The Perfect Pumpkin Shake

If you thought this post would direct you into the paths of pumpkin deliciousness, you are correct! However, if you thought you'd find the perfectly proportioned pumpkin shake, well... join me in the great experiment, because I haven't arrived yet!

Here are the ingredients I used:
organic pumpkin puree, canned ~ 4 oz maybe?
3 eggs yolks
cream - 4 oz frozen
milk - added after the above ingredients to bring the volume to 2 cups
honey - maybe a TB?
vanilla extract - perhaps 1/2 tsp
nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

So it was delicious. I think I need to increase the milk content slightly. The honey was barely adequate but I am also ready to wean down on sweets, so I don't think that will be increased next time. Ideas for future additions will be cloves and ginger, maybe some allspice. A local health food store makes theirs with a whole banana and a lot more pumpkin puree, but since I struggle with adrenal fatigue and I know bananas tank me due to their high potassium content (I need more sodium and they work opposite of each other ) I won't be trying that experiment.

Please post if you try this and come up with a great combo!

Miso Soup

For lunch today, adapted from NT p201

*Almost 1 quart home-made chicken stock (NT p124)
*Filtered water [less than 1 cup added since I was short on broth]
*1 TB fish sauce [purchased very cheaply at a local Asian market]
*3 heaping TB of miso [which is fermented soy, purchased at another local Asian market, MSG-free]
*2 TB Bragg's amino acids [but truly fermented soy sauce would be better if I had some]
*1 onion, sliced [thank you 30-year-old Cuisinart Food Processor]
*3/4 of small head of cabbage [again, thank you CFP]
*1 sprig of parsley [only for picture-taking, this was not consumed during the meal but would have been a nice addition]

Husband rating: OK. Ate 1 serving. I drank his leftover broth.

Toddler take: Veggies were ick, but enjoyed using his spoon twice for slurping broth

Cook's take: Delicious. Very quick and easy to make, very nourishing. Ate toddler's serving plus a second bowl, and will probably eat more throughout the evening. Original recipe called for fish broth, but chicken broth was outstanding. My only gripe is that the sandwiches we ate this with were made from store-bought bread. Kirkland brand, multi-grain and tasty, but not soaked, sprouted, or nutrient dense. Gotta get my rye berries and make sourdough bread. Oh, and a Bosch mixer. Good thing Christmas is almost here!

[Editor's note: Deborah's professional photog was on vacation this weekend so she was forced to take this picture on her cell phone and upload it from her email.]

So I wanna be nutrient dense...

So what exactly does that mean?

Let's flesh it out a bit...

- I don't want to eat stupid, empty calories
- I do want the food I put into my body to nourish it, not tear it down
- I don't want to merely survive, I want to thrive
- I don't want to lean heavily on dietary supplements to meet my nutritional needs
- The point isn't just to fill my belly, but to fuel my body

Why do I care?

- As Stephen Covey recommends, I want to "sharpen the saw" and keep my mind and body healthy so I can be effective in my other pursuits. I think this all starts with what I introduce into that giant tube traversing my body called the gut.
- I am told in Scripture that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that it is not my own. 1 Cor 6:19. Although the context of the scripture is in a passage exhorting readers to flee sexual immorality, I think I can use it to remind me of the holiness of this vessel God chooses to dwell in: my flesh.
- I enjoy feeling good.
- I do not enjoy popping pills or playing the patient. I have this idea that if I consume nutrient-dense foods, I'll actually save money in the short- and long-term. In the short-term I limit eating out and purchasing pricey processed foods; in the long-term I avoid chronic medical conditions that secure a seat for me in the doctor's office.

What do I want to accomplish?

- I want to learn how to consistently prepare food that nourishes my family... and that also tastes delicious!
- I want to explore living by the 80/20 rule: if 80% of what I consume is nourishing as defined by the WAPF, I can cheat (if I wish) on the other 20%, as long as my health allows. That way I can still enjoy meals others set before me on occasion without excessive internal conflict. All bets off if I'm not feeling well in mind or body.
- I want to have a central location for organizing my thoughts on food, detailing successes and failures in the kitchen, brainstorming notes for teaching nutrition to others, and listing references for all sorts of stuff related to eating a traditional diet.
- I want to be able to measure my progress. What better place than on a blog? I have multiple documented (or shall I say more appropriately undocumented) failures at keeping a paper journal. In contrast I find that often, as in this present moment, my fingers are in cahoots with my brain, eager to keep the rest of me up awake late into the night typing away a swirl of thoughts.
- I want some accountability in this food adventure. Perhaps if I expose my triumphs and failures here, knowing that someone else like G.S. is reading this, it will prod me on to keep up the effort.

There, so that shall end my first post...