My Walk on The Crunchy Path Part 1

As much as I love food, I think its time to share an intimate part of me. My relationship with food, which has often times been an outright war. I have strugggled with weight my whole life. Everything we do is related to food. I have never been able to get a handle on it, even when I ate exactly right, ate no fat, low fat, etc. I struggled. I think that is what has made me such a diverse and well rounded cook. In different periods, I strove to eat certain types of dishes and I would make them myself and make them beautiful, but nothing ever quite worked for me and my life.

When I quit smoking (gasp, I really was a smoker for more years than I would like to admit *coughfifteencoughcough*), I kicked it. I made the decision one day and didn't look back. No pills, no patches, no tricks. I just quit (granted I had bronchitis and didn't want one for a few days, but then I said, psssh I don't want this anymore PERIOD). I made up my mind and I succeeded. Shortly after my husband bit the bullet and with the aid of the patches he quit too (and the next month, prices DOUBLED). We have been a smoke free house for about a year now, with very few cravings and no regrets. What that did was free up a tight budget for better eating. 100.00 every two weeks for two cartons of smokes is crazy damaging on the budget yo, not to mention the lungs. It makes me wonder how people do it in this economy when prices are DOUBLE what they were when I quit, and unemployment is double as well. I just can't imagine. No wonder we were eating off-brand hamburger helper 1/2 the time.

I've never been able to conquer food like that though. You can't just put down food and never look back. You have to eat to survive and as easy as it would be, you can't subsist off SlimFast drinks. Even those wake up your taste buds and you start craving like CarrotTop for his next round of plastic surgery and steroid cocktail. Unlike cigerettes, its not just one flavor, or one thing. At different times of the day, month, year, you crave different foods. Each person's tastes and cravings are different. Sometimes I'm a sweets person, most of the time I'm a carboloading spaz. Seriously, don't get between me and my pasta. Other times, I'm craving red meat and cheese. You have to work with your body, to control your food intake and feel satisfied.

Recently though, I've learned some hard truths about food and my body and even my life. Truths that I think can help everyone whether you struggle with weight or not. Truths about healthy and the things we put in our mouths. How does this relate to all my recipes and a garden blog? I promise it does. Because everything is related. I grow what we eat and my recipes are a direct reflection of that.

I've entitled this short series about my "life change": My Walk on The Crunchy Path only in part to the Granola style of living. Truth be told, I'm not a hippie in any way, shape or form. I appreciate a long peasant skirt like the next girl, but that doesn't mean I'm going to don one, light some candles and dance in the moonlight throwing herbs in the air. (Okay, okay, I may have done this ONCE OR TWICE in my life but I was always wearing jeans mkay?) In all seriousness, I'm just a simple farm girl, raised with the land and animals and an appreciation for what God has given us. I don't follow the all natural beaten path and I sure as heck shave, wax and pluck with the best of them. I appreciate spa's, technology and a fast car but I also understand balance and I think we could all use a dose of balance. So I hope you enjoy this peak into my head and not just into my food. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask along the way.