I look around at my fellow Americans and I can't help but notice that there are several things that are pervasive in our culture that I have a strong desire to steer clear from.
One of them is obesity.
Every woman on either side of my family has had a significant weight problem at some time or another. I know the ability to gain weight fast is permeated deep within my genes. And that scares me.
I don't want to be overweight. I don't want the health problems that come along with each extra pound I carry. I don't want to look at myself in the mirror and loath what I see. I don't want to be limited in what I can do, and where I can go because of my weight. I don't want something that I can control to stand in the way of having fun with my husband, my kids, and (when the time comes) my grandkids.
Because of this I've been doing a lot of reading on health. I've been calling into question every practice that we as Americans don't think twice about. Because, clearly, we as Americans are doing a whole host of things that together lead us to this point in time where you would be very hard pressed to find a thin American. I spent 7 weeks in Taiwan almost 9 years ago and when I came back to the States I realized a shocking truth: Even thin Americans are fat. It's true. Take a look around and tell me how long it takes you to find an American who is truly fit and healthy.
Our society is medicated to the core to deal with the host of problems that have been brought on by over consumption of nasty, toxic, processed foods packed full of preservatives.
In my recent reading I've even discovered how toxic a lot of the packaging our food comes in can be!
I'm not a health nut. In fact, I love so many of the foods that are awful for me. I confess, I ate a strawberry blintz with ice cream on top and a side of hash browns for dinner and lunch this week. It's especially hard for me to eat well when I'm at a restaurant (like Pig n' Pancake... maker of the delicious strawberry blintzes!). Truth be told, it's hard for me to make healthy food choices on a daily basis. And, all of my good intentions have yet to translate into an exercise program that actually motivates me to get up and get my body moving.
Yet, making good health choices is a fight worth fighting. Even if I regularly fail. Because, if I give myself over to my failures I will end up fat. I will end up unhealthy. I will end up unhappy.
But if I keep trying, and if I make one good decision at a time, I will always be better off than if I didn't try at all. Right?
If you're looking to get advice from a health nut, you'll have to look elsewhere. But, if you are looking to replace one bad choice at a time with one better choice, than stick around and learn along with me!
Today I am bringing you the first ever Real Life Pastor's Wife Simple Swap.
I am swapping microwave kettle corn for home made kettle corn. You can read about the dangers of microwave pop corn here and here. Or you can do some research for yourself and find plenty of other articles with similar information.
The funny thing is, making home made kettle corn is so easy! And it's much more tasty than microwaved kettle corn, in my opinion! Note, I am not trying to fool anyone by calling this recipe healthy. But, it undoubtedly is healthier than the alternative. Baby steps folks, baby steps!
You'll need 1/4 Cup Canola Oil (I'm sure you can use other oils too)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Pop Corn Kernels
Sea Salt to taste
Put 3 pop corn kernels in a big pot along with the canola oil and turn the burner on medium heat.
When the 3 kernels have popped, through in the rest of the kernels and sprinkle the sugar on top.
Put a lid on the pot and shake the pot every 3-5 seconds once the kernels have started popping.
Once there is a lull of 2-3 seconds between pops, immediately remove the pop corn from the stove and place it into a separate bowl (it will scorch of you leave it in the pot).
Top with sea salt and enjoy!
In our family we personally believe this goes great with our green smoothies! Sometimes we even combine the two and call it dinner. Yum!
1 comment:
O my gosh, that looks so good! I almost never eat kettle corn because we don't do microwave popcorn at all. How easy your recipe is! I'm going to try it tonight in my stove-top popper!
When you mentioned ice cream, I cringed. I'm an ice cream addict! I don't keep it in the house unless my husband asks for it because I will eat the entire carton in a week.
But if I do get ice cream, I get the one without additives...just milk, cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Or make it in my countertop ice cream maker. OR...SORBET! It's the bomb!
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