This is Life... Naturally!

Life is just a crazy thing, really... an abundance of responsibilities, things to do, places to go, people to see. A full calendar quickly becomes exhausting and overwhelming because there aren't enough hours in a day, or days in a week. There is a tendency to get lost in the shuffle and to just start going through the motions.

I'm a stay-at-home/work-from-home Mom and am proud to be... It's of the utmost importance to my husband, Nick, and me to give our awesome little girl, Delaney, the best care... and for our family, that's me! Between an active toddler, marketing/graphic design for our family business, my husbands work/coaching schedule, mealtimes, a slobbery bulldog, a garden and household chores, I struggle with finding time to shower, let alone a hobby, like playing golf. But, it's a temporary sacrifice that we make work for us and wouldn't have it any other way!

I grew up on a farm with a father who was incredibly passionate about locally grown food that is produced sustainably, and a mother who was insistent that I learn how to cook from scratch. Needless to say, I do come by being somewhat of a naturalist, naturally... so, it's a bit easier to live on less. Now, by naturalist I don't mean a wacko that doesn't allow anything "unnatural" on our table, body or in our living space. I strive to make natural choices for the main needs in our day to day life... like FOOD! I always remember hearing the typical 'eat your broccoli,' and 'is it made in the USA?' Well, I used to roll my eyes at these statements, but now I realize more than ever that a colorful fresh diet and supporting OUR economy is imperative! A healthy, balanced diet provides a foundation for life in general. I make it a point to make fresh, local (essentially organic) foods a staple and avoid (when possible) artificial additives, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and GMO's (genetically modified organisms.)

It really is scary how uninformed we are when it comes to our food system. We now have school lunch plans trying to pass that gross cookie sheet pizza as a serving of VEGETABLES because it has TOMATO SAUCE on it... Funny thought - tomatoes are technically a FRUIT!!!
And we have big businesses like Monsanto trying to manipulate the natural process of plant life by treating seeds and growing plants in pesticides. Pesticides kill bugs, so how can even a diluted form of it be any good for our bodily organs?

So, although I'm not a Certified Nutritionist I have taken Nutrition and Soil Science courses. Although I don't have a degree in Culinary Arts, most Moms that cook for their families don't either... And my point is that we don't have to in order to make smart choices for our families and day to day lives. My goal is to share helpful hints, fun recipes and random tidbits that just might make your life a little simpler, a bit more healthy or even just spice up the regular routine. Hope you find some helpful insight within the posts going forward... :)