A Feast Made from Love

I believe that one of the ways that I show my family how much I love them is by making them meals, snacks, treats... DESSERTS. There are of course times when something as normal as pork chops, peas, and mashed potatos just aren't going to cut it, Valentines Day is one of them! Now here's the kicker with Valentine's Day... is it me, or is it a very very hard day to shop for men for? I decided this year rather than giving him something he probably wouldn't use I wanted to make a really great dinner, something extra special!!

Enter the lovely Tesi Weimer of Pampatike Hill Farm. I have been purchasing beef from Tesi since last summer, as Pampatike has 3 of the qualities I really have come to look for in my food.... it's local, it's humane, and those cows are never ever given anything yucky! One of the best things about Pampatike Hill that makes it extra special to use is that many years ago, a section of it was a very large dairy farm, where Bob grew up! I shot Tesi an email and the result, along with my normal order, where some of most delectable filet migons I've ever had. It came in a large piece that I was actually able to get 4 filets out of. (There are 3 of us.... the mustached bandit snuck into the kitchen and ate the other one!!)Meat like this doesn't require alot of fuss, or dress.... I simply heated my grill up til it was piping hot, seasoned the filets with salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme, and put them on for a few minutes to sear on each side. All and all, they probably cooked for about 4 minutes on each side. I once again felt that those babies where the shining star here, so I kept my sides very simple with just a ceasar salad and a hunk of whole grain bread that I had buttered and warmed up on the grill for the last few seconds that the filets were cooking. Dinner was very quiet with the exception of a few satisfied sighs.

I cleaned up the kitchen that night knowing that I had served a couple of things near and dear to my heart.... satisfying my sweetie and giving him a phenominal dinner, feeding my family the absolute best I could in terms of both taste and where it came from and supporting a local farm that has become the only place I will ever buy beef products (and some pretty darn tasty Kiwi!!)from.

Share the love.... visit Pampatike Hill Farms website and learn more!
http://www.pampatikehillfarm.com/

Fad Dieting

Gluten Free... yeah, call me weak, but I just couldn't do it! I wanted to, but what was my reasoning? I was not gluten intolerent and the few days I did try it, I skipped my oats for breakfast and I was absolutely starving, which led to some major overeating, thus defeating the whole purpose! So... another diet idea lies in the dust, along with low carb, low fat, grapefruit, the points one, etc. etc.

I decided to just listen to my body. It was smart, it will tell me what I need, and what I don't ( case in point of how your tummy feels after hitting your local drivethru). So, here we are, back on just clean eating, asking myself a few simple questions before every meal.
1. Do I recognize all of the ingrediants in this?
2. Would I eat them alone, if I do?
3. Would my great great grandma have eaten this?
4. Is it really a good choice?

By answering these few easy questions, the majority of the time, you can figure out if this is really what you should be eating. Reward for doing this? A happier, healthier you. Take the time, plan it out, and really think about what you are eating. Failing to do so can only have bad results most of the time. I'm not saying that you can't have some quick go to meals and snacks, just take the time to know what they are.