Finding Balm in Gilead

We've been eating cauliflower......

Edited for a glaring spelling error.

So last week I declared that we were clearing the decks of all things sugar, and I meant it. The valentine candy casually left the premises with no one the wiser for it. I have imposed a ban on myself regarding any inclination I might have to bake, whip, or melt anything that closely resembles the beginnings of a dessert.

Serious times in the Balm in Gilead house, y'all.

And while my tummy hasn't mysteriously bounced back to, oh...the year I turned 25, I have noticed some increased energy and clearer thinking going on in my body and brain.

Raw vegetables are the name of the game, my friends. We regularly have carrots and tomatoes and sometimes even some raw, sliced zucchini or squash with our lunches on most days (and mind you, this is all accompanied with a dollop of ranch to help it go down better), but today, people......TODAY I broke out that cruciferous beauty: the cauliflower.

I don't buy cauliflower much. In fact, I sort of forget about it. While very familiar with its similar green cousin the broccoli, cauliflower just doesn't catch my eye most days. Maybe because at the grocery store the cauliflower sits obscurely on the top shelf in the produce section, wrapped in plastic and looking more like a head of iceberg lettuce in disguise.

Really, though, cauliflower is a delightful veggie, especially when drowning in some sort of cheese product. I made a really good cooked cauliflower dish about a year ago, and it was smothered with a beautiful melted jack cheese(or was it asiago?). It wasn't bad at all, though J hasn't begged me to make it again since.

So, for some reason I spotted the cauliflower the other day at the store, and thought it would be a nice change from our regular lineup of vegetables. When I proudly presented it to the kids, though, they were haughty and disdainful.

"WHAT is THAT?" said Gracie with her nose scrunched up.

"It's called cauliflower,and you've eaten it before." I nonchalantly replied as I set it on the counter.

"I don' liwke it." moaned Cash as he watched me take the wrapper off.

"You haven't even given it a try!" I responded as I held it out for both to touch and check out.

"How much are we going to have eat?....One bite?" asked Gracie as the whine began to show up in her voice.

Y'all. They never act this way when presented with a pie or sugary sweet. It's like an inborn trait that we humans all carry to question and scorn the origins and validity of vegetables that are natural to our earth, but yet we don't think twice about ripping open and swallowing blind a pack of M&M's loaded with RED#4 and corn syrup galore.

Not that I've ever done that.

Anyway, we had a beautiful lunch plate again today. In one corner sat our turkey and cheese pita sandwich; in the other corner stood our vegetable medley of carrots, grape tomatoes, and cauliflower all clustered around a generous spoonful of ranch dressing. Nowhere near were there any signs of cookies, cakes, or chocolate.

It was delightful.

And depressing.

Yet rejuvenating.

Albeit anti-climactic.

But we feel good, act better, and think clearer.

It's worth the small sacrifice.

The Wheat Germ Weekly, Edition I'm Back

So.

I have taken a break from the 'ole Wheat Germ Weekly posting, mainly because - well, I don't know why. I guess I lost my mojo. However, I came across this article that I thought might be interesting to you all and it has to do with Kombucha Tea, my new favorite healthy fad. My mom made me try it at her house, saying it had all sorts of anti-oxidant and immunity-building properties, but when she said it was fermented and had a kick, I was skeptical.

And a little grossed-out.

But I tried a shot of it, and yes people, kombucha is FERMENTED, and has things floating around in the midst of its murkiness, but the kick, y'all, is sort of this carbonated cokeish, but not corn-syrupy cokeish, fizz.

In other words, it is surprisingly delightful and refreshing.

So I've been picking up kombucha tea whenever I'm in Amarillo at Natural Grocers because, of course, our small town here doesn't carry such a suspiciously good for you drink, and I've loved having the kombucha accompany me on the long hour plus drive home. However, lately, like in the last three or four weeks, kombucha has not been on the shelf at Natural Grocers.

Or Market Street United.

Or Eat-Rite.

I just assumed it had become so popular, the powers-that-be couldn't get it on the shelf fast enough for all of us health-conscious people out there.

And then I ran across this article on the internet a few days ago:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11159841

Basically, there's a reason I haven't been able to find kombucha......it's being reevaluated on whether it should be sold as a beer/wine product since it contains a small percentage of alcohol due to the fermentation process.

Well.

This could explain why kombucha is all the rage. And why my small town is suspicious.

And why I've overlooked the scraggly things floating around in this kicky drink. Yikes.

I think you'll find some of the quotes in this article amusing. My husband is having a ball teasing me about my new favorite drink and WHY it's my new favorite drink.

Oh, people. Health benefits aside, it looks like I'm back to good old-fashioned, un-fermented Sonic ice water to keep me company on the long ride home.

Y'all have a good weekend.

Phase 2,3,4 etc.

Last week, we officially entered into the final phases of our leaky den remodel. Our internet and TV were down throughout most of the week, but I can say without hesitation that we have ourselves a VAST improvement in the state of our living arrangements back there.

Plus, it looks like we've narrowly avoided prolonged mold poisoning.

I'll be back later this week with pictures, and an account of the sad and sentimental departure of the bedsprings.

Furthermore, I feel a Wheat Germ Weekly post coming on dealing with the nature of clutter in our lives. There's nothing like having to move around a bunch of worn-out furniture, junky toys, and as my dear friend Shelly likes to say, "useless chatchke" to make you take a serious look at what EXACT SENTIMENT these things have in my life and are they adding any value or peace AT ALL???

So I'm on a mission. A mission to clear out, purge, throw away, and kick to the curb. And I'm not just talking about the material chatchke in my life. I'm also talking about the physical chatchke, the mental chatchke, and the spiritual chatchke that is clouding up my attempts at a vibrant and clear-headed existence on this earth.

Here's a teaser for you.......

 

Do we really need 7 boxes of bandaids?

Stay tuned.

Enjoying the Morning

I am on day two of a new morning schedule: a good friend is joining me at our local gym to workout at 5:30 IN THE A.M.

Holy Moly people....5:30 is pretty dang early.

But it helps to have some accountability, especially since I started the 30 Day Shred again two weeks ago, and have only done it three times in these two weeks.

I need accountability. Otherwise I opt out of exercise to go whip up a pan of brownies. Or blackberry cobbler. Or sour cream coffee cake. Or key lime pie.

And so the sad state of affairs that is my tummy.

So anyway, my point of all this nonsense is that though I despise getting up before the sun is up himself, I so enjoy coming home after the workout to a beautiful, bird chirping, windless morning. Here in the Panhandle, early morning is about the only guaranteed time that the wind isn't blowing you off the grid.

Granted, yesterday I got home from our crack of dawn exercise rendezvous and promptly laid down on the couch.....and conked out for the next two hours. So I didn't really get to enjoy the morning. However, today is a new day. I am not reeling AS MUCH from the shock of the early hour, I'm on my third cup of coffee, and the day is just beautiful. I love this time to myself.

And really, it's when I'm high on caffeine like this that I wonder why it is so hard to get up in the morning. Why do I insist on that extra hour or so of sleep when I can get up, sugar up my coffee and come in here to the front room and just pray and read the Bible and get my heart and mind ready for the day?

Oh my day goes so much better when I do this.

But, for some reason - and I guess we all do this to some extent - I have placed a high value on sleep. Don't get me wrong...we all need sleep and an ample amount of it. However, I've convinced myself that I need to take all the sleep I can get - especially now that I have little babes running all over the place - and I forfeit precious time with God and time to myself all in the name of that last hour or so of slumber.

And we all know that the last hour of sleep is, generally speaking, really not good deep sleep......probably because we're rationalizing all through that hour why, exactly, WE NEED that last hour. Thus, the ability to rationalize = not good sleep = should have got your behind out of bed an hour earlier.

So.

I'm up. I'm awake. I'm reveling in the sweetness of the morning. My kids are still in bed. I've had a good prayer time while in the Word. I'm writing this post. And I'm seriously considering another pot of coffee.

It's a glorious day.

( And believe me, I'm all too aware that I could be eating my words tomorrow at 5:30 in the A.M.)

The Wheat Germ Weekly, Face Cream and Other Things

I fear I did rant and rave a bit in yesterday's post. Bleh. Not my intention, nor the way I want this blog to be perceived.

Yet, I am frustrated because I feel we've traded absolute truth for political correctness....in order to be careful not to offend anyone. And so the real things we should be standing up for get lost along the way.

Ugh. Anyway, these are just my thoughts....incoherent as they may be.

So......about face cream.

I know in the elusive search for the proverbial "fountain of youth", there are many face creams out there to choose. Laura Mercier makes a fabulous, albeit expensive, moisturizing cream, Estee Lauder has that oldie but goodie "Night Repair", and Philosophy churns out their very popular "Hope in a Jar".

Though "Hope in a Jar" did not leave me very hopeful. But that's just my experience.

There are thousands of other face cream candidates out there - we are all bound to find something. But, as you know, if I can go the natural route with good results, then that's my ticket.

Therefore, here is my offering for natural face creams.......but beware - you STILL must read those labels carefully, as in the below product:

Rachel Perry Hi-Potency Vitamin E Cream. Besides the fact that I love the packaging of these products (there are two others I've tried that come in similar green and orange jars), this is a thick, heavy cream that smells divine. I have really enjoyed it in the past; however, it is a bit pricy. Furthermore, even in this "natural" cream, the ingredient label is loaded with parabens.

I am so bummed. However, this cream does give great results regarding youthful skin and reduction of lines, etc. etc.

But the paraben deal is disappointment for me.

So here's a better natural option......and what I've been using for a very long time:

I love this stuff. It goes on a bit thick, and it leaves my face feeling very protected and moisturized. Better yet - no parabens. JASON (pronounced yah-song) makes all kinds of natural products, and there is actually another moisturizer like this one that contains only 5000 I.U.'s of vitamin E - I use it if I can't find the other. However, I think the 25,000 I.U's is the way to go for this here 37 year-old.

Do I still have some wrinkles? You bet. Age spots? Hints. I'm getting older - that's just the way aging happens. However, perhaps I've slowed it down a notch or two.....with the help of this cream. (I hope.)

Really, there is nothing - short of Botox - that is going to get rid of all those pesky aging wrinkles. And since Botox is not an option for me at this point in my life, JASON's vitamin E cream will do the trick. Besides, a few good wrinkles are a sign of life being lived. And boy, we're in the thick of living over here.

Furthermore, some of the most beautiful people I know are older women in their 50's, 60's and 70's......and they have WRINKLES! But their hearts are pure gold - I think that's the key to staying young-looking.

I know there are many more options out there, but for now I'm going to stick with what works for me.....until one of you stops me at the grocery store and says, "Amy, this is not working for you."

I hope that doesn't happen for a while.

*********

By the way, totally unrelated to face cream, but completely related to our health, check out this link on Yahoo today:

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/50831/best-amp-worst-breakfast-cereals/

The author of Eat This, Not That talks about cereal in the above post. It is very interesting, particularly since I have been known to really enjoy Quaker Natural Granola. Now I know why.

Also, don't forget to watch Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver on ABC tonight. While I'm sure parts of it are staged for filming purposes, this is great show highlighting the very core of the health problems today in America. In one episode, Jamie cooked a fabulous stir-fry for a high-school cafeteria and was accused by the principal for not having a cup and a fourth of vegetables on the plate.....even though the stir-fry featured SEVEN different vegetables with grilled chicken. However, another food line featured hamburgers, french fries, and an optional iceberg lettuce salad.The principal deemed it as appropriately balanced because FRIED french fries count as a vegetable because they're potatoes.

Fried potatoes, people. Good grief.

Have a great weekend friends!

The Wheat Germ Weekly, Links Edition

On Tuesday, Gracie came down with the pink-eye.

Wednesday morn, we saw the doctor who confirmed not only the pink-eye, but also a double ear infection and the beginnings of strep throat.

Is there any balm?

I might as well set up a tent outside our local pharmacy.

I still blame those blasted elms that are budding....and the fact that the changing of the seasons up here in the northern Texas Panhandle is BRUTAL.

So while my kids are on the mend, today I just want to pass along two new websites I found featuring good-for-you products that look fun and interesting. Keep in mind that I haven't tried anything from these vendors yet, but that's about to change:

Nostalgia Organics is a company specializing in organic bath soaps and aromatherapy balms. Besides the fact that I am coveting Nostalgia's blog design, their soap and balm packaging is darling and so retro. Plus, judging from their press coverage, I'd say these products must be great too. I'll be ordering some Mud Pie soap please.

Divvies is a company specializing in sweet treats for people with food allergies. Their products do not contain ANY eggs, nuts, or dairy. J's beloved cousin in California alerted us to this website just recently since we're dealing with a peanut allergy in my son Cash. People, these products look awesome...and they are getting great press. I've got an order coming in soon, and I'll be sure and give a full report.

Y'all have a good weekend, and think of us here in the Panhandle where the forecast calls for snow tonight. Good grief.

The Wheat Germ Weekly, Ed. 16

KASHI. Not to be confused with Gracie's pet nickname of her little brother("Casheeee!") when she is trying to manipulate him.

Nope, I'm talking about the Kashi brand of crackers, granola bars, and cereals. I love 'em.

They have great taste without all the high fructose corn syrup, and better yet....Kashi is a SERIOUS whole grain food company.

Furthermore, they have achieved such notoriety in the food industry that even small town grocery stores will carry a few Kashi brands.This works well for me up here in the northern Panhandle.

When I think of Kashi, I think of nutty. Not nutty in the sense that you might describe the writer of this post, but nutty in the literal sense - full of nut flavor.

Take the granola bar, Roasted Almond Crunch.

Oh my word, these are delicious! I generally like crunchy granola bars better than the chewy version. Plus, these do not contain peanuts, which is a huge issue around here since Cash has showed early signs of having a peanut allergy. We're hoping he grows out of it, but until he can be tested as an older child IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT, I'm erring on the side of caution.

Food allergies - that COULD be an interesting post.

Actually, the ingredients in a Kashi granola bar are not much different from the Nature Valley brand, except that Kashi uses their "seven whole grain" blend and doesn't use a bunch of flour like Nature Valley.

And get this, there's wheat germ in the Kashi granola bars.

The proof is in the pudding, people. I'm sold.

In terms of money, though, the Kashi brand is going to be a bit more expensive than most other brands like Nature Valley (which is a division of General Mills.) However, my expert internet research team here at Balm In Gilead, Inc., has found that the Kashi brand has less sugar and double the fiber than Nature Valley.....so your extra expense is worth it.

Less sugar, more fiber. That's a good motto to have, folks.

Anyway, several other products in the Kashi company have impressed me.... like these crackers:

People - this cracker may be small, but it packs a huge flavor. Even my husband is a fan....and he's usually pretty skeptical of all the "natural" products I proudly present to him from the grocery sack. In fact, the day I came home with a package of Oreos for a recipe I was making, he asked me if I was feeling ok while he gleefully poured a glass of milk to go with all the cookies he was about to consume.

I think he feels deprived of all the high fructose corn syrup that the rest of the world is enjoying, while he is stuck here at home with all this evaporated cane juice that, as a name itself, just doesn't sound right.

But the above Kashi cracker? He says it's better than a Ritz in "most" cracker situations.

Except for smoked sausage and muenster cheese situations. Only a Ritz is worthy of this honor.

Ok, moving on to the Kashi cereal line. I used to be a Shredded Wheat loyalist, until a friend pointed out this:

Autumn Wheat cereal is just DELIGHTFUL. Plus, it's low in fat, has ZERO sodium, and is certified ORGANIC.

It's a good one, y'all.

But this one, in my opinion, is not:

Seriously, it's not bad. But it isn't "ah-ha" good, either. Maybe it's just me. But I suspect that the smiles of those two women on the front of the box are airbrushed.

Ok, so Kashi doesn't always hit a home run. Even Babe Ruth struggled from time to time.

I would love to profile many other Kashi brands, but sadly, these are all I have access to up here in Smalltown, Texas. Actually, my grocery store carries a few more varieties of the cereals and granola bars, and I think they even carry some of the frozen food dinners, but I haven't tried those yet.

Oh, wait. I did try one of the Kashi frozen pizzas one night when J was out of town. It was an unfortunate choice.

But, as J said later, pizza was not meant to be frozen. It was meant to be eaten at the pizzeria or delivered hot to your door. Or even prepared homemade in your kitchen. I know many of you loyal DiGiorno or Tombstone fans may beg to differ, but I'm inclined to agree with him.

All in all, I think Kashi is an awesome taste and nutrition alternative to the name-brand processed snacks and cereals out there. I'm always ready to try something with whole grains and without all the corn syrup.

Unless it's a frozen pizza. There are some things better left alone. Even I can acknowledge that.

The Wheat Germ Weekly, Ed. 14

I know I promised a bio on Adelle Davis, the nutritionist from the 30s and 40s who was labeled a quack. However, her findings turned out to have the last laugh, though most of this recognition came after her death.

But before I tell that cool story, several weeks ago I wrote about the health that comes from having good friendships....and that we need before anything else God, family, and friends - in that order.

And so it occurs to me this week, as I encounter things in this world and also some personal trials testing every bit of my faith, that my spiritual health - the one at the top of the list - is of dire importance if if I am ever to expect the rest of my body and life to fall into place.

What do I mean by this? I am not even sure I can articulate it, but here goes: With the ebb and flow of our lives in general, there comes a point in everyone's spiritual journey where - pardon the expression - the rubber meets the road. A crisis will inevitably come along to test every ounce of faith we have in the supreme goodness and omnipotence of God. Sometimes this crisis is in the form of a tragedy, a broken relationship, or a physical ailment. Even a career or family issue. Other times it may just be a crisis within one's heart that is only between that person and God.

In my case, one crisis that caused me to get down on my knees and pursue an authentic relationship with God occurred the summer I was 17 and my parents separated. In fact, this whole situation with my parents - starting with this first of many separations and ending finally with their divorce when I was 26 -  served to draw me into a more purposeful walk with God, causing me to cry out to him and take comfort in His Word, and confirming in me to count on Him for peace in the most chaotic of times.

So I am thankful for this journey, even though the issues that initiated my search were undesirable and heartbreaking. I can look back today and see the good that came out of a bad situation.

I'm now 36, and while I've had many more trials and issues that have caused me to seek God even more, nothing has compared to the gut-wrenching situation I experienced during that ten-year period of turmoil with my family.

Until now. The rubber has met the road again....mainly in the form of claiming my identity and daughtership as a child of God.

I have to admit, I thought I had already had my "go-through", so to speak. I thought that the crumbling of my parents' marriage and the ultimate division that resulted was my main story. And now, ten years after their divorce, I feel we as a family - and also me personally - have finally had some measure of success in the healing process because now we can gather together as a family again, and my mom and dad are on very good terms.

Yet, the fallout from the divorce hasn't been easy. I know I've carried some things into my marriage from my broken heart and my desire to protect myself....and I am thankful that God gave me a husband who has been patient and compassionate regarding these issues.

Because we all have some issues, ya'll.

Ok, I need to get to the point. The point is...I've been praying for God to give me a new perspective on certain issues in my life, and also to clean me out on some of the uglier sides of my heart, but I suppose I only thought I would have some ah-ha moments with Jesus in the comfort of my own quiet time and routine....with no GUT - WRENCHING involved that would spotlight some holes on what I've been wrongly basing my identity, and also shake the very core of my attitudes and beliefs about things that I really had never thought about at all.

Yet that's the rub about the Christian's walk with God. If you really want healing...if you really want to get free of something....if you really want a faith of great proportions and a truly changed life to show for it......

There's usually a gut-wrenching go-through to be had.

And you know what? It's necessary.

Oh, how I wish it could be easy. That I could simply have this aforementioned ah-ha moment with Jesus in my quiet time about things in my heart, and in that instant be a completely changed woman.

But it's not. The gut-wrenching go-through has to happen in order to get to the really good ending.

Let me put it this way: I rode on a rollercoaster recently. I DO NOT CARE FOR ROLLERCOASTERS. I got on it, though, partially to prove to my children that their mommy was not a fearful person, and partially to prove to myself that I was not a fearful person. I wanted to challenge myself and conquer my fears. 

When you get on a rollercoaster, the first chugging up the hill seems perfectly benign, yet you know it's fixin' to get pretty hairy once you get to the top of the hill. But, you knew this when you got on the rollercoaster....this is part of the ride. In the middle of all the gut-wrenching heart-in-your-throat loops and turns and dips, you know at some point there's a good ending....that you'll chug your way down to the finish line, and the ride will be over. And you'll be able to say you did it, and even though you held on for dear life, you made it to the end. Hopefully without throwing up.

And of course, you had no choice BUT to make to the end, because once you get on that rollercoaster, and the seatbelts are buckled and the safety bars are locked into place....you can't get off in the middle of the ride. It doesn't work that way with rollercoasters.

And so it is with the gut-wrenching go-through - you can't give up in the middle of it - you just have to press through to the end, where there is most certainly a good ending. 

And ground to walk on again.

And that my friends, is the beauty of this life walk with God....there will be loops and turns and dips, and your heart will be in your throat because of it.....

But God will always have a good ending waiting for you ....

With ground to walk on again. 

So what does this have to do with our spiritual health and the Wheat Germ Weekly?

Everything.

Dr. Gracie

I am on my third box of kleenex in the last 24 hours.

What began as my daughter's cold over the weekend has spread to a full-blown sinus infection for me.

Cash may get off with just a runny nose, the little booger. (Pun intended).

I suppose I can blame it on Gracie, but I know in my heart of hearts that my immune system wasn't charged and ready due to the fact that I ran out of my daily vitamin C last Thursday.

I know. Sacrilege.

I threw caution to the wind and thought I could go without my daily dose for a few days till I could get to Amarillo to buy the "good" kind that isn't carried up here in Smalltown America.

Of course, I wasn't counting on Gracie's cold showing up Friday, and the fact that I would not get any sleep Saturday night for all the moaning and groaning and snorting coming from her room....and then traveling to Amarillo for my dad's birthday Sunday along with several other events.....and by yesterday afternoon, I was DOWN.

And I still had the hour plus drive home to Smalltown.

But in the middle of my pity party regarding the fact that I haven't been sick like this in A VERY LONG TIME, my hero arrives to save the day....in the form of my darling three year-old daughter, newly recovered from her minor cold, and standing ready with her pretend stethescope and a variety of "instruments" in her doctor kit that DID NOT COME WITH THE SET.

So when we got home last night, and I had loaded the last of the dirty dishes I had left in the sink to rot before we left the day before....and can I just insert here that there are few things worse than coming home to a sink full of dirty dishes - and I couldn't even blame it on my husband because the only thing in there of his doing was a dirty pot of sweet corn he had cooked the night before.....

Ok - I just blew my nose AGAIN...

Anyway, after the dishes were done and the kids baths were finished, my sweet darling Gracie asked if she could take care of me and I said OF COURSE - just let me take a quick shower and you can be my doctor......and so there she stood at the ready, waiting in my bathroom as I stepped out of my steamy shower, and she said, "MAMA! Let's get to all this doctorin'!"

And how could I not subject myself to this cute thing ready to take care of me with her questionable kit of instruments?

So I got in bed and both kids promptly climbed up there with me, and Gracie proceeded to get a ball point click pen out and stick it in my belly button all while telling me to "Just relax and lay back."

Sure. But not before we make sure I'm not about to get ink poisoning.

And then she shoved that same pen in my mouth to "take my temperature" and then she made me hold that same pen under my chin for reasons I'm still not clear on.

Really, this whole process was not far off from my visits to the real doctor.

I had to call the examining session to a halt when she tried to rub mentholatum all over my tummy - an idea her brother was more than happy to assist with - but even in my snotty hysteria, I knew that it would be a disaster of major proportions, given the huge sting effect of mentholatum should it get in their eyes....which it most certainly would.

And so here I am today, still sniffling and sneezing, but much better than I was at three a.m. when I thought that I might never breathe again and maybe I should jot down a few particulars for my will.

J probably was thinking the same thing, only wishing someone would put him out of his misery as he tried to sleep next to a woman gurgling and sticking kleenex up her nose.

Needless to say, he left rather quickly this morning.

My stamina for writing this disjointed and incorrectly punctuated post has worn off, and now I must go lay on the couch while we have a day of TV watching at the BalminGilead house against my normally better judgement.

Good day.

The Wheat Germ Weekly, Encore Edition

Friends, due to unforeseen circumstances this week, the Adelle Davis edition of The Wheat Germ Weekly did not get finished. It didn't even get written. Therefore, I'm running a repeat of Edition 2 in it's place. I'll be back on top of things Monday.....surely.

 

Just about everyone loves macaroni and cheese. I myself grew up on the blue box variety, though I can remember excitedly grabbing a bowl of "homemade" mac and cheese while in the line at Furr's Cafeteria after church on Sundays. It was always either that or the mashed potatoes because Mom never let us have two starches with the entree - one always had to be a vegetable - green preferably. That left me with the choice of green beans or spinach or brussel sprouts. Which one would YOU choose?

If you say spinach or sprouts, then maybe it should be you writing this post instead of me.

Anyway, homemade macaroni and cheese wasn't a thing at our house, although just about everything else was homemade. It was only when I married into J's family, and encountered their family recipe of homemade mac and cheese, did I realize how good it could be.

With real cheese and all.

However, the odds of me whipping up a bowl of the homemade stuff are slim most days when trying to feed two hungry toddlers in a timely manner. Yet, as sentimental as I am, the blue box variety just doesn't cut it for me anymore, especially after reading the ingredient list.

But kids LOVE mac and cheese. I LOVE mac and cheese. It's a nice "go to" lunch  - and easy to rev up by mixing it with a meat or vegetable if you feel you need a bit more nutrition.

Your kids probably won't feel that way, but that's too bad.

SO....here is my alternative: The Purple Box!

I've tried several varieties of this brand, and I'm telling you, this is the best one. It's yummy. Plus, read the fine print..."No Artificial Anything". That's good, people.

But here are a few tips: Make it totally with butter (about a 1/4 cup) and a splash or two of milk... it all depends on how liquidy you want your macaroni. Too much milk, and the taste is lost.

I realize butter isn't exactly the healthiest thing on the menu, but it's better than margarine, and most certainly tastier than yogurt, which is actually a suggestion on the box. Yikes.

You may like it with yogurt, though.

Furthermore, you can get this at most regular grocery stores. Although, if you live up here with me in Smalltown, Texas....then you need to go to Market Street (which is always fun) in Amarillo.

I'm not sure if Walmart carries it. Of course, any health food store will have it. It's a bit more expensive than the regular blue box variety, but not much. Besides, it's worth it to me.

Now if you make it and don't like it, please don't say ugly things under your breath. We all have different taste preferences. And.... if you grew up on the blue box, this new taste takes some getting used to because it's, you know, HEALTHIER.

We love it at our house. In fact, it's a great day when the kids don't eat the whole saucepan, because that means I get to finish it off.

Even J likes it. That's huge, friends, since he comes from generations of mac and cheese connossieurs.

I hope you like it, too!

Have a great weekend!