In case some of you are getting sick of hearing from me (don't blame you), I thought I'd do a guest interview now and then with various people who are willing to spill their guts about whatever I ask them, mostly about food and nutrition topics. The questions will stay pretty much the same…unless I think of better ones.
Julie is a new friend I met through this blog, and we've quickly learned we're two peas in a pod! (She's actually my friend/neighbor, Susan's, best friend's sister…..got that?)
Here are the questions:
- What is your #1 motivation for eating/feeding your family healthier meals?
- What started you on your path to better nutrition?
- What is your biggest struggle in eating/feeding your family healthier meals?
- What is your favorite healthy recipe?
- What is your best kitchen/nutrition tip?
- What did you have for dinner last night?
- What about Kelly annoys you the most? (Only one please.)
I e-mailed Julie with the above questions, and here are her responses…
Here are the replies, dahlin'…
1. and 2. I've had an interest in nutrition for *years* and it seems to have grown exponentially since I've had children. Admittedly, however, I didn't eat so well when the children were in-utero, and I often think, “If I had known then what I know now…” But I am a glass-half-full type of person, so I just tell myself that I will simply put my best foot forward now when caring for them. My goal is for all of us to have strong immune systems and healthy, fully functioning bodies. God gave us all wonderful gifts in these bodies, huh?!
3. My biggest struggle is the time factor! My mom calls me “Little House on the Prairie” or “Amish” in my attempts to make home-cooked/baked foods, which is not always easy in our fast-paced culture where you are “on-call” via the phone, commitments, etc. etc. I could also use more counter space 🙂 and there are *always* great kitchen gadgets that are on the “someday” list.
4. I don't know that I have one absolute favorite recipe…I always enjoy a nice spaghetti dinner (grass-fed beef of course 🙂 and now I'm reading to opt for brown rice spaghetti as opposed to whole-wheat because it hasn't been soaked/sprouted…also we love pizza casserole or just some basic chicken/broccoli stir fry.
5. My best kitchen tip: soak, sprout, and dry whole grains and then leave them in a jar in the fridge. Then, whenever you need to make muffins, pancakes (even cookies, which we're trying today!) or whatever else, you need only to grind them up and use them in any recipe. The soaking/sprouting neutralizes the phytic acid, which is difficult for our bodies to digest; also, vitamin intensity is increased. Calcium, magnesium, and other minerals won't bind so you will gain this much-needed nutrition. (Note from Kelly: see why I love her?! I thought I was the only weirdo who talked this way!)
6. Last night for dinner we had a beef slow-cooker stew adapted from Fix it and Forget it Lightly. It contained grass-fed stewing meat, Meijer organic canned diced tomatoes, homemade bone-based beef broth, various spices, Meijer organic onions and potatoes, and Earthbound Farm organic carrots. We *love* slow-cooked recipes! And I love having extra time later…Don't be too impressed, however; tonight, as my husband has a late appointment, the kids and I are simply having “Sunshine Toast,” which is nothing more than an egg in the middle of grilled, buttered bread! 🙂 (Note from Kelly again: my kids love that too, but I never thought of using that cool name for it!)
7. What about Kelly annoys me the most?! WHAT???!!! I am very grateful you exist, my Georgian peach of a gal!! 🙂 So all I ask is that you keep up the FANTASTIC work!!!! 🙂 —
Julie 🙂
By the way, she hasn't known me long enough yet to formulate an answer to #7, but it won't take long, I'm sure!
GET THIS – COMING SOON:
- More guest interviews, including one with my husband, Kent (I just read what he wrote and I'm afraid you'll all end up wishing HE was the Kitchen Kop writer, not me!)
- A new kitchen tips series
RELATED POSTS/LINKS:
- How I started eating healthier
- Life changes – 5 ways they're all the same
- Frequently asked questions
- Organic coconut benefits: dieting, lice, eczema & more
I have made the sprouted wheat flour before, I believe it’s called “panocha” flour. It is sort of a hastle to make, but once made you can make any bread you want with it. Another way to solve the phytic acid problem is to ferment the bread dough, also known as sour dough. Marilyn at Urbanhomemaker.com has a link for this. Look for it in her recipes files
We call the eggs in a hole in the middle of a piece of toast “Eggs in a Nest.”