Blueberries

My Brother dropped a whole container of Blueberries on the kitchen floor. I found this to be the funniest thing I had ever seen! And proceed to take a photo shoot.You really have no idea how humorous it can be to watch a 6 foot tall dude pick up plump, delicate blueberries one by one as the continue to roll across the kitchen floor. He didn't find it funny. Not at all, while I laughed and snapped pictures the whole time. I still find it funny just thinking about it! 

He was making his after work protein shake, which contains almost every fruit under the sun, or at least what ever we have in the house and about 1/2 gallon of milk. Whole milk. He is on a one gallon of milk a day diet. In an attempt to gain weight. Yup, a diet to gain weight. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the house I have my boyfriend who works out like a mad man and complains everyday about how he can not lose weight. And me, I just eat...when ever I'm hungry...

It's been almost four years since I discovered that I was allergic to Yeast. And oh how my eating habits have changed. At first I simply avoided bread. Then I learned that Yeast extract is used as a flavor enhancer, so I started reading labels. And then the list of foods I could eat was smaller than the list of foods I couldn't eat. But all that was on that list was processed, packaged, and pre-made foods. So naturally I started cooking more, realizing that as long as I cooked it I knew exactly what was in it and I could safely eat it. 

A funny thing happens when you start eating fresh, homemade, real food. Everything else starts to taste like junk. Except chocolate cake. I'll never make a homemade chocolate cake that tastes as good as what I can buy. Anyhow, after cooking so much and eating better most things just started to taste awful. I couldn't enjoy a night out to dinner because I would constantly think,  'I can totally make this better'. 

But then this turned into some really expensive grocery trips, and a pantry full of tons of stuff I only used a pinch of. So I started another change. Work with what you got. I started creating random things, some good, some not so good. I found apps on the ipad that allowed you to search recipes based on the contents of your refrigerator. I started making use out of all the stuff that sat in the pantry, or the back of the fridge, I stopped going to the grocery store as often. I started getting creative. 

The next change that hit me was my disgust for meat. I've always hated cooking meat. It freaks me out. It smells bad. It's full of germs that forbid you to touch things. While I used to rarely buy meat, I slowly stopped buying it at all. I still eat meat, don't get me wrong...there's nothing I love more than a juicy bloody steak. But only if someone else cooks it. 

And the last food change that hit me last year was going organic. I started buying all organic produce and educating myself on what organic means and why it is beneficial. Since being back on the mainland I have started subscribing to door to door organics, which is a company that delivers a box of fresh organic produce to your home as often as you elect. 

Every night my Brother stands over me in the kitchen pitching dinner ideas and side dish suggestions. Begging me to "just go to the store!" to buy a well thought out, wallet stripping dinner. And each night I bounce around the kitchen, from the fridge to the pantry, to the spice cupboard letting ideas dance in my head. He then asks "What the hell are you gonna do with all that?" and usually ads in "I don't like that thing, I don't like those, and I don't even know what that is."  

Last week he wanted fish tacos, I only had tofu, so we had tofu taco. He ate four. Three days later I made stuffed eggplant, which he refused, until it came out of the oven. Each time, never satisfied with the verbal title I give him to describe our dinner. But he never declines the finished product and he never leaves an empty plate.

Moral of the story:

-Eat fresh

-Read Labels

-Cook more

-Work with what you got.

-Get creative.

-Buy Organic.

And lastly...never listen to nay-sayers. Trust your inner chef.