It sounds silly to say that there is a special place in my heart for avocados… so I won’t say that. While growing up, I never ate avocados. I don’t know why that was the case considering we ate fruits and vegetables all the time. Just as often as there are times when something I eat (or make) brings me back to something my family would make, I seem to do things now that make me think ‘I am changing the course of my future and those who are around me and the things they will remember eating and making with me’. I like that thought.

I do not know exactly what is so satisfying to me about something so simple as avocado on toast. I am sure it has something to do with the tang of toasted sourdough combined with the smooth richness of avocado. And don’t forget the sea salt… salt brings out the flavors, of course. It is opulent. Yes, food can be described as opulent. I did not want to say luscious because that seems effeminate coming from me… although, now that I say it, let’s be honest, avocados are kind of sexy.

A lot of times I end up talking to people about all sorts of ‘amazing and exciting new health drinks’. Drinks like MonaVie, Zrii, Frutaiga, Goji juice, Noni Juice, Genesis, Xango, Mandura, Vemma, and the list goes on and on.

First, let me say that I think a lot of these products are good, and there are some good manufacturers of them, and some are done well and can be beneficial for people. Buuuuuut, I’m gonna go with my gut on this one…

I do not care for the spirit of all of these companies and drinks. Let me explain. Far too many people are looking for a quick fix or a miracle drug or one thing that they can do so they do not have to change their life. The mindset, whether spoken or not, is ‘let me do whatever I want and just take this drink to keep me healthy’ or ‘taking this product is going to cure my ills’ or ‘I am going to use this combined with whatever to help me stay young forever’ or… whatever else is here it bothers me. It’s like the mindset that says, ‘I can eat this terrible thing, I will just exercise a little more to work it off’.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

1. Russia Bans U.S. Poultry over Chlorine
Chicken frequently gets a chlorine bath… and ammonia baths too! Yay!
_______________________________

2. California Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination
No surprise here.
_______________________________

3. Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals

I have mentioned a little bit about Monsanto previously here.
_______________________________

If you want to talk about a good marriage, then let’s talk about apples and cheese. First, I see an apple and I don’t get that excited anymore. I mean, I know they have excellent phytonutrients (basically, natural plant chemicals that are not nutrients but protect the plants immune system) and flavonoids (basically water-soluble plant pigments) which provide antioxidant protection. Sure they have good dietary fiber and some vitamin C. Yada yada yada, they are good for you… but in the end it’s just a lonely organic pink lady sitting on a plate:

Just recently I was having a conversation with my sister and brother-in-law and the subject of BPA came up (Bisphenol A). We were discussing it since I am about to be an uncle for the third time : ) and they are making sure to get BPA free bottles and containers, etc.

Bisphenol A has been linked to abnormal reproductive development and shown to disrupt the hormonal system which can potentially lead to brain damage, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and the list goes on. My bro-in-law was saying how it’s a very well known about baby products and BPA. Well. I am unmarried and male, so I naturally am not paying attention to baby stuff… except health articles that pop up. And such was the case.

The issue has become even more in the public eye the past year and the state of Minnesota banned the use of BPA in food containers intended for children 3 and younger.

I personally, haven’t addressed this issue and I am going to. That is probably why I am writing this right now. But isn’t it strange how these types of things make us feel? Maybe it is just me, but it is kind of a bum out, you know? For example, one of the worst offenders of BPA leaching is from highly acidic foods… like tomatoes. While I do not eat canned foods because, first of all, I think they taste bad, but also they are more processed and fresh food is nutritionally superior, well, what I do buy is organic whole tomatoes and occasionally organic canned black beans (usually I buy most of my beans dried in bulk).

After so many years of doing something it is a bummer when you realize certain things. I realize that most people will not change unless they see their need. They will not think they need something until they find themselves in a desperate situation. We all are like that… we will not seek that which is good until we are faced with dire straits. Well I am changing because of previous dire straits and I learned my lesson. I learned that it is much easier to change when you are not in dire straits than when you are.

Sometimes many of the traditions that we grow up with or personal habits that we have accumulated are things that are not very healthy for us mentally or physically… and we are just ignorant of it. Then, when we are faced with a confrontation about it, our pride is hurt. The pride of it makes change all the more difficult. It’s like when I made the change from Teflon coated pans… ok, maybe not… that was pretty easy.

Cookies? On this blog? Shocking, shocking, shocking, I know. I don’t make cookies very often but since I made some for Christmas recently I thought I would post them. Of the cookies I made, these were my favorite: Apricot coconut cookies.

These cookies were regulars in my family’s celebrations whether it be Thanksgiving or Christmas. For some reason, I have the hardest time remembering exactly what they looked like or how they tasted. As I was looking through recipes, they caught my eye… and I am glad they did.

The recipe is adapted from my mom and my aunt. I modified it a bit (of course, I do that with everything). And I am sure they could just as easily be made gluten-free and casein-free (ahem) using ghee or coconut oil instead of butter and using buckwheat flour instead of spelt. In fact, all of those would be better options, I just used what I had and was acceptable to me.

For some strange reason I enjoy trying different flours and different brands of the same flour. This time I used spelt flour from Vita-Spelt. I had only used it once before and I am not sure what I think of it. Hey, I’m honest. I really don’t know. I was not particularly impressed. But it was fine and I was not disappointed either. Also, usually I would use a whole grain spelt flour but for these I used white spelt flour. It was Christmas.

So. It is January 2, 2010. I usually take time to review my year in my head and think through what I am doing and where I am going. I have not really done that yet. I have thought through this blog a bit though. That last sentence seems funny to me cause I said “thought’, ‘through’, and ‘though’. Do not get tripped up.