Snow, Muffins, and Why I Eat How I Do

We awoke to drifts of snow coming down this morning. How beautiful! But really, doesn't it feel against nature to get anything done outdoors in the real world when it's snowing like that? 

Luckily, I'm sick in bed. And luckily, I have this sweet companion curled up with me all hours of the day. And luckily, my mother is here visiting, and will make me a strong bone broth to strengthen me. I'm so lucky!

Snow is lightly dusting the branches and rooftops, including the tiny roof of the bird feeder. The bird you see here is one of my favorites, because it is the smallest. Its called a tannenmeise in german, and coal tit in english. Supposedly they are shy, but the one who comes here is quite brave! He lets me get up relatively close to take his picture.

Snow and cold ofcourse mean baking. I made a dozen blueberry cornmeal muffins the other day, and they are a wonderful addition to breakfast, and also make a nice snack. I like the fact that they aren't too sweet. It makes it OK to munch on them without feeling like you're eating a dessert. 

This photo of them is from the magazine where I got the recipe, Taste of the South. It's a fun magazine! It's so devoid of anything low-cal or vegan....I like simple organic foods that farmers eat. I like basics. I like a plate with meat, starch, and vegetables on it. I like to read books from Gladys Taber or Little House On The Prairie and learn about what they were eating so many years ago, and roll up my sleeves and cook what they cooked, and feel part of a simpler time. For breakfast, we eat bacon, whole free range eggs scrambled and spiced up with a few drops of tabasco, and a bowl of steaming oatmeal, with a glowing puddle of sweet organic butter in the middle, rings of raw whole milk, and a sprinkling of organic mascobado sugar. That's our way to start the day!

Your diet shouldn't be about being skinny and fitting into size-zero jeans...it should be about being sturdy, healthy, with a strong immune system; a variety of fresh foods, eating seaonally, thanking nature for all the bounty in your life, being grateful to have these wonderful foods in your kitchen, nurturing your body and those of the people you love, giving them wholesome, delcious foods. Supporting the local organic farmers and butchers. Making it a part of your life to buy, cook, and eat consciously. And, especially, eating what you REALLY LOVE! 

Do you know how many years I spent dieting, depriving myself of foods I loved, just thinking that was a part of life? It took me a while to realize that, I was the one who had decided that's how things had to be for me, and I could decide to change my belief! Especially since I wasn't healthier or more energetic because of the way I was eating (no fat, barely any carbs). It was amazingly freeing to read Nourishing Traditions, and to learn the truth about the foods which have kept certain cultures thriving and healthy, with little or no tooth decay or cancer, for thousands of years. 

Another thought which provoked a change in me was, Would I eat this way if I was pregnant? No. Why not? I definitely wasn't eating the sufficient fats and nutrients to support the optimum growth of another being. So why had I decided it was sufficient for me? Why was I craving sugar all the time? (Because I wasn't eating any fats, which are a premium source of energy, so my body was screaming for simple carbs as an energy source!) If people weren't dying from cancer and heart disease in the past as they were now, and weren't as fat as they are now, and didn't have as many cavities as they have now, why wasn't I looking at how they ate for answers? Why did I have such little energy, and how did people back then have so much?

All of those questions were answered through the book Nourishing Traditions, and the website called the Weston Price Foundation. I invite you to discover these ground breaking sources of information for yourselves!

And in the meantime, enjoy some delicious muffins! Here is where you'll find the recipe. Note that I used all organic ingredients, and substituted whole plain yogurt for the buttermilk, because that's what I had on hand.

xo country girl