By the Book

I was just checking Facebook, and a friend of mine was commenting on how she was on Day One of "eating clean." After reading a few of the comments, I read it aloud to Joe, asking what he thought it meant.

His response: "We eat clean all the time."

Really? How do I know what's clean and what's not if I don't have this book that this woman is using? How can I do it, if I don't have the recipes, grocery lists, whathaveyou right in front of me?

Answer: We eat clean all the time.

Our dinner tonight consisted of a ham roast, from my father-in-law's hogs, sweet corn from our sweet corn patch, picked today by Anna and her cousin, grapes (which were from California), and whole wheat bread. Last night, same story: burgers from our family's beef cattle, tomatoes from the garden.

Did I need a book? No.
Did I eat relatively "clean?" I hope so. I don't have the book, and haven't done much past a google search on this topic, but I think I probably have a decent idea of what is clean and what isn't. At least, I hope so, as I think you can't get any cleaner and more fresh than this!

I know I'm lucky. I'm fortunate to have this fresh meat, produce, etc. at my fingertips, but it's not that hard to find someone somewhere who can help you to eat this way. Believe me, I'm no foodie, nor am I anything but a person who wants to eat well myself, have my kids eat nutritiously, to have all of us live a long healthy life, all the while having food taste good.

So do I need a book to eat clean? Probably not. I'm sure I'm not doing it exactly the way it's probably prescribed, but my point is I'm no food rocket scientist, and if I didn't have my own beef and own produce, I would have to search a little harder. However, my quest for you, dear readers, is HUNT(not literally, figuratively). Gather. Look around. Ask questions. To quote John Belushi in The Blues Brothers, "Bring me your children (actually I think it was sell me your children, but that freaks me out.)." Find a beef producer you know, or even one who you don't, and enjoy a hamburger from them before you proclaim that you hate red meat.

If all else fails, call me. Joe claims he can turn any vegetarian into a carnivore with one of his ribeyes.

I dare you.