Pure food challenge

After harvesting lots of beautiful little tomatoes and peppers yesterday, I got to thinking about the food I’ve been eating lately.

When I became a vegetarian about 3 years ago I knew I was doing my body good. I just felt better over-all. (Nothing against meat eaters and I still prepare it everyday for my family).

It seems that as time went on I became slack in my food choices. Just because its vegetarian does not mean it’s healthy! I have been worried about the fatigue and sluggishness I have been feeling lately. I even purchased an at-home diabetes kit to test my blood sugar levels.

I would like to challenge myself to growing, purchasing, and preparing foods with only a single ingredients that are put together by me. Completely homemade so that I know what’s in everything I put in my mouth! This eliminates nearly all pre-packaged foods.

For example:

Protein:

Fish we catch, organic unseasoned fresh salmon, organic eggs from my neighbor, organic nuts and seeds, natural tofu, and dried organic beans and lentils.

Carbohydrates:

I will allow myself bread, but only if I make it myself using plain old organic wheat, rye, or bean flours with olive oil, sea salt, and perhaps juicing pulps. I’m also really interested in learning to make bread using sprouted grains!

Pasta will come from 100% organic semolina or I will make it myself. Brown rice as well. Also considering pure oatmeal with real honey and pure grated cinnamon.

Fruits and vegetables:

All  will all come from the garden or organic produce department.

Dairy:

I will make a large all-natural batch of mozzarella an ricotta cheeses and freeze a bunch to be used as needed.

Beverages:

I will give up powdered iced tea and drink mixes and brew my own sun tea and flavor my water with fruit. I will also start juicing more everyday.

Meal bases:

I will make my own soup stocks and stop buying the easy-way-out pre-made powdered ones! I will thicken stews and soups with bean flour and stay away from white flour in all its ugly forms.

Fats:

Some fat is important for proper vitamin absorption. The only fat I am going to allow myself is extra virgin olive oil and natural fats such as found in nuts, seeds, and avocados.

No more butter, margarine, or vegetable oils!

Sweets for my occasional sweet tooth:

For a treat, I will make all-natural ice cream using organic almond milk. I can make a chocolate candy bar using pure cocoa and agave nectar. I will incorporate more berries with all-natural home made yogurt. I will make and freeze agave sweetened carrot and apple whole wheat muffins.

I would also like to give up eating so many white potatoes. I think for awhile I am going to stick with sweet potatoes instead. And absolutely no more white sugar, corn syrup, processed cheeses, white flour, boxed or canned goods, or anything with more than one ingredient on the label!  I will also have to make fresh salad dressings as even the organic ones have way to many ingredients that I have not heard of.

As for tonight…I am going to make fresh tomato sauce using the pureed tomatoes you see above with zucchini, onions, mushrooms, fresh garlic, and sweet basil leaves  served on a bed of brown rice.

This might be easier than I thought.

Do you have any tips or suggestions for purchasing, growing, preparing, or eating pure foods?