New Blog

This blog is officially retired

please visit my new blogging adventure at

sugarchallenge.blogpost.com

King of Kale?!

(from a really cool blog called katheatsrealfood.com)

Hi Positive Eaters,

So the other day someone called me the "King of Kale." I found this a humorous coronation, because I just pictured myself wearing golden robes and with a crown made out of curly leafy protrusions of the superfood. While I may not be a king of anything....Kale certainly is the king of leafy greens.

Kale, is a cruciferous vegetable, and is loaded with more nutrients than you can imagine. This how it stacks up in just a few nutrient categories.

- Kale contains four times more Mg (magnesium) and five times more Ca (calcium) than Brussels sprouts
- 17 times more Vitamin C than carrots and four times more than spinach
- Nearly double the magnesium of spring greens
- More folate than broccoli
- Seven times more carotene than cabbage
(from discoverkale.com)

Kale often freaks people out because it is this huge stalk of green leaves coming at you. But it is actually quite easy to use. You can steam it, stir fry it, work it into dishes...like vegetable lasagna. You can even bake it and make Kale chips. Kale is also shown to have a detoxifying effect and may actually aid in recovering from cancer. Here are a few great recipes.

Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika Recipe (from simplyrecipes.com)

I make this all the time!

Kale tends to collect dirt in the leaf wrinkles, so rinse carefully before using. To prep, cut the leaf away from the center rib and stem of each leaf. Discard stems and center ribs.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh kale, carefully rinsed, stems and center ribs cut away and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (also sold as Pimenton), sweet or hot
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
Salt

1 Bring a large pot (4 qts) of water to a boil. Add a Tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the chopped kale. Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the smoked paprika and crushed red pepper. Add the kale and sauté for several more minutes. Sprinkle on more salt and smoked paprika to taste.

Serves 4.

Kale Lasagna Diavolo (from livestrong.com)

Unbelievable!

Ingredients
1 tsp Olive Oil
8 oz Organic Green Kale
15 oz Fat-free Ricotta Cheese
4 oz Goat Cheese
2 cups Tomatoes Puree
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
6 pieces Whole Wheat Egg Lasagna Noodles
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese


1. preheat oven to 400F. coat 8in square pan with oil.

2. cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 2min. drain, and rinse uncer cold water until cool enough to handle. thoroughly with out kale, then chop. season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set aside.

3. mash together ricotta and chevre in bowl, and set aside.

4. heat 1 tsp oin in small saucepan over medium low heat. add garlic, and cook 15sec, or until fragrant. add tomato puree and red pepper flakes; simmer 5min, or until thickened.

5. spread 1/4 cup sauce in prepared baking pan. place 3 lasagna noodles on top of sauce. top with half of cheese mixture, half of kale, and 1/3 cup sauce. top with three more noodles, remaining cheese, and emaining kale. top with remaining lasagna noodles, and cover with remaining sauce. sprinkle with parmesan and bake 40min, or until cheese has melted and lasagna is bubbly.

Kale Chips

Everyone loves these...I am not crazy about them...but trust me I am in the minority!

Ingredients

1 Bunch of Kale
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Seasonings of your choice

Preheat oven to about 375*

Tear the leaves off the thick stems into bite size pieces. Spread out on cookie sheets.

Drizzle with about 2 tsp of olive oil
Sprinkle with Parmesan, Asiago or your seasonings of choice. Plus a sprinkle of kosher salt.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until edges are brown and kale is crispy.

A Bus Full of Sugar!

Hey Positive Eaters,

I just started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution! I know I am a little late to the party but this guy truly is a kindred spirit of mine. Remember the Sugar Challenge? Check out the demonstration he did in a local LA park.



Stay Positive,

Matthew

Big Thanks to Andover High School's IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Hey Everyone,

This week is going great! I got a chance to do an interview with Andover High School's IN THE SPOTLIGHT. I love seeing kids doing something positive and creating worthwile media. The show featured an exceptional host, Joe Kukyendall, and he asked some great questions about this blog and other prevalent health issues of the day. I believe this is airing on Andover Community Television right now! I had a really good time and would love to do it again in the future.

Green Challenge is going well. I made a couple of green juices that were really good lately. I tried one that was just greens and it wasn't as disgusting as I thought it might be. I am also holding it down everday with some fresh salad greens that I picked up the other day. That is right...fresh local greens are starting to pop up some places!

I am really happy to be getting this blog going strong again. I look at it as a platform to advocate for healthy eating as an avenue to a more fun and enjoyable life. Please let me know of ways I can improve this corner of the World Wide Web. I appreciate any feedback you can give. My goal is to get a video up this coming week. So visit back!

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Go To Green Recipe

Hey Everyone,

How is everyone doing? I promised a green recipe a few days ago and am finally getting around to posting it. I wanted it to be something outrageously simple and involving only a few ingredients. Then it hit me...why don't I just post my "go-to green recipe." This is what I make when I need to get my greens in and I don't feel like putting the chef's hat on. I think you will find that greens are not quite as scary and hard to prepare if you give this a try.

Sauteed Greens in Garlic and Olive Oil

1 Bunch of Greens (I often use Kale or Swiss Chard...but you can mix and match)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic Minced
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice or Vinegar

Rinse and chop up Greens. Heat Olive Oil in frying pan. Add in minced Garlic. Add in Greens and saute for five minutes. Dash on Vinegar or squeezed Lemon. Don't be afraid to mess with spices too!

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Adding stuff in is way cooler

Hi guys,

Wow! I am really surprised at how difficult this challenge is. I am four days in and almost failed twice to get in a daily green. Fortunately, throwing some Kale into my morning juice and a special delivery to work one day kept me on top. I got to say adding things in is the way to go. This to me is why many "diets" fail. They are too restrictive. They follow the "eat this, not that" paradigm and that is no fun for anyone.

As soon as you are told not to do something, the human psyche wants to do it. This is just a reality that makes being a human a wacky experience. That is one of the reasons this blog focuses on all the great stuff you can eat. There is an abundance of healthy and delicous food out there. I'd rather say "eat this, and this and this, and definitely try some of that, and you can eat as much of you want of this over here, and don't forget to try some of this too." Americans were told, not to eat fat, then we became deficient in healthy fats. Then there was the "great carb scare" and people starting consuming sugar alcohols at an alarming rate. We literally became frightened to put a fork in our mouths. I believe, you do less harm and have more fun when you concern yourself with adding healthy food in, rather than cutting certain foods out.

I am pretty confident you can eat greens til you are blue in the face and not face any dire consequences...except for maybe a blue face. Leafy green vegetables is a great "add in" to get started with. I notice people tend to notice a kind "healthy feeling" inside when they first start trying them on a regular basis. Tomorrow, I will try and post up a really good green recipe!

Stay Positive,

Matthew

The Green Challenge!

Hey Everyone,

Two months have passed since Jeff and I wrapped up the Sugar Challenge. We are glad so many of you followed us and even joined us in giving up the sweet stuff for a month. We were itching for a new challenge, so I decided to throw down a new one this Memorial Day weekend. This challenge will not be about taking something out, but rather adding something in.

The number one missing food in the American diet is green leafy vegetables. For some reason, we are just freaked out by them. Which is really a shame because they pack a powerful punch of lifegiving nutrients. Just ask Popeye! They are typically very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K. Plus their is a list of life enhancing phyto and micronutrients a mile long that are hidden within the cell walls of these dark green nutrional superfoods.

The challenge will be to eat one serving of leafy green vegetables every day for the month of June. Jeff and I started last night with some sauteed Kale before the Bruins game. No, things like lettuce and celery do not count. These got to be those dark greens that are often used to as garnish. Here are a few examples:

Broccoli
Kale
Collard Greens
Mustard Greens
Dandelion Greens
Mesclun
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Arugula
Green and Napa Cabbage
Broccoli Rabe
Watercress

That's right the real freaky ones! Don't be scared though...here are some of the health benefits to eating green vegetables.

- Alkalizes the Blood
- Cancer Fighting properties
- Increased Blood Circulation
- Strengthens Immune System
- Fills in Nutrional Gaps for Many Common Deficiencies
- Alleviates Symptoms of Depression
- Tonifies Liver, Kidneys and Lungs
- Reduces Congestion

Over the course of this month, I will go over many of these benefits and post a ton of Green recipes. We will host this challenge over at my old blog site Positive Eating. I believe this will be fun, adding something in is way more enjoyable than taking something out. It will by no means be easy, but hey it's not easy being green.

Stay Positive,

Matthew

First Video Post!

Here is what is going on over at sugarchallenge.blogpsot.com...

Hello Everyone!

This is our first video post! This is Oscar worthy stuff, so make sure you grab some popcorn and give it a watch! Just make sure you don't eat caramel popcorn, that stuff is like crack! We like to think of ourselves as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck from Good Will Hunting, except instead of being a math genius and his scrub friend, we are Nutritional Superheroes.

Enjoy!

Taking on the Sugar Challenge

Hi Positive Eaters,

We got the new blog up and running and I just posted this introduction over there. Stop by because we got some pretty cool things going on over at

sugarchallenge.blogspot.com
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Hi there...thanks for stopping by our blog. We hope you visit often and provide support, advice and humor...we are going to need all three!

Why the sugar challenge? All of us in America are drowning in a sea of sugar. We are riding a glycemic roller coaster that leads us into a constant grab for cheap energy every step of the way. This became even more apparent to me personally when after two years of cleaning up my diet substantially, I noticed I still consumed many products that contain processed sugar. When I went a day without them, I felt nervous and/or foggy. I began to notice that even my most health conscious friends still went gaga for chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

I was discussing this with my good friend Jeff Bartlett one night and someone blurted out that we should just give it up for a month (I am thinking that someone is me since I am prone to exaggerated overtures). That's right, go Miles Davis on this thing. So here we are taking on this radical challenge for the entertainment of you all.

Sugar is in everything from baked goods to salad dressing. The question is often raised "what will you eat then." The answer is a lot simpler than you might believe. We can eat anything that is a plant or an animal. Sure fruits and many vegetables are packed with sugar but these are natural occuring fruit sugars and/or more complex carbohydrates. Refined and processed sugars are extracted from their natural source to surge into our blood stream with a take no prisoners mentality. Here is a simple example, when someone collects sap from a tree to make maple syrup they need to cook out the sugars to get that sweet gooey substances we pour all over our waffles. Tree sap alone is not very appetizing. Fruit on the other hand glistens in the sun asking us to devour it. We go through all this chewing and we break down all this fiber as a rite of passage to the energy/sugar it provides. That is how it works if the sugar comes along with the whole package we will roll with it...if it needs to be cooked/extracted/evaporated/siphoned/crystallized out we are staying away for 30 days!

We plan on allowing one glaring exception. We will allow honey to be used as a sweetener. Honey acts, looks, behaves and tastes just like sugar and techinically is processed, in a plant called hive by a workforce called honey bees. I find this one example of nature providing a refinery for us to get quick energy. Honey will also be necessary to make breads and get us by from time to time. I know it seems cheap...but there are so many positive health claims to consuming honey, it seems silly to restrict it.

We hope that this challenge raises some awareness to some pretty important issues. Sugar consumption is linked to obesity, heart disease, certain cancers and type II diabetes. If one were to graph the rise in sugar consumption in America and the rise in occurence of these health issues, you would see the march upward in lock step with one another. Reports by the Word Health Organization show type II diabetes hitting rates of 60% among North Americans in the next 30 years. Such a future would cripple the current health care system and lower life expectancy dramatically.

This blog, like Positive Eating will stay away from the doom and gloom. We are hoping to show you how living without sugar for 30 days can be a life changing and fun experience. Let us know how you feel by posting comments or visiting our facebook pages.

Alright...Let's Ride.

Matthew

No Sugar for 30 Days!

Hello Positive Eaters,

I am excited to announce a new 30 day challenge! I will be taking it on starting tomorrow. I will be going almost the entire month of March without consuming any processed sugar of any kind. This means anything made with sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, organic cane sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup and other such glycemic spiking substances are out for 30 days!

This challenge is going to be even more dynamic because my good friend Jeff will be joining me. Jeff, is better known as Mr. Bartlett, a middle school health teacher by day and superhero by night. He blogs regularly at Middle School Health Esteem. He is a self proclaimed sugar junkie and trying to go clean. Jeff can get me amped to do anything so his involvement is clutch. We will be co-posting at a separate blog page as well on our own respective blogs during the challenge. Here is the new blog make sure you visit it every day...because we will be posting something eye opening, inspiring and wacky every single day. That's a promise

No Sugar Added: A 30 Day Challenge

The URL is : sugarchallenge.blogspot.com

The gist of this thing goes like this. We will be avoiding all processed and refined sugars until the evening of March 30th. That evening I will bring this whole thing crashing down by consuming birthday cake (I turn 29 on March 30th). Along the way I hope to drop some knowledge on you about the sea of sugar we are all swimming in and how awesome it feels to teach your body to burn good clean carbs for fuel rather than rely on the short range jittery junkie energy that sugar provides. Most importantly we are looking to make it fun and interesting.

I will be going into a little more detail in tomorrow's post. I just wanted to get it out there...so that my boy Bartlett remembers this is for real and to make sure you all keep me on task. Here we go!

Stay Positive,

Matthew

PS
If anyone reading this works for Starbucks....do not allow me to order a Green Tea Latte with Soy from you guys for at least 30 days. Thanks a million.

The Great Health Debate

Hi Everyone,

Were the past 6 months was awesome? I hope so, it's very cool to be writing a post right now. I came close to shutting this blog down. Over the holidays, a lot of people asked me "what's up with the blog?" and "I really miss the blog". So, here I am firing it up again. The thing is, I am a pretty multi-dimensional person and was starting to feel like one of those "intense foodie people" writing about it all the time. However, I missed writing this stuff and apparently so did a few others. So, from now on I am simply going to write about anything that inspires me.

That being said, I decided to write about today's big matchup. I am not talking about the Packers and Steelers in the Super Bowl. I am talking about Gabriel Cousens and Joseph Mercola in the Great Health Debate! That is right for the next 7 days a series of debates between leading voices in the field of nutrition will be squaring off every night. This is a result of the hard work of Kevin Gianni over at RenegadeHealth.com. The greatest thing about this event is it is free to listen to! You just need to sign up and listen to the debate within a certain time frame everyday. If you like what you hear you can purchase all the debates for an incredibly reasonable cost.

I am heading over to Ryan's today for the first edition of the fight card. We are actually forgoing the Super Bowl for this. I know that makes me sound like an obsessive foodie person right there... but I am actually huge sports fan. I am still smarting from the Patriots loss and I actually think this debate carries with it the potential for even heavier hitting action than two great NFL defenses on the field tonight. If you want to sign up there is still time. The link is below.

http://www.thegreathealthdebate.com

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Feel the Force Flowing Through You

Hello Positive Eaters,



It is nice to be posting again. I just finished up what proved to be, quite literally, a weekend on the run. After a nice long day at the Boston Sports Club in Andover, I got into my Nissan Cube and drove out to my old stomping grounds in Fitchburg Massachusetts. I was to spend the evening at my teammate Jamie Aubuchon's house. His house was about halfway to Shelburne Falls, which is the site of the infamous Bridge of Flowers 10k, I was registered to compete in on Saturday morning.



Crashing at Jamie Aubuchon's to me, was the equivalent of Luke going to Obi Wan Kenobi's hideaway in A New Hope. Jamie, is the person responsible for teaching me the "force" or in other words getting speed into the legs of a gangly 19 year old Matthew Germain. Jamie to this day competes in track and field competitions, specializing in the Pentathlon and middle distance events. He can get on a track and roast anybody on any given day. His body seems to refuse to accept the ravages of age and he patiently continues to rear the talents (or lack thereof) of the young runners at Fitchburg State College.



I spent the evening with him and his son Ethan. What is remarkable is Jamie's conversational style and approach changed very little around his 10 year old son. He seemlessly brought him into our conversation and Ethan and I both enjoyed listening to his present day war stories at a recent series of track meets in Worcester. Ethan is of course the best runner on his football team, and it is probably only a matter of time until he sees the light and becomes a runner himself. Jamie of course sits patiently in the stands watching his son at every football practice. I wonder if he is waiting for the day the pads come off and his son learns that he can fly down the track with a speed and force that you are either born with or learn to develop through the mentoring of a great coach such as Jamie.



The next morning I slowly ate a bowl of Hemp Plus Granola, topped with bananas and slipped out of Obe Won's cavern. Shelburne Falls was still an hours ride and I needed to be ready for any of the twists and turns that the forgotten highways that penetrate Western Massachusetts can throw at you. This race was to be an experience. I put aside any concerns with time and place and just went out there to soak in every moment of this truly challenging event. After evenly splitting the first two miles, we were sent up Crittenden Hill Road, a portion of pavement that is legendary amongst New England running folklore. You are sent a mile up a steep and switchbacking beast of a hill. Your pace slows to almost a trot as you muster up any strength you can find to put one foot in front of the other. After this, well it is pretty much off to the races as the course sends you hurtling down hill mostly for the next 3.2 miles. I must say it was an easy ride, all that I needed to do was open my stride up and let myself go.



After the race, I was happy to see that the post race refreshment consisted of fruit, organic granola bars and veggie burgers. Thanks to the forward thinking race directors I did not need to stop for lunch on the way home. When I got home, a strong urge to go running again took hold of me. I kept pushing it aside...but it kept coming back. I finally suited up and went out for an evening five mile jaunt. The next morning I arose and headed out the door to meet up with my teammates for our typical Sunday morning long run. I showed up and noticed I was the only one in the parking lot. So off I went, just me and my running crazed self. I did my typical 12.6 mile loop and then just kept going. I ran through the trails at Winnekenni park and back out onto the streets...I kept going and going and going. I ended up running 16.6 miles and wanted even more.

I was able to get a hold of myself and head home for a well deserved lunch.



That afternoon, I went to Plum Island to soak my legs in the cold ocean water. The surf was strong and what felt like such a strong frame on the land suddenly became fragile as swell after swell lifted me and through me wherever it wished. I was even sent hurtling onto the sand from one particularly strong wave. A couple of teenagers who were bobbing up and down ever so cooly and riding wave after wave, commented on how well I "rode the wave", I laughed and assured them that the wave just had its way with me. We laughed and I dove into the water several times before returning to the land to dry myself off.



Walking along the sand, I was thinking about our perceptions of inner strength. Several beach goers swam amongst the churning surf with little or no concern about the massive force the ocean can exert on their tiny bodies. Often, people gawk and make comments like "I would be lucky to run 16 feet" when I tell them about my running exploits. When I am running I take little note or care about the forces gravity is exerting on my musco-skeletal system. Forces equal to 2-4 times by body weight repeatedly impart themselves on my joints, ligaments, bones and muscles. I fling myself throughout space and allow myself to float along with gravity as if nothing truly remarkable is going on. As if the forces that are "having their way with me" are natural and not distressing at all. It seems as if feats of strength and will require either an ignorance or a passive dismissal of the truly overpowering forces of nature.



I thought about my compulsion this weekend to keep feeling my body move through space. I realized there was a certain relief associated with every step. I believe a certain surrendering to the force cultivates a cooperation and respect that allows us to accept these forces as they come at us. We know it is impossible to fight it so we simply go with it. We even sometimes become intoxicated by it.



People I work with often see themselves as failures when they fall victim to a craving or a need to eat. The forces that push us to eat are completely natural and necessary. Our attempts to resist them only knock us over. Being human means accepting we need to satiate our hunger, whenever possible. The old model of dieting involved restrticting our meals, portion sizes and calorie counts. This process certainly will work, but I believe it involves fighting against a force rather than cooperating with it. One reason, I started this blog was to show people that eating healthy can be fun and stress free. Let's accept that we need to eat and then put all sorts of awesome stuff into us.



I started this post wondering if I was going to write about food at all. Interestingly, enough here we are. I challenge you to accept and cooperate with any of the innate natural forces in your life this week. Nature provided them to power our lives not wipe us out. Obe Won would say, "may the force be with you," Jamie would say "he wants to play football so I take him to football practice"...I might say "positively eat until you feel so nourished that your insides smile."



Stay Positive,



Matthew

Finally Found a Chaga Mushroom!

^

Positive Eaters!

^

Above is the wild mushroom known as Chaga! I started searching for this superfood after Ryan returned from a seminar with David Wolfe at Kripalu in May. He came back with stories of this mushroom you could find growing on birch trees in the woods that possessed an ORAC rating higher than Cacao. So off I went into the woods, bushwacking and staring up and down at birch trees of every shape and size. I also started to research this magical mushroom (that does not cause you to hallucinate so don't get too excited). I also wanted to make sure I went about this safely and successfully.

^

Chaga is a parasitic fungus (I know you just read parasite and are thinking I finally went completely crazy, not to fear I did my research) that infects primarily birch trees. Accounts of this mushroom being used in traditional medicine date back to the 16th century in Russia. The mushroom gained substantially more attention when a Russian author wrote a book called Cancer Ward. In this fictional book, (that is often thought to be an autobiographical account of the author's own battle and recovery from cancer) the main character discusses the use of Chaga to help treat his case of cancer.

^

Recent studies are starting to back up these claims. Scientists in Russia, Finland and South Korea located something called betulinic acid in Chaga mushrooms. When the acid was applied to tumors in vitro they brought about anti-melanomic activity, in other words stopped the growth of tumors. Later studies showed it can also produce apoptosis, the killing of cancer cells. Human and animal trials still need to be conducted (which always makes me laugh because humans have already been using it for 400 years, they should just go study those people).

^

The anti-tumor thing is certainly exciting. However, chaga is also know to be anti-inflammatory, immune stimulating, a pain reliever and effective in the treatment of ulcers. As I stated earlier, tests for antioxidant content on Chaga specimens reach well over 1000. To give you a reference point, blueberries are often touted for there high antioxidant content...your best batch of blueberries might get you into the 200's.

^

The craziest thing about finding my first Chaga mushroom is where I found it. I searched high and low and deep into forests for these things and I end up finding it three miles from where I live. I dropped my car off at the mechanic to get some routine service done and was about to go out for a run. I walked over to a grassy spot near a housing development and looked up into this birch tree that abuts the property and lo and behold there was this burnt charcoaly mushroom. The process now will be drying it and breaking it up into a powder to make a tea. I will let you know how that goes.

^

*Disclaimer: definitely study these things well if you go searching for one...they really are unmistakable in the way they look...still I don't want anyone ending up in a hospital or going on a three day halluconegenic trip because you made a tea out of the wrong mushroom. Best resource on finding and harvesting chaga mushrooms that I found was this guy, Daniel Vitalis, check out his website and videos if you are interested in Chaga.

^

Stay Positive,

^

Matthew

Reflections on Being Outside the Box

Hello Positive Eaters,

I made it! One entire month without entering a grocery store. I managed to even avoid those grey area "health food stores." I did get food from a few restaurants and a couple times bought an item from CVS, but other than that I survived on what was stocked in my pantry and the bounty of local farms. This post isa reflection on the food, the people and the fun that was last month's challenge.

One thing that cannot be understated is how quickly you gain the ability to make several different dishes from the same items. When you are limited to whatever is already in your pantry you get creative. Quinoa with vegetables was a stir fry, a salad, a pizza and a wrap. You also start diving into food that would either be ignored or went to waste in the past. How very efficient!

The freshness of local farm raised food is unmatched. Anything that was picked yesterday and ends up in your stomach today carries with it a crispness and flavor unique unto itself. This is devoid from store bought food as it is bound to fade away when it sits in a truck on its trip from Florida or California. This freshness makes you appreciate the fertile lands that exist in your own backyard. The potential for food to sprout from the land right beneath your feet helps to develop a unique reverence for any open space you come across. I probably walked around barefoot on the grass more times this month than usual. I just wanted to feel this soil that can grow plentiful amounts of food beneath my feet.

The experience of shopping amongst farmer's markets and conversing with farmers was truly the most special part of this challenge. Often "grocery shopping" is on the list of "to do's"...just another necessary task in our busy schedules. People often try to get in and out of the grocery store as quickly as possible. I often found myself looking for a reason to hang around longer when visiting a farm or a farmer's market. Often people visit the farm as a "summer excursion." This was like a little excursion for me three or four times a week. Talking about the food with farmers was a joy. They are often deeply connected to their food and their land. They become more connected to you the more you shop there. They are not simply putting the food on display, they are selling you a piece of their land and their labor.

The reason I encourage all of you out there to try and look for more options outside the box is that it is incredibly fun. Not every farm carries the same stuff, so you find yourself visiting many different locations. You meet cool people and travel cool places this way. I spoke mostly about farms in this post...but I also needed to find places that sold bread, eggs and even peanut butter to replenish my cupboard. I discovered a mediterrean bakery where I was able to buy pita bread and even found people who kept chickens in their backyard and sold organic eggs. I met a bee keeper who sold honey and homemade jams and peanut butter. I would have never met these people if it wasn't for forcing myself to look outside the box.

And that is the point of all this! To get outside the box and feel free! Many people asked me "how are you going to eat" when I told them I was going to take on this challenge. This shows how we are trapped into the thinking that we are reliant on the big grocery store chains and food makers of this world for our survival. This is the furthest thing from the truth. The very ground underneath your feet can sustain you. Challenge yourself....maybe not for an entire month...but make one meal with food bought from sources other than the grocery store. You will feel slightly rebellious and you are guaranteed to meet some interesting people and even have an adventure or two.

Stay Positive,

Matthew

The Final Week Outside the Box

Hello Positive Eaters,

We are here! The final week of shopping Outside the Box. Lots of adventures to share with you in this post...since we are coming towards the end I wanted to get in some great content that will hopefully give you a better glimpse into what this month was like for me.

I finally ran out of Quinoa and needed to think up a new idea fast. There were plenty of farm fresh veggies in the fridge so I put them in a cast iron frying pan and lightly sauteed them.

This was not going to carry me any sort of distance. I put some dough in the oven and made myself a baked flatbread and put these veggies on top. I added some fresh mozarella and instantly made a "pizza like creation." This was delicous and satisfied me for quite some time. The picture below says it all.

One beverage I often buy inside stores is iced tea. This month made me realize how insane it is to spend a $1.79 every time I feel like iced tea. There is more tea in my cupboards then you might find at a bed and breakfast. I can make my own. Simply pour hot water into a glass cylinder of some sort (I actually used a flower vase). Allow to cool...add ice or put in the fridge. Very simple...I may never purchase iced tea again....I do like Steaz and Guayaki though.

Now that my own iced tea was prepared it was time to re-stock up on the "Beverage of Everlasting Life"....Spring Water that is! I piled all my jugs into a milk crate and headed to Exeter. On recent trips, I brought all these loose bottles with me. This was incredibly inefficient, plus they were prone to tipping over this way. When I got to the spring there was a woman who was using the same milk crate system. I said "I just thought to put my jugs in milk crates today" she looked at me, cigarette dangling from her mouth and said "you sure are pretty slow aren't you." We both laughed and I kept my comments regarding her nicotine habit to myself.

I was committed to picking some Blueberries before the season comes to a close. In this month of filling my fridge and pantry with foood from farms, I did not pick a single item myself. That is shameful, I thought. I need to get close and touch the food as it comes out of the ground...or in this case off the bush. On the way to the spring I stopped at Monahan Farms and spoke to the very nice lady who works there. She gave me a bucket and said "Now there is no need to fill this up. Just make sure you pick the firm ones...the soft ones can be for the birds." Can you imagine hearing that at a grocery store?

I picked about 2.5 pounds of blueberries. I was certainly impressed at the speed in which I filled about half the bucket. When I got home, I thoroughly rinsed and put 2 pounds in freezer bag for freezing. The rest went in a tupperware container and in the fridge. I felt like Huckleberry Finn walking amongst the blueberry patches singing and being out in the open air. Still there was one more stop I needed to make on this trip.

I heard rumors of a tea shop in Exeter. Those of you who follow this blog know that I used to frequent the Licorice and Sloe Tea Company in Newburyport for many years until they closed up. This loss was difficult for me to bear. Still, I set out in hopes of finding a nice place to grab a cup of tea when I visit the spring. I found the White Lily Tea Shop.

Upon entering, it became immediately apparent this place was so much more than a tea shop. There were botanicals, herbs, soaps...the shop also offered herbal remedy consultations and massage therapy. I felt like I walked into a magical nook in which I could order up any potion I wished. The owner was a lively and engaging woman named Rebecca. She let me look all around her shop and taught me about some of the teas and herbs she carries. I ordered up her secret recipe Chai on ice...which was made just the way I like it. She even let me take a picture inside her shop.

I told Rebecca that I will be posting this on my blog and that she will get a ton of new business after this goes out to the world. I know there are tens of thousands of you out there who read this every week...so just try not to inundate her all at once!

Three more days before I make my return to Whole Foods...part of me wants the journey to just keep going. I will write a bonus post on Sunday, a reflective piece regarding all the insights and friends I gained through this experience. Then the blog will continue to evolve into an even brighter beacon for filling our lives through positive eating and positive living!

Stay Outside the Box!

Matthew

The Journey from Goudreault Farm to my Lunch

Goudreault Farm

Plaistow, NH

Hello Everyone,

Nourishing myself "outside the box" is 3 weeks old. To this point, no pictures of farms were included in any of my blog posts. This post is to make up for that. The closest farm to my house is in Plaistow, NH off route 108. The people there are friendly and will carry on spirited conversation with you. I really like being there...so much so that I think of any reason to go back and buy more produce from them. I decided to take you on the journey from one trip over there to my lunch on Monday.

This is one section of their farm land. I even saw a young farmer tending to these crops wearing a straw hat. Perfect! He seemed shy so I left him out of the picture. The picture above is where food should come from...not factories farms! People with straw hats! The woman at the farmhouse said I was welcome to walk amongst the crops and take pictures. I thought to myself what might happen if I walked out back at a grocery store and started snapping pictures...or at a food processing plant!

Above is a summer squash growing on the vine. How cool is it that there is flower on the end. The squash wants you to eat it....it grows a flower just to invite you over to it! The only byproduct from the factory is the smoke. Here at Goudreault's it is flowers and rich soil.

Inside the farmhouse was an array of fruits and vegetables. They also sell homemade jam, fresh eggs, pies and pottery. I bought Zucchini, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Onions, Salad Greens and Carrots. This, combined with some quinoa, will make lunches for at least four days and it costs me around $14. I also picked up some blueberries, my most expensive item at $3.95...they only lasted two days. They were that good.

"Farm Beauty" is the title of the above photo. The landscaping in and around the farm is as vibrant and colorful as the people who labor there. They work hard not only in producing food for us to eat but keeping their surroundings bright and aesthetically pleasing. This makes a difference in the quality of the meal these people are helping to provide me. I feel more connected to my food, the people it comes from and the images in my head while I eat it are of this picuturesque farm in southern New Hampshire.

Everyone on the farm seemed to bounce about enjoying their labor...everyone except this guy below, who on this 90 degree day was just enjoying the shade.

I took a picture of this sign that hangs on the other side of farmhouse door. It made me smile.

I brought my produce home and chopped up the Onion, Summer Squash and Zucchini. I sauteed the vegetables in Olive Oil. I also prepared a salad and made individula containers for Monday's lunch. On Monday, Ryan called me and asked if I was available to meet him for lunch at Whole Foods. Ryan forgot that I was not shopping or eating there this month. I agreed to meet him anyway and just brought my own lunch. We ate in the outside eating area. He thought it was hilarious and took this picture below.

The comments are going to be..."what farm did you pick those bananas at?" {insert smurk here}. For those who read my last post you might remember, I commented on missing bananas...since I cannot buy them at the farm. My mother was nice enough to make a gift of about eight bananas. Which are already gone.

10 days to go!

Stay Positive,

Matthew.

Just about Halfway/Mike and Matt's Spring and Farm Adventure

Hello Positive Eaters,


I am about halfway through the "Outside the Box" month and after a few rough spots things are going really well. As promised I made a big batch of Quinoa, Kale and Black Beans and a gigantic salad. I bought a bunch of fruit as a "dessert". That got me through four lunches and dinners! I must admit I got pretty tired of it after the third day. Here is a picture:






Not very exciting I guess...but sustaining.



Friday night at work was juice night. This time all of the ingredients in the juice came from the farm stand right down the street (Strawberry Hill Farm in Andover). The beets, the carrots, the swiss chard, parsley...everything were pulled up out of the Earth a stone's throw from the BSC in Andover. This early in the season the farms feature more vegetables and less fruit (berries and a few peaches are what is coming out at the moment). This juice was less than appetizing but made us feel great.

That's Rick in the background...he usually refuses anything I bring in to work saying "that's too healthy for me" in this case he lucked out. The juice was very nasty. Mike, Lisa, Laura and I took the plunge and were feeling a little more "juiced up" because of it.

Today, Mike and I went on a "Spring and Farm Adventure." Mike is friend of mine who is seeing the light. He committed himself to a healthy lifestyle back in January and is addicted nutrient dense food. Seriously, he would cut you if you tried to pry away bunch of kale or a farm fresh onion from him. He is down 83 pounds as a result! What can fruits and vegetables do for you?

A solitary blog post on this adventure is probably called for...but of course I forgot my camera!

We drove up to the Spring in Exeter and then hit Monahan Farms and Goudreault Farms on the way back down Route 108. After filling up our water jugs, we got some peaches and blueberries at Monahan's. Goudreault's featured fresh eggs so we both bought a dozen. Plus there was some great looking beets, broccoli and tomatoes there. Awesome stuff! I went home and made a broccoli and tomato omelet. The word fantastic does not even come close. I got to admit...these farm stands are making me wonder why I overspent on sub par produce at Whole Foods for so long. I will continue to shop there when the month is over, there is lots of stuff I like there that I am unable to get at a local farm stand (bananas being one major example). I also am enjoying all the friendly people I meet. The connectedness you form with your food after discussing the harvesting and tending of the crop with the people responsible for getting it to you is a really cool experience. These people are really in touch with the land and there is a calm and peaceful way about them that cannot really be described.

Alright, 17 days to go and lots more adventures to go on. Check back in soon

Stay Positive,

Matthew

One Week Outside the Box - Time to step up my game!

Arial View of Farmer's Market

Hello Positive Eaters,

I am one week into eating "Outside the Box" and must admit I feel like a cheat. I did not shop or enter any grocery stores for seven days but in many ways took the easy way out. I shopped at farm stands and made all sorts of great dishes out of the items I bought, however, I did purchase many items from healthy on-the-go type places. I ate about three burritos and bought two tuna salad wraps. Technically this is not a grocery store...but I don't believe this follows along with the spirit of the challenge.

Starting today, I will be avoiding as many of these establishments as possible as well. I am slightly scared. Honestly, it will be all about preparation and slowing down my sometimes fast paced life.

I forgot to bring my camera to the Andover's Farmer's market. This was an awesome experience. Everyone seem to be in a good mood. There was arts and crafts table for the children and live jazz music being played while I shopped! There were also lots of great produce items to pick from and I even was able to buy some home baked bread. I spent $10 there and I ate for three days! I will try to remember my camera this weekend. Above is a photo I got off the internet of the Andover's Farmer's Market.

I also visited a new spring! I went to the Cooper Spring in Buckfield, ME. This spring travels through underground crystal and gem stone reserves. The water was incredibly cold and wonderful. The view was spectacular from this spot and I want to return someday around sunset! I was happy to go with several friends...and even more happy they enjoyed the adventure...I get a kick out of driving to the middle nowhere to find water coming out of the ground...but I also grew up without cable or video games.

When we were there we actually met the local church youth director. He stepped out of his car in literally his "sunday best". Two spritely little girls danced around him in their church dresses. He explained how they need to drive past this spring and several farms just to get to a grocery store. For them it only makes logical sense to get their water from the spring and their produce from the farm.

Today, I will need to make a gigantic salad from the salad greens and produce I bought yesterday and make a ton of Quinoa and Beans. I also got tipped off on a couple local fish markets that sell fish caught that day. Check out a blog post on that :)

The local organic food makes me feel fantastic! I strongly encourage you to buy from your local farmer's market and compare the freshness and flavor to your local supermarket. You might just find yourself outside the box as well.

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Outside the Box for 2 Days

Hello Positive Eaters,

I am two days in to my "Shopping Outside the Box" Adventure. The closest I came to a grocery store was being in the same parking lot, when I went to the bank this morning. Yesterday, I made enough Soba Noodles from a Trader Joe's Soba Noodle Kit (thanks Sarah!) to carry me through lunch and dinner. I also stopped at Strawberry Hill Farm in Andover and picked up a cucumber, three tomatos and some lettuce. That produce will provide salads for the next couple days at work.

I don't feel particularly challenged by this yet. I am still stocked up on enough groceries to feel comfortable. I am sure as the cupboards go bare I will need to get creative. Last night, I actually went out of my way to be creative...just because I was kind of disappointed at not feeling more challenged as of yet. I made my own dough and baked a flat bread in the oven. Then I sautee'd some Swiss Chard in Olive Oil and Garlic and ate it over the flatbread. Very filling and very delicous!

Tonight is friday night and that means the juicing party throws down at the BSC in Andover. Since I will not be buying produce from the grocery store we will be limited only to fruits and vegetables from the farm stand. Looks like it will be Beets, Greens and a few Apples that were hanging out still at the house.

Tomorrow, I will hit the Farmer's Market in Andover. Look for a blog post on that.

Stay Positive,

Matthew

Shopping Outside the Box

Hello Positive Eaters,

This is the season of fresh fruits and vegetables, pick your own berry farms and farmer's markets. Nature is bringing forth its bounty and the weather beckons us outside. Why are we still roaming the fluorescent aisles of the supermarket? I thought about this on my way to Whole Foods one afternoon. I drive by two farm stands on my way there. These stands are open for the season and are selling many of the same items I go pick up at the market.

Many of the people who know me, consider me a Whole Foods addict. I probably help drive the stock price up or down. I once went a week without purchasing anything there just to show people I could do it. After a recent haranguing by my good buddy Mike, I threw out the idea of going one month without buying anything from Whole Foods. Mike did not think it was possible. Then I considered my thoughts regarding the farm stands I drive past on my way there and decided to take the challenge one step further. The challenge was set: for the entire month of July I will not shop at a supermarket!

This leaves farm stands, butcher shops, fish markets, small health food stores, local bakeries and other such grass root establishments the new recipients of my hard earned pay. This will be a transcendental movement into local food, economics and personal sacrifice. I am excited the places I will visit, the recipes I will come up with and the interesting array of people I will come into contact with. I am inviting you to come along with me as I plan to blog routinely about this. I believe you will receive valuable insight and entertainment from this and will also be a measure of truth that I am following through with this.