Saturday Check-In

Had a lovely little Saturday.

Said some Thank Yous
Have had 3 meals so far and will be cooking the 4th in mere moments
Drank a grip of water this morning at the gym
Totally kicked my butt with cardio bright and early
Read a bit
Gonna play with my guitar as my 4th meal is cooking

Actually, now that I think about it, I have done everything on my list yet again. A pat on the back and a twirl to celebrate.

Today, I went to my first ever farmer's market and it was SPECTACULAR. I've been eating really healthy lately and it just feels effortless. Why, I can't say. I really have no idea. I've struggled with the consistency in the past but as of late, I'm having no troubles at all. In all honestly, I'm really quite enjoying it.

So, I typically try to buy organic when I can and what I can but still end up with some conventional mixed in. I've really been wanting to find some local chicken farms where I can buy organic free-range, grass-fed chickens and their eggs so I don't have to unknowingly participate in the disgusting torture that I've spoken of previously. And after learning about how horribly our food sources are treated by the giant evil meat industry, I'm pretty much done with conventional beef, pork, lamb and any other kind of meat as well. As a matter of fact, I think I'll just buy all my meat, dairy, and eggs locally from now on. At least that way, I can go to the farm, know the farmers, see the conditions for myself and be completely content with what I'm puting in my body.

I bought an organic, grass-fed, free range whole chicken today at the farmer's market. I'm so excited, you'd think it was Christmas morning or something. It's thawing out and will become a roasted display of yummy goodness for dinner tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. I was also going to buy a turkey but the people that were selling them only had big ones available today and I need a small one. I'm thinking I'll go see them tomorrow and get one my size. And I wanted eggs but no one had them today. Maybe tomorrow as well.

So anyway, let me get on with the reason I'm rambling about this stuff. I've been scouring the internet trying to find local farmers to visit and buy from. I went to the farmer's market and met a few which was so great. I can't believe I haven't been doing this my entire life. I mean really, how silly. So I have the chicken farmer that I bought from today that has the chickens and eggs as well as beef and veggies on their farm in Olympia. Olympia is about a 45min - 1hr drive from my area. Ouch! But, with what I now know about conventional meat production, I'll gladly drive anywhere I need to to do the right thing for myself, my husband, and the planet. Did I mention it's a sustainable farm? It is. Even better. It's called the Stokesberry Sustainable Farm and is run by Jerry and Janelle Stokesberry.

I also found a farm in Enumclaw (also about 40-45mins from me) that raises beef and lamb and eggs. You can buy a side of beef for about $1,000, or a quarter for $525. Can't say I'm planning to do that right now but might be thinking about it in the near future. Beef is $3.5/lb and lamb is $4.5/lb. That's not bad AT ALL. Well, that's the hanging price per pound which can be about 35% more weight than what you'll actually walk away with because of the butchering process. I want to go visit this farm too and see what it's all about. It's called Acres of Zion and is run by Eric Robb. Not sure about a guy with two first names but I'm willing to give him a try. :)

Oh, so last week, I bought some organic ground beef from Costco. I'd never tried it and thought I should give it a try even though it was still really expensive. So I hopped online and looked it up to see how organic and natural it really is. They are certified organic and natural but in reading their website, I saw that they feed the cows a mixed diet. Natural grasses supplemented with organic mixed grains. Most people would look at that and think..."how nice, their grains are organic, it must be good". NO! Grains are what causes eccoli. Corn is what causes eccoli and corn is part of the "mixed grains" they're feeding them even if it's a supplement, IT KILLS cows and PEOPLE.

So this brought me right back to my original thought as I was walking through the farmer's market today. I need to be able to walk around the farm where my meat, dairy, and eggs are coming from and know the farmers so I'm not unknowingly supporting the problem with our food system. I want to see how they treat their product. I want to see how it's processed. I want to see what they're feeding them. I want to support the responsible population, even if it means a little extra time out of my life or a few extra dollars out of my wallet. I mean, this is my body, my health, my well being, my planet. It's my choice. Why wouldn't I want to choose what's really best for me and well...everyone? Has our time really become so valuable that we can't be bothered with thinking about how our choices are affecting us. "Us" as in internally, our bodies, and "us" as in everyone, the planet. What could be more important than what we put in our bodies? I mean really! What?

Okay, I think I've rambled long enough. Time to go for now. I'm making tacos with that "organic, grass-fed" ground beef I bought.

But let me leave you with some info if you're interested.
www.localharvest.org
This site has a clickable interactive map that helps you locate your nearest farmer's market. They also have a ton of info about CSAs, family farms, and other sources of sustainbly grown food in your area.

www.eatwild.com
This site has a tremendous amount of info about grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, dairy, and other similar foods. You'll also find tons of links to local suppliers of all-natural, grass-fed products.

www.eatwellguide.org
This site is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, and more in the US and Canada. Just enter your zip or postal code to find healthy products in your town.

*These websites and brief descriptions come from the Jillian Michaels, Master your Metabolism book, word for word. Pages 245 and 247. There are also a lot more resources listed in there if you're interested. I just chose these three because I found them the most helpful for what I was looking for.