Book Giveaway...A book by....me!

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We're Only Human by Gretchen Davies

We're Only Human

by Gretchen Davies

Giveaway ends June 01, 2017.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Thursday, April 6, 2017

About Me

I am a mom and wife. I am a "country mouse", raised by hippies and who took on some of those tendencies...but then again who wants monosodium glutamate and preservatives in their food, etc etc? I'm a stay-at-home mom and an introvert who recently ran for office, has a total passion for education, and I homeschool....I am a published author (www.amazon.com/author/gretchendavies)  and self-professed "foodie". I enjoy making art, writing and reading, gardening (although I've got a black thug), amateur genealogist, and travel-lover.

Why do I have a food blog?

I was lactose intolerant as a child and dabbled in food insecurity on and off throughout life. In my early 30s I became gluten-intolerant to the extreme. I am also severely allergic to raspberries (anaphylaxis, anyone?!?!) and get migraines from monosodium glutamate. Basically I have to be that annoying guest at a potluck or restaurant, scrutinizing every ingredient. I don't mean or intend to, but I have to. This causes a love-hate relationship with food.

What foods do I love, despite any of my intolerances?
Sushi
Pizza
Eggplant
Smoked/BBQ foods
squash of all kinds
fresh blackberries
fruit tarts
hummus
Anything Indian
salsa
guacamole
Carne Asada
Yogurt with cinnamon apples
anything spicy

Anyway, I was raised by hippies as stated, so I was not allowed to eat top ramen or kraft mac n cheese (but I always had it at friend's homes) because it wasn't "real food". However, my mom didn't exactly go to the extent of "homemade" as I did.

In college, I gained the Freshman 30, because I decided to go vegetarian. The College meats were all slimy and actual prison-grade, no joke. Plus as a kid I didn't care much for meats. We never had fish or lamb, beef was either burgers or boiled beef (literally beef in water with 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato)n which ended up as shredded beef tacos days later, or well-done under-seasoned prime rib for holidays, or chicken with bottled french dressing on top. So it was easy to go vegetarian, but this meant....PASTA. and pizza. My parents weren't fond of either and with unlimited dinner amounts (plus cookies!) I gorged on carbs.

I never liked food with unpronounceable ingredients, though.

When I got pregnant with my first child, I became very gluten intolerance which came and went for a few years and then stuck to where even a bite made me suffer. Potlucks, restaurants. etc became the enemy. I mean, who puts wheat in hash browns, chili, cheese sauce, and meat rubs, to name a few? Well I found out who.

I went fully gluten-free and began to cook at home basically exclusively aside from a visit to some Mexican place, as tacos on corn tortillas were generally safe. Oh, and Chinese...I wasn't sensitive to soy sauce which con taints wheat....but now I am.

I live rurally so all we have to eat is Subway, McDonalds, Pizza, a sandwich/fried Chicken type restaurant, and sub-standard, wheat in most everything Mexican. So...I ate at home.

And then....

Well I have a "t.m.i." post in this blog as to what happened but let's just say I went to the bathroom and was not pleased with the results.

So I went on the GAPS diet.

So far so good, but my system is finicky. I've had food poisoning probably 10+ times, including times when I lost consciousness, didn't want to open gifts from Santa, and ended up with major parasites where I could barely eat for months.  I think all this damaged me.

So with all this, even prior to GAPS, I wanted to make real food at home. Why buy ketchup with corn syrup or...whatever with freaky ingredients when they can be made without?

Now, with GAPS, everything, even broth, is made from scratch. I've been on GAPS almost three weeks as of this posting and haven't opened any cans or jars or anything.

It is expensive. I can bake a whole chicken, with a side of asparagus and side of spinach, and spend $21 or I can go to Mcdonalds and get 2 big macs, 2 cheeseburgers, 10 nuggets, and 4 french fries for $10. What. The. Hell. Why is it a salad costs $6 but a burger, fries, coke, and other fried delight cost $5? Why does my grocery bill week up to a thousand, when others can spend 1-2 hundred? Oh, because frozen pizza, bread, cereal, mac and cheese in a box, etc are cheaper. Anything factory made seems to be half or less the cost of homemade. Even soda often costs less than water....and soda is made of water (and then some). Something ain't right here. I don't know how to solve that issue but it bothers me.

I will continue to shell out far too much money to eat healthy and eat at home, making food from scratch like people did 100 years ago. I feel 1,000 times better this way (and it hurts me that people often can't afford to eat healthy). I find a certain zen in creating my own mayonnaise or smoked meat or pickles the old-fashioned way. I enjoy getting my hands dirty in making my food, because I know exactly what went into it - love, and real ingredients.

I hope my blog inspires people to try "real" food, or to explore natal diet-based cures for what ails them. I'm not a doctor, no-sir-ee, but I believe food plays an important role in health. I also believe there is no one diet for everyone, as we are all unique creations of God, with different dietary needs and wants.

So...embrace real food. Listen to your body. Fall in love with your kitchen again.


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