Food + Summertime + Education

Now that Summer has officially arrived, it's time to get outside. For most of us, that also means realizing we're not exactly feeling as healthy as we wish we did.
Well, I decided to do a little research for myself. What I found was actually kind of sad and frightening.

I grew up in the south, and we LOVE our food. Unfortunately, I'm a very plain eater of a lot of not-so-healthy foods. I also realized that every time I go to the grocery store, I end up buying the same exact things, which leads me to cook the same old meals week after week.

After hearing everyone complain about diets, I've always decided to avoid them at all costs. However, I caught an episode of Dr. Oz while I was editing. He was talking about a section on his website that helps you to change your eating habits instead of just "dieting". I was curious, so I checked it out. I got recipes for things I wouldn't normally eat, and got a shopping list.

Here's the sad part. If you're anything like me, you "fit in" the grocery shopping. Which is what led me to buying the same things over and over. It was just quicker. Today, I decided to take my brand new shiny shopping list and get going to the store.

HA! What I found was that I had to go on a scavenger hunt for anything healthy. On the other hand, I waded through hundreds of different types of sugary cereals, pastries, and marshmallows.  Seriously? Maybe I just never noticed because I was in too big of a rush, but the next time you go to a grocery store, stop and look. It's quite sad that we're selling boxes of sugar to the next generation by throwing on some cool packaging.

By no means do I claim to be a food photographer, but I felt I had to share some of the beautiful food I bought today:

Bananas + (Cage Free Vegetarian Fed) Eggs

Fresh Sweet Corn-it felt so weird buying that in the store vs getting them straight from a field.

Try trading in soda for fresh lemonade...or...surprise-Water. And why not put it in a pretty glass?

Kale-New to me. So, we'll see.

Just some pretty eggs. :)

Blueberries-homemade muffins, blueberry pancakes, and smoothies. :)

Oranges + Tomatoes

My very first time buying a red pepper. Seriously.

Lemonade, lemon sauces, and many more great uses. And, my prized red pepper. :)

Anyway, this isn't a rant, just something that caught my attention today.
The whole point is, no matter what is shoved in our faces, we actually do have a choice in what we eat. It just takes a little effort. Eh, just think of it as another form of exercise-which is kind of what we're going for here anyway.


Um...Happy Cooking!