Old News

I'm sure that everyone who reads this blog has already heard about Taylor's new job...Professor of Materials  Science & Engineering at the University of Utah! This was his "dream" job (and realistically the only option for us ever living in Utah again since the U is the only school with a MSE department). It's quite remarkable that there was an opening, let alone right now when he was ready to be on the job market. Everyone else in the department is tenured and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Thank goodness for professors who look at child porn on the airplane, right? So wrong. That is where the opening comes from. We are both looking forward to so many things, trying to overlook the things we are not as excited about, and hoping we will be satisfied and happy there. And getting tenure, that's kind of important. Only time will tell.

I have this baby coming in July...

Ta da! More old news, since I neglected to ever actually mention it on the blog (but you all knew anyways, right?). And we will also be moving in July. SO...that will be exciting. All things considered, we need to have this baby here in Santa Barbara and then move about the end of the month. Here's to hoping she comes when she's due (the 10th) so I will have a couple of weeks to lay low and enjoy her. She also can't come early because Taylor will be gone for 2 weeks until the 5th. I have a feeling my summer is going to disappear in a flash. All I will remember is cardboard boxes and labor pains. 

Santa Cruz Island

We don't have much time left here in Santa Barbara! Seth, Andrew and I decided we needed one last adventure. We decided to go to the Channel Islands to go camping, hiking and snorkeling. It was rad!

Here we are watching a gorgeous sunset over 400 foot cliffs

and snorkeling  through kelp beds with huge fish and tons of ocean floor critters

The island had stunning views and if kit foxes hadn't raided our stuff and eaten our lunches it would have been a perfect trip.

snorkeling:

 

boat ride over:

camping:

 killer sunsets:

 jeppy bleeding (as usual):

 incredible views:

 

 

 

 

 

 Since foxes ate our lunch, we clearly had to buy the biggest burger that Ventura sells upon returning.

What has changed

I've been thinking about following up on my food posts, it's just taken me a while to get around to it. I'm just punching this out, I don't even have any pictures, I'm sorry!

I've had people ask me, and you might be wondering-  what does it mean for us and what have I changed about the way we eat? Here is a summary without going into too much detail, if you really want to know! :

• We eat a lot less meat. I rarely ever have to buy it (which saves a lot of money for other things, or for buying better quality meats occasionally). We still eat it a of couple times a week, sometimes more or less, and when we do it is in smaller portions. I often replace it with things like lentils, beans, and quinoa. We have no intention of cutting out meat entirely, because we don't believe that is necessary and we really like it! 

• We consume less dairy. We use about a 1/2 gallon of milk a week. And I always buy the full fat versions of dairy products since low-fat versions have fat replacements added which aren't necessarily a good thing, it's better for Atticus, and it tastes so much better (to us at least, Taylor shouted for joy when I only started buying whole milk). Since we consume less, we're not worried about the extra fat. We enjoy it more!

• I buy a lot less processed/pre-made/packaged foods, especially of the "snack" variety. We have things around as back up or for the occasional snack/treat. There are a lot of things I make or aspire to make from scratch instead, and have found some things to be more worthwhile to just buy and some SO easy I can't believe I was ever paying to get it at the store- like salad dressing! I also like that this means consuming less packing and creating less trash.

• We eat less sweets and foods that have unnecessary added sweeteners. I buy plain (full fat!) greek yogurt, and we all like it- we eat it with granola or fruit (Atticus is very happy to just eat it plain). The sweetened yogurts do not taste good to us anymore. Other things like applesauce or jam I try to buy kinds without the added corn syrup (I think they are sweet enough as is). Things like bread or crackers I aim for more fiber than sugar. I don't buy cereals (except like I said as a back up or a special snack- like my pregnancy Captain Crunch), instead we eat homemade granola or old fashioned/steel cuts oats with some honey, cinnamon, and fruit for the quick breakfasts. I would rather keep the sugar out of our food and keep it in our dessert- which we eat more sparingly.

• I shop for a lot of my produce at the farmer's market. There are things I still buy at the store/Costco because they are too expensive for my budget at the FM. Surprisingly, some of it is actually cheaper than the store- like the beautiful organic rainbow chard I got for only $1. A lot of the food just tastes better, I like going there, and it has been really nice getting to know the local farmers. When I do buy at the store, I try to buy produce that is from the U.S, mostly because it always tastes so bad to me when it's coming from so far away and I always regret it. Bananas I choose not to give up, but I am more careful to never let them go to waste since it took a lot to get them here! 

• I don't aim for "organic or bust". In fact, I don't trust that everything at the store labeled as "organic" is really any better or much different because of loose regulations. There is certain produce I know is better if it's organic, and I like when I can get it organic from the FM or from the store at a good price, but otherwise I rarely buy other things organic. 

• Ideally and some day, I would love to buy a share of beef that is grass fed (that's the cheapest way to get good quality beef), buy other cleaner meats, raise my own chickens for eggs, have fresh milk from nearby, have a big garden where I know exactly what is going into the food, and make more things from scratch instead of buying it. I will just have to do what I'm able, what is affordable for us, and what is realistic. 

If you are still reading, I'm impressed! I think that sums it up pretty good. I am not interested in diets with names- paleo, vegetarian, vegan, etc., though I believe there are good things to take away from these different ideas. Essentially, I'm just trying to feed my family real food. I like how the author Michael Pollan puts it when he says, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."  I've discovered we just don't like food that feels like rabbit food or is straight up weird (though I am often willing to give the weird ones a go). I've found a lot of different food blogs and I've tried a lot of different recipes, some of which are terrible and some have been amazing! Taylor is so good to put up with me. Here are a few of my favorites:

Perry's Plate

Sprouted Kitchen

Oh She Glows

Smitten Kitchen

My New Roots -this one has a lot of straight up weird/rabbit foods, but I learn a lot and there is still some great stuff on it

I am still figuring a lot of things out, and I'm sure it will be years before I feel like I know what I'm doing and have it down like a pro!

hipster baby

As the bubba approaches 2 years old, I thought I'd recap some of my favorite instagrams of him from over the last year.

isn't technology cool?

Food for Thought

Starting down the "food" path led me to lots of documentaries and non-fiction books (would you call me crazy if I told you how much I have come to love non-fiction books? Not just about food, but anything...I just feel like I learn so much!)  I've really enjoyed it. Not everything is to be agreed with, of course, but there is so much to learn and consider. I was increasingly realizing how much I didn't know about the world of food. I don't want to try and persuade anyone of anything, I have just discovered the value of becoming aware, and making decisions based off of a greater pool of knowledge and ideas. Food is such a complex subject, but at the same time not- at least I don't think it should be.

Here are two books that I read:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

I thought this book took a seemingly boring subject and made it incredibly charming and really enjoyable. I'm sure part of the reason I liked it so much is because I've long dreamed of a simple life filled with delicious food and a huge garden. It gave me a lot to think about, especially in terms of eating locally. And Barbara Kingsolver is a great author anyway. 

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

I loved how informative this book felt. He really went to great lengths to dive into the various food worlds. It especially caused me to consider the ramifications of how we choose to eat, and a better awareness of where food is coming from. I would still like to read his other book, In Defense of Food (which I think is kind of a follow-up to The Omnivore's Dilemma)

The boy and his faces

 This kid really loves smoothies.

 Especially when they are made out of chocolate.

 He also likes making faces because it cracks us up, and he likes it when we crack up.

 

And this one is his new favorite...

What's up with that crazy eye? When he's not in his chair, he puts his chin to his chest and tilts his head while he gives us this look. And then he walks like a zombie.
Weirdest thing ever.

 Cracks us up every time.

Where it all started

Remember when I talked about all of these changes I've been making in my life? And then I said I would talk about it and what brought me to this point, mostly for my own sake but maybe you are interested. I wrote all about The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and what a fantastic book it was- for me- and several of you told me you picked it up after I mentioned it, I'm so glad! (Now I need to read her new book Happier at Home).

And then aside from sharing my own Happiness Project, I stopped blogging about  what I've learned. But I am ready to come back to it.
 

It's hard to really remember the whole process of change, but the next thing that comes to mind is the blog Word of Wisdom Living. I honestly can't recall exactly how I came across it, but I was quickly intrigued. I loved the simplicity and I loved it's purpose, even though at this point I was not at all involved in the world of food and conscientious eating. I was working twice a week at the front desk of the Boys & Girls Club and there was a lot of sitting around time. I found myself looking forward to using that time to open up the blog and read back from the beginning.

Image from Word of Wisdom Living

 I realized I was learning a lot about food and health. I have always considered myself a healthy eater, but I was starting to realize that there were a lot of things I didn't know, a lot of things I could easily change, ways I could be better. This blog was motivating and informational, but definitely not pretentious or preachy. Simple. Factual. Mainly encouraging people to just eat real food and to know their food.

Image from Word of Wisdom Living

 Every week of the year a new goal was introduced, a way to make baby steps towards healthier living. I started reading when the blog was just new, now it is in it's third year and it simply repeats the same topics and goals each week, with some new additions- including more menu helps and recipes.

Image from Word of Wisdom Living

 This blog is definitely no question the thing that got me started on my path to... kind of everything else- but especially the healthier eating & living...everything else ended up stemming from that. I was always one to say things like "I've been eating ____ my whole life and I'm just fine so far so I'm not worried". How naive that sounds to me now. As I think on all of the food information I've waded through and learned since, I think back on this blog and feel how refreshing it is. No crazy extremes or fad diets. Nothing complicated or weird. Just lovely. Back to basics. I've always loved food, but I started to look at it differently, to really admire it.

Clearly I have much good to say about this blog, and I would recommend it to anyone. It is an excellent starting ground. If you do decide to check it out, I would suggest that you be sure to read the About page so that you understand the foundation for the blog and goal at which it aims. And remember, though you will miss some things by not reading all the way back, it repeats so you can just start at the beginning of this year.

Three cheers to healthier living!