Healthy Eating

Have you ever thought about changing your diet? Not to lose weight, just to eat healthier or to save money. Ever since I have had to go dairy free (except baked products and a little bit of cheddar cheese) I have been doing a lot of research. Mostly research on recipes and how to cook without dairy. While I have been searching, I have come across a lot of vegan recipes. (Vegans are vegetarians who don't eat any animal products including dairy.) And through all this research I have decided that I need to eat less meat. I am of the opinion that the Lord gave us animals for a reason and to become fully vegetarian or vegan just doesn't seem quite right. But my thought is that like most foods meat/poultry should be eaten in moderation. And cutting it out completely would be hard for us because we really like it, especially the boys. It's not easy cooking without meat/poultry. It is something that I grew up with. It was in all our meals. And when I decided to do this, I couldn't figure out what to cook since everything I cooked had meat in it. I have found several websites that I love, and some books too, that have good recipes and resources.

My first try was a recipe I found here, called Cowboy Caviar. I think I put to much fresh cilantro into it, either that, or the cilantro is not a taste for me. But Nathan said it was good. The kids wouldn't touch it even though they like tomatoes, corn and beans. We gave them left over chicken instead. I think I will make it again without as much cilantro, as I'm sure this would be good.

I also like this website http://www.vegfamily.com/ and this one too http://simplehealthytasty.blogspot.com/ They both have great recipes. This is a great resource for dairy free living by choice or allergy http://www.godairyfree.org/Alisa-s-Blog/Alisa-s-Milk-Free-Blog/

I've also been eating a "green smoothie" everyday. I throw in a handful of spinach with some rice milk and/or water and then some fruit. I also have added a bit of agava nectar which is like honey. I've done berries, mangos, bananas, and peaches. I don't like the berry one as much as I like bananas, and mangos with a few strawberries. And you really can't taste the spinach once it is all mashed up. Try this recipe Creamsicle Smoothie it tastes like an orange creamsicle but it is healthy for you.

If you are like me and eat meat products daily, I suggest trying a veggie meal and seeing if you like it. You might even notice that you feel a little better too.