An Update

So this morning, I broke my three day juice fast.
This may have been the hardest fast I've ever done.  I'm not so sure it's because of the juicing, but more of the mental attitude that I've had toward it.
You see, as I watched those documentaries that affirmed the things I already knew, it became apparent to me that we need to change our eating.  If we want to live the life that God intended, then we need to take care of the bodies He gave us.  If He made our bodies to function a certain way and we are not caring for them in that way, then something is going to give (our health).  You can't expect a diesel truck to run on regular fuel, so why would you expect your body which was made to function on REAL, RAW foods to function on the processed stuff we put into our mouths each and every day!
A while back our MOPS group had a woman named Amanda Louden come and speak to us.  (She blogs here at "Daily Diner") Her philosophy on eating really struck me then as being important.  However, as I'm sure you know, changing what you eat is not an easy task.  Everything you've been trained to think about food since childhood can't be changed overnight.  Since she spoke we've made some improvements, but nothing like what we should have done.
It think that is why the documentaries have moved me the way they have.  This change has been a long time coming.  You see, the bottom line is this: I am responsible for the things my kids put in their mouths, for their long term health, and for the overall health of our family.  I do the shopping, I do the preparation, I do the cooking and the serving. (and my dear husband helps with the clean up! Yes, I'm blessed)  That is a BIG responsibility.  It's not something that I can relax or let up on.  It's a constant, daily vigil that I must keep.  It's not an area that I can become lazy in because my families future depends on it.  It makes this concept of "what's in a menu" that much more important to me.
So, what does that mean for my Menu Monday posts?  It means I can't skimp by on giving your my "main dish" menus anymore.  It means that I get to be even more creative with the few items that I do cook.  It means that there will be a lot less cooking and a lot less dishes (I can handle that one!) because 51% of each meal will be raw foods.  It means that I will be doing some reading and research for not only recipes, but for the benefits of each of the foods we choose to put in our bodies.  It also means that I will be exploring new stores for new ingredients, and probably shopping a bit more often.  It also means that our "eating out" budget will be transformed into the "eating healthier" budget because let's face it; eating healthy is expensive!  I hope these are ideas that you can get on board with and that you will join me on this adventure of feeding my family as "close to the ground" as possible!