(This is part of an on-going series Momma’s Soapbox and I are doing on Keeping Our Inner Aloha/Peaceful Life. See here for the Aloha lowdown and here for the Peaceful Life reason!)

I love this song you might hear playing – Simon and Garfunkel’s “59th Street Bridge Song” (often called “Feelin Groovy”).  I always focused on the lines – Slow down, you move too fast; You got to make the morning last” – and never more so than recently. (Go down & click on the arrow to pause it if hearing it begins to get on your nerves.)

This is combined with something I remember hearing about in the mid-80’s – the Slow Movement. It began in Italy with Carlo Petrini’s protest against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome.  This sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization. 

Opposed to the culture of fast food, Slow Food seeks to encourage the enjoyment of regional produce, traditional foods, which are often grown organically, and to enjoy these foods in the company of others.  To slow down and not only enjoy the food but also the cooking process itself.

In Alpha Hubby’s and my search to eat more healthy, we finally had to face the need to give up processed foods and chemical-laden items if we wanted to feel good, live long and live strong.  We had to learn to eat more “whole*.” This pretty much WIPED OUT ALL YUMMY STUFF changed the way we ate.  I don’t say it was easy because at first, not only my mouth but my mind and body rebelled and wanted to have a sit-down at the table and stuff the face to negotiate terms about what I was eating.

*Whole food is food that is minimally processed, and free of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, flavor enhancers and other additives.  I love this example:  Does the food look like it once lived on this planet? Lettuce, eggs, yes. Marshmallows cream, NutraSweet, Nutella, no.  NO! Break my heart NO.

OK, OK, enough drama queen.  To be very honest, in about 2 weeks your taste buds change.  Not only does food taste better, if you eat something processed, you actually can TASTE the chemicals in it.  Eating healthy sure ruins some great foods.  *Ahem* – I didn’t just say that.  It was someone else.

So I’m sure you’re thinking, “What the heck does all this have to do with the Peaceful Aloha type lifestyle!”  Even if you aren’t, I am going to tell you right now. Hold the applause. It’s too loud there’s so much of it going on!

See this?  It is commonly called a “sink full of vegetables.”

I used to call it “compost” because pretty much I’d purchase it, put it in the fridge, then a wee bit later, scrape it out, and throw it in the trash. I lost more fresh vegetables in that fridge than I ever ate.  I “meant” to eat them but somehow, once they were placed in the veggie-eating box, I never saw them in their beautiful, natural state again.  Nope. Usually they came out slimey, green, mushy and nothing anywhere near what it used to look like.

But as part of my Peaceful Life, I am learning that after I purchase the beautiful fresh vegetables, I need to schedule a time to sit down for at least an hour and plan to wash, dry, chop, tear apart, bag up and put back in fridge these luscious life-sustaining good-for-me foods. Last night I put oldies on the radio and blasted it throughout the kitchen while boogie-ing and chopping away.

Why?  Why spend an HOUR or more cleaning, chopping, preparing, and bagging spinach, lettuce, onions, celery, peppers, oranges, fruit and whatever else is in that box that needs dealing with?

Because then, when your body says, “But I don’t wanna take time to fix someething healthy!  Let’s go to the Bistro! Instant food! Fast food! We can eat their fries and start FRESH (hoho) again tomorrow” – you can tell it to SHUT UP.  Why?  Because all you have to do is reach in the fridge, pull out the baggies of pre-cut foods, and create this for lunch – in no time flat:

So the Peaceful Tip for this week is the thought that with a little preparation in advance, you can stop the impulse eating that comes when you don’t want to take (or have the) time to fix something healthy.  It saves time and it saves aggravation.  Always a peaceful thing!

That said, I want to know if someone can explain this to me – something that comes from a locally-owned grocery store – and I THOUGHT dealt mostly in locally grown foods.  Anyone???

And no, I didn’t notice this before I bought it. Makes me wonder how early they had to pick it to get it from Holland to my grocery store here in Arkansas.  Just how fresh can THAT be????

Oh and p.s. – if you have trouble finding organic foods, then things like peppers, oranges, apples, etc., things that have wax on them, can be soaked in a sink full of warm water with 1/4 cup vinegar added to it. Soak 15 minutes, rinse and dry. It will help remove some of the pestisides, etc., that you don’t want to eat and make the food a good alternative to organic. Well, as much as possible!