Best of Chile: Completos and PDA

Two things that should never appear in the same sentence. Completos and PDA in Chile are two culture classics that you can't escape.

There aren't words.

But yet, it is totally "normal" to see a couple going it at, in broad daylight, in the public parks throughout the city. I just haven't seen two attractive people, I seem to find the ones that make Married with Children seem classy. I wonder how Chilean film rates their movies for sexual content if this is what we see everyday, anywhere in public spaces? 

Lindsay was disgusted every time she saw a couple laying down on the lawn, making out or rolling around. She spotted this couple and immediately snapped a few photos, out of shock. Good eye, Linds. 

A sauté pan and the magic bullet

When I drive home from work, I think about my workout an eating. I love food. In college, Amanda graciously made homemade scones, tasty Asian dinners and fantastic fries. Megan would throw together a secret Italian sauce with some pasta for us too. What did I do? Provide wine, laughter and maybe a healthy salad.

Thanks to them, I had to learn to cook when I moved out. Or else I wouldn't eat anything but packaged goods. Me.

So today, I had these cute little mini squashes and an acorn squash. I made a fabulous almond orange pesto with cilantro. And too much garlic. I need to lay low on that. At least I warded off the vampires tonight. I sautéed some onions and microwave cooked the squash. I crave savory.

I threw some butter, brown sugar and raisins into the acorn squash. That'll be a delicious winter lunch tomorrow!

Don't forget the seeds! I baked them with salt and curry powder. Delicioso!

Another relaxing night by the oven side.

Tomorrow? Potato leek pizza!

A farmers delight!

At the farmers market I purchased some grass fed Colorado beef! And a few veggies too....my dinner was 90% farmers market and was rounded off by a few grocery store finds, most of which were local products anyway.

We've got a beet, walnut, goat cheese salad. The beets were roasted in a shallot, honey basalmic vinagrette. Delicious!

Then, I made burgers from the ground beef using jalapeno, mushrooms and some shallots. Downside: no outdoor grill. So we used the George.

And of course, loads of tomato and avocado!

Local food means loads of flavor and this dinner was great! Plus, my great friend and freshman college roommate is now living with me, so we had a fabulous time!

The (lack of) biodiversity in our food

I'm awakened and convicted by the facts, the hidden truths revealed and the desperate thirst for fulfillment. The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollen

Ask yourself, what did you eat for breakfast today?

If you said cereal and milk - where did that milk come from? Which cow supplied your milk? Were there hormones? Was it a grass-fed cow? Or was it corn-fed, unnaturally, just to fatten it up quicker so we can get our milk faster?

If you said eggs and bacon - oh boy. Were the eggs from an industry farm where the hens lay eggs in crates like this:


Did your bacon come from a place like this:

or like this:


What questions do you ask yourself when you are eating?
- Does this taste good?
- Does this have enough protein for my dietary needs?
- Was this egg produced with hormones?
- Should I worry about E. Coli right now?
- How many cows went into making my hamburger?
- Would I be able to find the hen that laid this egg, or is she a number in 20,000?
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The biggest take away for me after reading this book - and still reading it - is this:
I live in Colorado, I need to eat Colorado meat and vegetables. When I can't, I want to know where and how my food was produced. What I eat is who I am and I do not want to be a hormone-laden, medically-treated, unnaturally corn-fed, corn by-product. I want to slice into my blood and see that the calories running through my body are sun-kissed, grass-fed, naturally produced and following nature's cycle. Ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif don't want to slice into my skin and see excess nitrogen, drug cocktails from cows, corn-like substances and unnaturally fed meat products. What next? Tell you all about this book, about sustainable farming and give you a way to make changes.

Go to and find a farm near you to buy your meat, eggs, and dairy. Find the farmer's market closest to you and support local agriculture. Sure, it is hard to eat 100% local because we have been trained to buy packaged, processed and fortified foods. Find your local farmer's marker here:

cost-conscious people beware: you will pay more for your food now. But you will have less medicine to buy, less trips to the doctor, less chance of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and on and on and on...

How did God intend for us to take care of our bodies? He gave us meat and vegetables to cultivate, harvest and prepare. He gave us a conscious to know what we should be eating and what we should not. As we get to know our food, we get to know ourselves. We are what we eat.

So what type of person will you become?