds, coffee, and yoga. I can't say which is the most effective remedy. All I know is I'm feeling better and am recommitting to staying away from that red flesh.

* * * * * * * * * *
Photo Credit
Biggest Loser Photo Credit

Little Treats: El Rancho Flaxseed Tortilla Chips

Oh the joy that comes from LITTLE TREATS. This is my new favorite healthy chip alternative. I found it at Tamura's. If you're counting calories -- this might not be the chip for you because 8 chips=139 calories. The upside is that 8 chips=500mg of Omega-3's. The taste and crunch of the chip is perfect! Happy eating!

Seattle In Review

Husband and I went to Seattle last weekend. We spent just a day in Seattle but visited enough places to generate a review.

Directly from the airport, husband and I headed over to Pikes Market. I posted the pics in a previous post. I got some really good shots. I wish it weren't so cold. I would have really enjoyed it more. The market is open air and unheated. Brrrr.... that morning we arrived it was in the low 30's.

The treasure find of our visit to Pikes Market was Left Bank Books. Bookstores always attract me especially the tiny ones. They have the best book selection for people like myself and my husband. Several of the books that I have on my Amazon.com wish list were in the store and since they were running a sale, I bought a couple of them. From what we were able to gather, the store is in a temporary location for a couple weeks while their old location gets some needed earthquake upgrades. Their temporary locale is quaint and very intimate (I haven't seen the normal location). It doesn't feel sterile like a big Borders or Barnes and Noble. It's like comparing a hospital room (Borders) to your bedroom at home (Left Bank Books). There's just no comparison. I rather be in my own bed where there's still good energy in the room and where I feel alive. I don't want to be in a sterile environment.

There were two clerks in the store. They were helpful and seemed to be really interested in the topics and subjects of the books they were selling. I love that! I like to imagine that they thought of each and every book like it was a pet. They knew each one by name and all the wonderful things it could do. It seemed as if they knew a lot about every single book that we picked up to browse. I love that! In comparison to a Borders shop where the workers hardly acknowledge my presence, many of them are not well read, it's just too impersonal. Give me the Mom & Pop over the big box store.

By my own estimate I'd guess that the store was maybe 10x10. It was not very large at all. The only word I could use to describe it, really, is intimate! $60 dollars later we left 4 Books richer:
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Willful Disobedience >>huge treasure because this book is HARD.TO.FIND.
Black Women and Feminism
Leopolds Ghost

After Pikes Market, we headed over to Southcenter Mall where my sister and her boyfriend took us to lunch. They selected Rain Forest Cafe... a place that none of us had eaten at. Of allllll the places I have ever... ever... eaten at, the Rainforest Cafe in Seattle is THE WORST. This is what I ordered and this is what is in the menu:

FISH TACOS
Your choice of tempura fried or blackened mahi mahi wrapped in corn tortillas with red cabbage, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo and our avocado cream sauce. Served with carribean rice and black beans.

Doesn't that sound delicious? The server, Mary, suggested the blackened mahi mahi. I have to say that the servers we encountered were all very good but they can't have repeat customers with the food they served us. The corn tortillas were very limp and greasy. The fish had no taste. What was I thinking eating mahi mahi in Seattle when there's an abundance of it in Hawai'i? The food was very, very bland. My husband selected fish and chips and the "chips" were very greasy. So -- skip the theme restaurant if you're looking for really good food. They probably make more money on the "novelty" things they sell like the tshirts and magnets and all that stuff. I will never eat there again. Even if the PR person contacted me to offer me a free meal -- I will NOT eat there. If they significantly change the menu and have more control over how the cooks are trained then I might consider.

Photo Credit

My new love... Forever 21. I visited the Tacoma Mall because my sister suggested it. The Forever 21 store in that mall is gigantic. It is almost as large as the anchor stores like JCPenny and Macys. Love it! I snagged several outfits and mix and match stuff that fit like a glove on my body. Many stores can't produce exceptional plus size clothing. Especially the WalMarts of the world but Forever 21 has it down! The prices are affordable. The clothes are trendy. Large selection. It has just become my new favorite store. Oh... Nordstrom Rack is another store that I didn't venture into until Seattle. I just always figured they didn't carry plus size clothes. I went in there because my sister suggested that it is one of the best places to get shoes. She was NOT kidding. They had my size also. Love it!

Husband and I ended that very cold evening doing take out from Red Robin. We get the same thing every time we go there -- Whiskey River BBQ Burger. Yumm-o! No Red Robin in Hawai'i so when we can, we always get a bite to eat there. They never disappoint. When you eat-in, bottomless fries. Terrible for the diet but easy on the wallet.

Dessert was @ Marie Callenders. This is the perfect example of how BIG stores cannot guarantee good quality baked goods. I'm not sure how Marie Callenders produces their baked goods but the cupcakes we purchased were HORRIBLE! Just like the Rainforest Cafe, I will never consume anything from Marie Callenders ever again. Yuck!

My review of Seattle sounds so negative but at the same time I had such a good time.... had excellent quality time with my husband. It was our late Valentines celebration. I spent a ton of money in Nordstrom Rack and Forever 21. Spoiled!

RECIPE: Oatcake (My Copycat)

I have been a fan of the Oatcake for a very long time... well, at least the Oatcakes that are served at most Starbucks Coffee Houses on O'ahu. They are the most delicious and filling pastry that I have ever had for breakfast. This is my recipe that I played around with and it comes pretty close to my coffee house fave. It is a COPYCAT from an article I clipped in the Star Bulletin.

1-1/2 CUP Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 CUP All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
----
1 CUP warm water
1 CUP Blueberries (frozen is fine just be sure to thaw it; you can also use dried or fresh)
----
4 CUP oats
1 CUP dried, sweetened cranberries
1/2 CUP raisins
1/2 CUP blueberries
1/2 CUP applesauce
1/2 CUP oil
1/2 CUP brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
----

DIRECTIONS:

**PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 degrees**

1. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt). You can play with the combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour until you get the right consistency. You can even go all whole wheat if that is what you prefer although it does tend to get really dry. If you go all white flour, this oatcake will quickly turn into a scone. I plan to experiment with other types of flour like soy or rice for a lower-gluten version.

2. Blend together the warm water and blueberries. Blending makes a difference. I think it's what gives the Starbucks Oatcake its distinct color. In the picture I posted, I DID NOT blend the blueberry thus... the cake looks brown. However, in earlier experiments with the recipe, I did blend and it does make allll the difference. Today I was just lady to get out the blender then have to clean it. :-(

3. In a separate bowl, mix the remainder of the ingredients (Oats, fruits, oil, applesauce, eggs, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla). Applesauce can be substituted for the oil to make this healthier fare but I found that all applesauce is too dry. The oil makes a big difference for me. You can play with the combination of oil to applesauce but make sure that you keep it at 1 cup. For instance, you can change the recipe to be 3/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil. That's actually going to be my next experiment and I will use extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.

4. Add blueberry/water mixture to the oats mixture. Stir well before adding the flour.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients, one cup at a time. Once you add the flour, do not overwork it. I usually stir the mixture about 10 times to incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients and thats it. Overworking the flour will cause it to be TOUGH and too chewy. I like the texture to be crumbly.

6. Prepare 9x13 pan with Pam or a muffin tin -- whatever you prefer. I have not experimented with a muffin tin so you have to be careful with the cooking time. Keep an eye on it.

7. In a 9x13 pan -- bake for 25-30 minutes. If you use a muffin tin -- you're on your own. I don't know what the timing is.  :-)

Happy Baking!

Day 04: What I Ate Today

Thank goodness this topic is simple because I am totally drained from the post about my parent's... not because of what I wrote but because of my perfect rememberance of my selfishness. UGHHH... sometimes it sucks to grow up!

I skipped breakfast this morning. I had a 9am appointment at Home Depot... we're remodeling my parents kitchen. I picked up my three-year old niece and we made a "day" of it.

After Home Depot, we headed to Pearlridge Mall. I had to take my watch to the jeweler to change the battery. I have no idea how to change it. The jewelry store is right next to Cookie Corner and my niece was drawn to the M&M cookie and me... drawn to the oatmeal-chocolate chip-walnut cookie. It was delicious!

We shared the plate of noodles and chicken

Niece saw the monorail and wanted to ride so we did a roundtrip on it. Then, she wanted to eat at Panda Express. She was very specific. She wanted orange chicken so that's what I got her. I had the noodles and she ate the chicken.

Evening time I had laulau and poi -- delicious!

At the Friday Night Red Raider football game, I ate an apple and munched on sunflower seeds all-night-long!

Thank goodness for easy topics!

Random Produce Gifts

I love being home in the islands. The last three days, I have come home to find fresh produce on the doorstep. Being that I do most of the cooking, I'm always appreciative of gifts. What makes it even more exceptional is that I have no idea who the generous givers are.

Day 1, the watermelon fairy stopped by with two gorgeous offerings. If I knew how to make otai really well, I would have made some. Instead, we opted for watermelon juice. It was delicious! Thanks to Facebook and friends who have thanked their watermelon fairy publicly, I surmise that their fairy is my fairy also. Thank you, Brother O!

Day 2, we came home to find a gigantic long squash. Actually, "someone" dropped it off with the neighbor to give to us. Sweet! I think I'll make an Asian dish with this squash. It always reminds me of my grandmother on my father's side. She used squash in many of her soups and stir fry dishes. I have a good idea who the Bearer of the Long Squash is. He gave me a squash about the same time last year. Sometimes, the 'hardest' men are soft and gooey on the inside. Thank you, Uncle Tommy!

Day 3, the apple-banana queen made a showing. On our doorstep was a plastic bag full of apple-banana's, which is my mother's favorite. We're still enjoying these delicious little offerings! I'm not sure who brought this by and I can't even tell you that I have a clue who it is. There are no leads on this one.

I'm sure this happens all over the world especially in little towns. For me, I'm just glad to be home... happy that I get to enjoy random produce gifts!

I've been meaning to start my garden again. Since fruits and vegetables can be started at anytime here, I don't really have to wait for spring. My favorite thing to grow are green beans or bush beans. They produce so quickly. I'm always amazed at how fast they blossom. This time I'm also going to plant some mustard cabbage. Wish me luck!

Attempting Lasagna...

My domesticated life, without a job, has been spent at home testing out several different recipes. Ever since I made a visit to Europe, tasted fresh-made lasagna, I have been on the hunt for a recipe to duplicate that taste. The other day, I was bold enough to attempt fresh pasta and was quite pleased with the results.

Pasta recipes are all the same. There are variations but stick to a recipe that calls for flour and eggs. Of course I used organic, unbleached flour and free-range chicken eggs. I also added some salt and a splash of olive oil. I will experiment with different types of flour in the future after I've mastered the basics. The dough took a little while to come together since I kneaded it by hand (I don't have a mixer). What took most of my time though was rolling out the dough. I suggest getting a pasta machine to roll out the dough or you'll be slaving over it for a few hours. After an hour of rolling, I gave up and went with the thick noodles. It worked out fine.

Before I rolled out the dough, I set it to rest and put together the meat sauce. On special occasions I make "real" sauce, from scratch but this was not that special of an occasion so I went with Paul Newman's brand of marinara and coupled that with Italian turkey sausage. After the meat sauce, I whipped together a bechamel. Bechamel is a white sauce made of butter, flour, and milk or cream. The variation on this bechamel is that I added nutmeg. I have never heard of using a bechamel in lasagna but it proved to be the trick that put me one step closer to the lasagna I tasted in Europe.

So when layering your lasagna, go with meat sauce on the bottom. Lasagna then bechamel and meat sauce, and repeat. I did not use ANY shredded cheese with this. I think the shredded cheese is only used in America. There were medallions of either goat or feta cheese in Europe. Either way, I left out the shredded cheese and it came out wonderful! The taste was fantastic!

Ok, so google away for the pasta recipe and the bechamel. Yum, yum, and more yum!

Spanakopita Result

I mentioned last night that I would be making Spanakopita today and I did just that. I got the recipe off the Food Network website.

Ingredients
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 pounds spinach, washed and drained
* 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
* 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
* 1 pound filo pastry sheets

Directions (my condensed version)
- Saute spinach. Drain.
- Saute scallions then add spinach and parsley
- Add salt and pepper
- Let the mixture cool
- When the spinach filling is cool, add feta and eggs and mix evenly.
- Brush the pan you will be using for the spanakopita then lay out the first layer of the pastry sheet
- Butter the layer then add more sheets. Continue this process a couple more times.
- Spread out the filling onto the pastry sheet
- Finish off the top with the rest of the pastry sheets
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown

This was the result of my endeavor. It smelt so good while it was baking. The next time I make this, I will do a few things differently. My spinach mixture (the filling) would be much thicker than what I had prepared. I wouldn't have baked it as long as I did. I wouldn't have used a smaller pan, maybe a 9x13 instead of the half-sheet pan that I used.

So have at it people. Making this dish is really simple especially if you make the filling ahead of time. I think this dish is an appetizer. I'm not sure. It was delicious though. I paired it with chicken meatballs in a tomato and zucchini ragout. Bon Appetit!

Food Ramblings

I "redboxed" the video, Julie & Julia yesterday and have suddenly become more adventurous in my cooking. The movie is based on a book about a woman who takes a year to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook on French cuisine. I enjoyed the movie. It was very refreshing!

I have never thought of cooking as being something to enjoy. When I was younger it was just one of my chores. As I age, I find that I am more interested in cooking as a stress reliever and as a way to guarantee the freshness of the food I put into my belly. Where I once feigned at the thought of using extra virgin olive oil, I now relish the goodness! I will also add coconut oil to my pantry as it is probably more nutritious than EVOO.

My step away from the typical Polynesian diet probably began when I was 19. I was out on a date and he took me to a house in the middle of a neighborhood (similar to Hukilau Cafe in La'ie, Hawai'i but much further off the beaten path) in Portales, New Mexico. The food was AMAZING! It was spicy, full of beans and rice and homemade tortillas. It was absolutely delicious. I can still remember the taste of the sopapilla and how soothing it was after ingesting the hot spicyness of the meal. Ever since then, I have been infatuated with foods from all parts of the world.

Remember the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? When it came out, I tried a couple dishes from that movie. Moussaka was the result. It's a dish that is layered with eggplant, meat sauce, cheese, and topped off with a wonderful bechemel. Google all of that stuff if you're interested. It is just absolutely delicious. That very Greek dish is a regular on my dinner menu's. Tomorrow I will be attempting spanakopita. I saw it on a FoodNetwork show. It looked absolutely delicious. I will definitely take some pictures of the process and the result to share with you.

Am I getting domesticated? I haven't worked in months and I'm totally enjoying it! I'm pretty sure my husband is enjoying all the cooking also. He gets three square meals from me now instead of just dinner. Who would have thought it was in me? Well, good luck to me on my spanakopita!

Of Mangos and Belly Aches

Seated beneath a mango tree on a bench built by my uncle is the first time I recall ever being sick to my stomach. Above me the mango tree’s large limbs branched out and extended high into the air. Many weeks before, the leaves were several shades of bright pinks with tiny blossoms. In a relatively dry season, the flowers would result in mangos so numerous that the branches would droop to the earth, heavy with fruit. If the spring and summer were particularly wet, there would be no fruit to enjoy, just a cool, shady spot to rest from the humidity of a Hawaiian summer. That summer, the first time I recall every being sick to my stomach, the mango tree was heavy with fruit. It was the summer that I turned six.

The mango tree sat at the edge of one of my grandmothers many gardens. Its large trunk supported the foliage that sat atop it and shook when the trade winds blew in from off the Pacific Ocean. Surrounding the mango tree were several different types of tropical plants and flowers and different fruit trees. Red ginger marked the border on the mauka end of the garden, along with Birds of Paradise and other types of ginger. Banana trees bordered the makai end. At the opposite border, across the mango tree, were several Tahitian Gardenia bushes. Their distinct, white flowers were a stark contrast to the vibrant shades of green upon its leaves. The delicate flowers are the size of the palm of my hand and its scent is so intoxicating.

In the center of the garden were more tropical flowers. The vision of plumeria trees laden with yellow and pink hues of blossoms clustered together was always a site to behold. It’s blossoming marked the beginning of summer. The fragrance, so captivating, always took my breath away. There were also rows and rows of ‘ilima plants. The ‘ilima flower is a shade of yellow-orange and is paper-thin and very delicate. At its fullest height, the shrub may reach four feet. Because it required hundreds of flowers to string together one lei, the ‘ilima lei even today, is a prized gift.

Summer break was often spent at “Gramma’s” house. She lived thirty minutes from where we lived. My father would drop off my brother and I at Gramma’s, early in the morning, as he made his way to work. It was almost always dark when we arrived. We would hurry in and sleep until the suns rays gently woke us. Before we could eat breakfast, my cousins that lived next door to Gramma would pick us up and we would head to the gardens on the property. Our main chore for the day was to pick all the flowers from the trees so that Aunty Iwa , my father’s sister, could string lei’s to be sold at the local florist. The older cousins picked the delicate ‘ilima and the flowers at the tops of the plumeria tree, while I was relegated to picking the good plumeria’s that had fallen to the ground. By 7 a.m. the flowers were picked, washed, and prepared for Aunty Iwa. We’d cover her living room floor with old newspapers and separate the flowers by type and color. By 9 a.m. Aunty Iwa would have several lei’s ready for market. More cousins would show up by mid-morning. Gramma and Aunty Iwa were the babysitters for all of us. I had not known then how difficult it must have been to keep eleven of us busy and fed everyday, all throughout the summer.

**Aunty Iwa and I in one of the gardens**
The typical Hawaiian summer was almost always full of blue skies, puffy white clouds, and moist, humid air. Sometimes the humidity was so heavy, so thick, that relief could only be found in the ocean. On those days, we’d walk to the beach with my Gramma leading the pack and the older cousins at the back, making sure that no one would get lost along the way. Rainy days we’d spend playing board games in the carport or playing hopscotch. We rarely ever spent any time in front of the television. There always seemed to be more important things to do like playing hide and seek in the gardens or touch football in Gramma’s large, dirt and gravel driveway. Sometimes my older girl cousins would take me to play school or bank or store. I was always stuck being the student or the customer, never the teacher, teller, or cashier. I remember once, we set up chairs to look like an airplane and we pretended we were stewardesses.

**Me, running down gramma's dirt and gravel driveway**
On the sunniest days, when all you could see for miles was the blue sky, and there was no respite from the blazing sun, we’d climb the giant mango tree to keep cool. The gentle breeze drowned out the sound of the mynah birds squawking. I imagine they were complaining about the humidity. On one particular day, the first time I ever felt sick to my stomach, I climbed midway up the tree. From my vantage point, I peeked into the adjacent garden and could see the large guava tree. Along the fence behind the guava tree were several passion fruit vines and along side the fence was a row of papaya trees. The mango tree was heavy with fruit that season and the limbs were beginning to bow. Certainly we didn’t want the limbs to break so it was necessary for us to relieve the tree of some of its fruit, even though they were green and unripe. I began picking the largest of the mangos and threw them to the ground. Whoever was on the ground collected the mangos and stowed them in buckets. By the end of the day, the mangos would be peeled, sliced, pickled, jarred then given away to the neighbors. There was always extra for the neighbors and any of Gramma’s visitors.

That day, my cousin had brought along a glass jar full of a dark liquid. He sat on the bench beneath the tree, pulled out his pocketknife and began paring the green mango. I watched him, from where I was perched in the mango tree, open the glass jar and slice the green mango into it. My other cousins gathered around him and watched him pare and slice two more mangos. He replaced the lid and they all took turns shaking the jar. After everyone had a turn, they opened the jar and began to eat the mango. It looked so delicious and refreshing and as my cousins ate, they made these noises indicating how much they were enjoying it. I climbed down and had my first taste of shoyu-mango. The dark liquid was made of soy sauce and brown sugar. It was so scrumptious. I imagine that the combination of salt, sweet, and the tartness of the unripe mango pleased every taste bud on my tongue. Also, the obvious delight on everyone’s face added to my enjoyment. When the mango in the jar had run out, my cousin pared and sliced more as we ate and repeated the process until not a drop of sauce was left in the jar.

As soon as the sauce was gone, the excitement of the new experience wore off, and my six-year old belly was left with the biggest ache I had ever known. I don’t remember how long it ached but I do remember that wonderful taste. If there had been more sauce, I’d have drank it up like a tall, glass of water. My brother and my cousins continued with the chores associated with pickling the mangos and I was left, seated on a bench built by my uncle, under a mango tree having the time of my life.

What's In Your Belly?

We are on the brink of the DVD release of Food, Inc. For those who can't wait for its release.

I have casually mentioned in previous posts that I have sworn off meat. This phase in my life is fairly new, as husband and I went totally veggie in March of this year. It has been quite a journey, a very worthy journey. We've had to tweek our menu and change it up to re-include organic meat because we desperately needed the protein. Soy, thanks to the Monsanto corporation, is almost TOTALLY genetically modified. Thus, we've kicked the soy habit also. I find it alarming that amongst the industrialized nations of the world, America DOES NOT require labelling of genetically modified foods.

The majority of the papaya in Hawai'i is genetically modified. This caused quite a stir in the 80's and 90's when Japan refused to import any papaya grown in Hawai'i. Japan has still not approved GMO papaya for sale in their country. Egypt, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, India, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Norway, England, Italy are all amongst the nations of the world that require some type of labelling of genetically modified or engineered foods.[1] If you're unfamiliar with the debate, I suggest you start to become familiar with it if you're at all concerned with the future of your food. Coincidentally, The Future of Food is the title of an excellent documentary detailing the predicament of modified foods and the corporations responsible for its proliferation.

The husband and I have become quite concerned with our health in the past couple of years. At a routine physical, my blood-sugar was elevated at 123. That isn't an alarmingly high number yet my doctor was quick to insist that I immediately begin medication. Me being a total sceptic of clinical medicine decided against it. My husband was nearing the 300 lb mark and I was following right behind him. At his routine physical, he found his bad cholestorol to be elevated. After finding out all this information, we began researching how we would be able to increase the quality of the life we were living.

What we found is that the foundation of good health is FOOD. Everything the body needs to be healthy can be found in FOOD. There is nothing a pill can do that can't be done better with food! The side effect of good, healthy, organically raised food is GOOD HEALTH. How profound is that! How simple and yet so radical in today's market-driven economy. The necessary nutrients and vitamins to make our body work at maximum efficiency can be found in fruits and vegetables. All the disease of the modern day, essentially, begins with what we put in our mouths for sustenance.

THE COW

Lets take factory raised cows as an example of how toxins enter our food supply and how big corporations drive the demand. Cows are a major source of the food supply in America. We eat the meat, we use the hide, we milk them for butter, cream, cheese, and a host of dairy products. Thanks to Monsanto, the rbgh hormone entered the milk and dairy supply. It synthetically replicated a natural hormone found in cows to increase each cows milk yield.[2] Pfizer, Fort Dodge a Division of Wyeth, Intervet are among the largest manufacturers of vaccines for cattle.[3] At two months of age, a calf is vaccinated. The synthetic hormone, the vaccine enters your food supply if you so choose to consume beef or dairy. The side effects of the hormone on the cow and consequently on humans is absolutely diabolical.

Other things to think about in relation to cow product consumption: Cows milk has enough fat and calcium to progress a newborn calf to an adult within a year. What kind of effect does that have on the human body? While we're questioning that, what other species in the animal world relies on another animal for nourishment? Even at the beginning of human life, we become consumers of the dairy industry. Baby formula is either dairy or soy based. Monsanto has its hands in both the dairy industry and the soy industry. (Even though Monsanto started out as a chemical manufacturer.)

Majority of non-organic cattle are corn-fed to make them fatter, quicker. Corn cannot be digested properly by cattle and as a side effect their body becomes the ideal petrie dish for the e.coli bacteria. Cattle are not genetically wired to handle corn. I haven't asked a cow lately but according to cattle farmers, cows prefer to eat grass. Organically grown cattle are free range, grass eaters. They are not kept in closed quarters, in the dark, standing in their own feces, day in and day out. So here we have it, the cattle industry relies on the production of corn as feed for their cattle. And who owns several patents on corn seed? You guessed it! Monsanto! We could also discuss the corn industry as well but we'll save that for another post. (It deserves one of its own.)

I could go on and on about this subject. I used the example of the cow but you see how so many of the big corporations are all in bed with each other. From vaccinations to chemical growth hormones. They all seem to find their way onto your plate and into your body. The final thought on this is that the cattle ranchers and big business are not in the market to make you healthy. Their objective is to consistently turn a profit. In Capitalistic America, money greases the axle that spins the world. (My ex-husband used to say that to me often.)

MY CONCLUSION
To tie this all together, my personal journey began with an interest in how to make my body as healthy as my mind. How can I increase my quality of life not just in the present moment but in the future? It has led me down this road toward enlightenment. My husband has dropped 50 pounds and counting. I've released 25 pounds and counting. We run and are not weary! I hope you begin your journey also. Soon!

If the economics of purchasing organic food is not an option for you now then you are choosing a future of dis-ease, disease. Even if you begin by replacing 10% of your food consumption with healthier fare, you're starting to free yourself from the chains placed on you by the big corporations. Change the trends in the industry by changing how you spend your money. The big corporations will follow suit. If you are spending more of your money on organic, non-GMO food then the food industry will begin to spend more money developing ways to bring this food to you.

Peace be with you on this journey of balancing your life and finding true health in natural, organic food.



Works Cited:
[1] http://www.citizen.org/documents/GMObackgrndr.pdf ; Downloaded and viewed on 11 November 2009
[2] http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/bgh.htm ; Viewed on 11 November 2009
[3] http://www.qualitysupply.com/index.asp/fuseaction/livestock.vaccines ; Viewed on 11 November 2009

Photo Credit:
Cow