Free Yourself From The Package - Step 1: Lose The Additives

I love to listen to some funky disco while I'm in the kitchen making some dinner! My satellite television provider has some cool channels that I use.

At any rate - this is a post about freeing yourself from the package. Whether it's a box, bag, or bottle - my personal opinion is that one should free themselves of processed foods and prepare their own fresh meals.

WARNING: THIS IS NOT EASY AND REQUIRES DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT

Also -I'm not perfect. I allow the processing that occurs in a bottle of fine Belgian ale and other adult beverages a few times a week. Also, I use coffee and tea that I did not myself make but comes in packaging. I hope to find an alternative here one day.

The secret to removing the packaged crap from your diet is to start simply and change a little bit at a time. Don't try to do everything at once or the odds that you will fail are very high.

Step 1: Stop adding sugar or sweeteners to your food and drink.

I'm fortunate and have never had a sweet tooth and am missing the chocolate gene so I did this years ago. If you have a sweet tooth and can lose the salt easier then change step one from sugar to salt. Pick one and then when you feel confident that you have lost your taste for the additive, remove the other. I removed salt from my diet this year. I now really taste all of my food!

That's the goal in this step: learn to enjoy the taste that foods actually have!

Once you feel confident that you're tasting foods, you are well on your way to removing the package from your life!

Remember not to set yourself up for failure! I hear people say, "I can't possibly drink coffee without sugar", or, "There is no way I can have fries without salt". Well, if you believe that baloney then you're right. You may as well give up completely. Forget I even mentioned it. Enjoy all those health issues that come with a poor diet. I would rather actively decide to eat right before some physician orders me to do so later on in response to a less than favorable disease diagnosis.

You can do it.

Really, you can.

I promise.

You can acquire a taste for many things regardless of age or history.

Seriously.

Try this salsa, for starters. When you can appreciate the taste of every ingredient then you are well on your way to removing the package:

Fresh Green Salsa:

From the produce section/farmer's market:
1 large green heirloom tomato (rinse and cut into 4 pieces)
2 medium tomatillos (remove cover, rinse thoroughly, cut in half)
1 white pepper (rinse thoroughly and cut off the stem)
2 green onions (rinse and cut the roots and leafy portion off)

In a food processor (ironic name) place in the ingredients and process on highest setting until personally desired consistency.

Enjoy on seafood, salads, rice, etc.

Even my salt-and-sugar-worshiping hubby LOVES this recipe. He doesn't even add salt to it.

Go ahead, you can do it.

More steps on freeing yourself from the package with more recipes to follow!