Tag: fruit

Desperate for Flavor!

Jennifred Jones

A brilliant January sunshine was streaming in my office door this morning as I ran the carpet sweeper over the doormat to catch the shiny salt crystals that tracked in after our morning snowfall.

Flavor! Our lives want and were created for flavor.

Growing up, my brother and I would snatch a crystal of salt when Dad would refill the water softener tank and lick on it until we had had enough! We also begged mom every so often to let us lick on a bouillon cube. We’d carefully peel back the foil wrapper and take a few licks and wrap it back up for later…savoring the flavor. Yes, it was intense! (Probably people wouldn’t be allowed to do that today, but we’re still alive and well.)

Sometimes we just want to be able to taste something!

There’s a lot of bland and superficial in our lives…not just in food, but in our homes, our relationships and our work.

It’s no fun taking all the flavor out of something because we’re afraid someone else might not like it…we’re not trying to make something for everyone…we are sharing a bit of who we are.  Make something you really enjoy, be someone you really want to be, create a work environment you really would like to work in and find out who all might be attracted to it. And if they aren’t, then they’re not the right ones and you don’t need their approval anyway.

I believe our lives are crying out for more flavor, more interest, more zest and zeal. And we are the ones who have to do something about it.

Try a new recipe, a new meat, a new fruit or vegetable…actually experiment with some new spices in a big, bold way. Change up your wardrobe, rearrange your house, get a new plant, take your family to the art museum, brighten up your work space to say, “Hello work, I’m here for a good day!”

Beat back the winter doldrums with some flavor in your life!

It works just like yeast in bread…add a little bit and it will grow and your whole life can be changed.

What new flavors do you want to incorporate into your life today?

(…all this came about from a rock of salt on the carpet…)

 

 

 

The Discomfort of Comfort Foods

Jennifred Jones

The holiday season is over and I am stuffed. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I guess it depends on what you ate and how it makes you feel and act.

That sounds dumb! It’s just food!

Or is it? And is it able to nourish your body?

Don’t say anymore; now you’re getting into something personal, some might think.

My mother always said the reason many people didn’t feel well or had low energy was their bodies were not getting the vitamins and minerals they needed because they were not eating their vegetables.

Another thing she said about eating was ‘moderation and variety’, ‘moderation and variety’. I heard it many times. I believe it is the truth.

Mom was one of 9 kids, growing up in northern Illinois on a small fruit and vegetable farm that her father owned and they all worked hard to make a go of it. They grew up knowing what good produce looked like and tasted like. So they had the variety, and the moderation came about, I’m sure, because there were so many mouths to feed at each meal…not too many got seconds.

So today, when we’re down and stress is high and we want to pamper ourselves or someone else, too often we reach for comfort foods…delicious concoctions of salty, starchy or sweet, buttery flavors. I love it as much as the next person. They’re easy to prepare… or just order in- don’t even have to think about cooking. No need to worry about learning how to discover a genuine ripe melon, or find some fresh green beans, we’ll have our vitamin C in the tomato catsup on our hash-browns.

But…over time our body will begin to complain with aches, pains, low energy, skin conditions, organs begin to shut down, inability to concentrate for very long, and a general low grade feeling all the time.

Don’t reach for the medicine cabinet! Reach for the grocery cart and get some fresh food to put in your body. Take care of it like you would your car. Put in the right fuel and see how many more miles you’ll get from your day.

Come on…this year let’s take good care of our bodies!

You are worth it!