"Slow" Living Comeback

  I've been thinking a lot about the "before me".  The Me before I moved back to Telluride.  I did a lot of fun things in Montrose that I was super passionate about.  First and foremost it revolved around food and kids.  Since that time, my life went on a different path - still a great one but just not that one.  I have also taken this time to homeschool my kids for a year and be present and available to them while working on Me.  As a wife and mama, having a well-established & lucrative career is not easy.  For the ones that have achieved it -Kudos!  But in my experience when a career path that I have ventured on starts really succeeding then my home life starts really lacking which then has brought me to always choosing my family first.  I haven't learned how to juggle both successfully.

Ginger Magnolia Catering: my catering company in Montrose, CO 

Which brings me back to FOOD.  SLOW.  KIDS.  TEACHING.

I've been listening to what the universe keeps placing in front of me.  Ever heard of the Slow Food Movement?  It's an organization that encourages people to get back to the way food was handled in the classic era instead of the modern one.  I have always been a huge supporter of it.  I feel like the large food industry is not the way of the future for a healthy lifestyle.  Localizing your food to your region is the way of the future.  It is not easy to fully embrace this lifestyle the way things are set up.  But on the western slope and in a lot of other communities it is alive and well and flourishing! *sidenote: Please support your local farmer's markets and their vendors!!  

I feel like most people want to support this and know this is the way it should be.  But I also feel that so many people that I encounter say that:

1. They don't know how.
2. They can't afford it.
3. They can afford it and will pay for it.

In all 3 of these scenarios, there is an underlining theme.  Most people don't know how to live or cook "slow".  It is something that I am constantly striving for, teaching myself, learning from others and life is definitely always reminding me to do so.  There is a missing piece to achieving Simple Living. Who is teaching it?  Did you take Home Ec?  Did your family teach you?  Chances are you will say no. Plus, is it even offered at school any more?  And the other piece is being grounded.  I have found that when I am stressed, sick, moving houses, not exercising, eating processed foods - it is really hard to keep yourself grounded which makes it really hard to live intentionally. But it is one of those things that go hand in hand.  If you don't live "slow" then you aren't grounded and vice versa.

I am ready to get back in the saddle to my first love and passion.  Food and teaching.  I don't know it all but I have found the montessori principle to be true that when you teach others that you actually learn and receive much more.

I want my community to know how to:

Canning and Preserving Food

Natural Fermentation

Baking from Scratch

Fundamentals of cooking

Baking Bread

Sewing 101

Gardening

Learning How Did They Make That (soap, candles, etc..)

Visit local crafters/artisans to learn

Making Ice Cream

Making Your Own Condiments

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

...there are so many arts to learn

  These things are our heritage.  These things are important.  They are getting lost.  Our children's menus are limited to chicken nuggets, grilled cheese and macaroni & cheese.  Ewwww!!  Why can't restaurants offer kid portions of their regular menu?  

Kids Cooking Class: Make your own Pasta

  Maybe baking bread or sewing isn't your thing or you can afford for someone to do it for you.  But, the knowing how is always a good thing.  That way when you visit your local farmer's market, you know exactly "How", ask educated questions and can fully appreciate the time, effort & love that is put into the food you consume.  If you ingest good energy then you put forward good energy.  

I organized a Kid's Baking Competition for a School Fundraiser

  But even more important, you have to educate and teach your child the same.  I see so many families that eat well but their kids only eat chicken nuggets, fries and yogurt.  Kids will eat healthy if you make it taste good, and it's colorful.  I was the lunch lady for 3 years at my children's school and I had quite a few picky eaters that I turned into healthy eaters who became curious and interested in their food.  I remember one kid that said that they didn't eat pesto because it is green.  Well, we made the pesto from scratch.  Then, cooked the penne pasta, grilled some chicken and roasted some veggies.  We mixed it all together and he tried it.  He said that he LOVED pesto!  I had a roommate in college that said that she had never had carrot cake because who would eat a cake with carrots.  I made one and she was obsessed and disappointed that she had never been offered one in the past.  Another adult friend grew up with TV dinners and was a picky eater too.  I encouraged him to try new things - he fell in love with making his own guacamole and eating fresh fruits like kiwi and even grapes.  To me, this is so sad but also so wonderful to have opened up their palates.  I have read that unless there is an allergy, most foods have to be reintroduced to children at least 100 times. 

School Lunch: Veggie Quesadilla, Salsa, Cucumber & Mandarin Orange Salad, Avocado, Milk or Water

How can you incorporate living slower and simpler in your life?  How can you help support this movement in your community?  In what ways do you keep yourself grounded?  What knowledge can you teach and pass down?   How can you encourage putting in foods with good energy in your body and your families' body?  We are lucky to have so many resources out there that can help you.  I want to help teach you and your family how to do these things that we cherish but haven't forgotten to do for ourselves.