Food for Thought

Eating as healthy as possible is important to me. Teaching my kids healthy eating habits is equally important.

Back in October I read an article about cash strapped farmers feeding their cows candy as the price of corn rises. They are mixing traditional feed with crushed up pieces of marshmallows, candy bars, even powdered hot chocolate mix. The farmers see this as a win-win because they are reducing their expenses in terms of feed cost and they are fattening up the cows, therefore increasing their profit.

Think of it in terms of this; Would you put vinegar in your gas tank? No, because cars were not meant to "consume" vinegar. No, because cars will not run at their optimal efficiency by putting vinegar in the gas tank. No, because it can't be good for the car and the desired output of the machine.
I have no scientific proof here but logic tells me cows will not produce the most nutritionally rich products (milk, beef) if they are being fed non-nutritious food on a daily basis. I am no scientist or official nutritionist and I do not even claim that I do not nosh on the occasionally candy bar myself. However to me, it seem preposterous that someone out there thinks feeding cows candy is even somewhat ok.

And if you want to talk schematics here, cows are not, by nature, even meant to eat corn. Cows are meant to eat grass. However corn is cheaper than grass so we have forced cows to alter their diet and eat corn. I will not go into how they get cows bodies "prepped" to a corn diet, you can search that on your own if you are interested. But I thought I would just give you some food for thought.
How bad does it have to get before we demand better?

This is just a reminder, there are some markets that are still open in the winter, two that I frequent are The Rochester Public Market and The Brighton Farmers Market. If you go to eatwellguide.org you can type in your zip code and find locally grown foods that are close to you.

 me supporting my love of vegetables in this one of a kind beaut of a shirt. This is actually an old shirt but I am proud to say that it is made in America and can be found here.

…C

Born in the USA #1

Remember my 30 Day Buy American Challenge? I made the proclamation a few weeks back and you have not heard from me about it since. Well finding American made products in stores can be difficult. So I headed to Etsy to check out their great contributors to find some unique pieces and support these local artists and designers. I have made some made in America purchases and have been waiting for them to arrive. Well it's kind of like Christmas all over because some of my purchases have started to show up at my door.
Born in the USA purchase 1, this is a subtle and unique way to add a little detail and change the look of a traditional skirt. It is a slip extender made by Vezanie from Marietta, GA. She makes a few clothing pieces including dresses and skirts, however I would say she is most known for her slip extenders. She has several colors, patterns and styles to choose from that you can add to a short or long skirt.

…C

 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4564015/?claim=euhh43j74b5">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Splurge or Save

I had a friend over for some cocktails, before she came I had to run to the store to pick up a few things~namely the cocktails.
Normally I drink Michelob Ultra because I enjoy the taste and it is light on calories. If I do splurge, it is usually with Blue Moon. However, as I was in Trader Joe's perusing the beer aisle deciding if I wanted to splurge or save on my calorie consumption I saw this can that drew my eye. I looked a little closer and saw that it is brewed by Butternuts Beer and Ale in Garrattsville, NY.
How could I resist? From the name, Porkslap Pale Ale, to the can, to the fact that it is brewed in the USA, New York actually!
I went for the splurge. It is not a wheat ale like Blue Moon, it is a bit darker than what I am used to, however it was pretty darn good. I would buy again.


Check- for my buying American products challenge.

…C

Challenge Accepted

I have mentioned before that I am a teacher, among the classes that I teach is Financial Literacy. I recently had my class read an article that stated 42% of American parents fear their children will be worse off than they are. Every parent can attest that we want our children to be better, do better, have better, than we have. This article painted a dismal picture. Coupled with the talk of the looming fiscal cliff, I deemed it necessary to do my part to support our economy. That being said, I love a good challenge, so here is a challenge that I am going to try my best to take on and I think it is a doozey~30 day buy American.

So over the next 4 weeks I will post things in several categories that are all made in the good ole U S of A.

I was on Etsy today searching for some unique items. They feature a link in which you can choose a location in which to buy from. I simply entered USA and viola, made my first purchases for my 30 day buy American challenge.

I will post pictures soon!!

…C