"10 Days of Real Food"

I was recently directed to check out a website called "100 Days of Real Food". (Thanks, Erin!!) I have since spent a fair amount of time on the site, reading recipes and posts.   In short, a family of four made a pledge to stop eating processed foods for 100 days.  This website tells their story and then goes on to offer lots more info and resources and also issues a challenge to take a 10 day pledge to eat only real food.

I took the pledge and am currently on day 5.  It has gone well.  My eating was already fairly cleaned up thanks to my visits with Kim and her encouragement to eat better.  So this was not a huge leap.  There have been a few things that I have said no to and also a recipe or two that I have laid aside for now.

I am leaning towards taking a 100 day pledge, I think that would present more of a challenge as that would take me through a number of holidays; Memorial Day, the Fourth, two family birthdays and some camping. (Kell - I will find a way to make "clean" hobo pies!!)  I really want clean-er eating to become normal, not just something I dabble in from time to time and I believe this pledge would really help cement that. 

As I keep playing with recipes I am finding that maple syrup really does an excellent job of sweetening things without changing the flavor drastically.  Yesterday and today I have been playing with chocolate no-bakes and have been really pleased with the results of making them with syrup instead of sugar!  Yum!

And strawberry rhubarb crisp with maple whipped cream ..... fantastic!!!   Can't wait to make it again, even my husband loved it!  I want to attempt to modify our favorite rhubarb pie recipe, but I'm not sure I am brave enough yet!

On a side note, I am reading an excellent book right now, "Gray Matter" by David Levy, MD and Joel Kirkpatrick.  If you can get your hands on it, read it!