home grown.

I was raised in a household that did not have Oreos. My first Taco Bell experience was in high school. The only time I had Gushers was when my friends at lunch (by some act of God) traded me for my pretzels. My morning cereal rarely had more than 11 grams of sugar per serving. This "forbidden foods" list goes on and on. Some of my friends think I was deprived as a child. Sometimes I think I was deprived. However, I have to say I am very grateful for the way I was raised. Eating healthy has really made a difference in my life and I have my mom to thank. As a registered dietitian, she taught me everything from reading a nutrition label to how many servings of dairy I should get in a day. The more she taught me, the hungrier I got: Hungry for more good food, but also hungry to learn more.

Needless to say, I have continued to educate myself on the benefits of eating healthy. I am far from eating completely organic and I could never completely give up a few delicious morsels of terribly processed and artificial foods, but it does help to try. It's good for you. It's good for the environment. It's good for the future.

Shaker Square, Cleveland Ohio

In Cleveland, we have a wide variety of farmer's markets each week. Shaker Square hosts the North Union Farmer's Market every Saturday from 8am- noon. I went for the first time this past weekend and I can't wait to go next Saturday! The farmers are friendly, the food is beautiful, and it feels great to support such a good cause. I bought local honey which I am hoping helps my allergies (Discovery Health would know!)








 For breakfast, I was planning on making waffles with a strawberry syrup and scrambled eggs. What better time to buy fresh, local strawberries and free range eggs? I know a lot of people don't believe in organic food or maybe you've read this far and already said "hippy" in your brain. don't knock it til you've tried it.

And maybe, just maybe you should watch a free documentary on Netflix to learn more and educate yourself.
My two favorites so far are Ingredients and Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution.
I know the second one sounds harsh...haha it's really not as aggressive of a documentary as the title makes it out to be. I PROMISE you will learn a lot by watching either of these!