Healthy Food Choices

I am a foodie. I love food and I love to eat. I am also raising two young bodies who are quite healthy, eat well, and know how to make good choices regarding food and nutrition. I'm not saying they always exercise good decision-making skills, but they are at least able to identify the healthier choices!

As such, I particularly enjoyed the last 2.5 years we spent living in Portland, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest's culture includes a focus on green living, sustainable farming, buying local and so on. Not to say everyone buys into it, but I fell for it hook, line and sinker - and I loved it! We enjoyed raw milk, the best lemon custard you can imagine, fabulous kombucha, grass-fed beef, eggs, poultry and more from Kookoolan Farms in Yamhill, OR. Seriously, I couldn't recommend them, their food, or their farming philosophy more highly. We joined the Cellar Club at Ponzi Vineyards, less than one mile from our home, and enjoyed other local wines at the plethora of vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley as often as possible. We enjoyed Beaverton Farmer's Market, and myriad similar Portlandesque green/local/organic/sustainable/yadda yadda experiences.

And what's funny is, I haven't even started talking about what living in Alaska does for one's awareness of food, where it comes from, and how it is grown, packaged and stored. Suffice it to say, we were fortunate to indulge in fresh, wild protein sources including salmon, moose, and halibut, almost exclusively. We have made good food a part of our lifestyle as much as we can afford to!

So here we are in Hawaii. TDH has been reading about spear fishing (very different from his Alaskan fishing ventures, but still holds plenty of intrigue for him). We do not yet have a stable home, so I have no access to my gardening supplies and am not eager to get a garden or any containers started "temporarily", so we just have to move them or leave them... But I am definitely committed to purchasing fresh, local produce, wild-caught local fish, and supporting Hawaiian individuals and businesses who strengthen or further the cause. 

For now, our family has elected to live on the leeward side of Oahu. I recently learned that there is a weekly "green and farmer's market" nearby. Hosted by Malama Learning Center at Kapolei High School is the Makeke Kapolei, Thursdays from 3pm-6:30pm. 

We attended the market yesterday for the first time, following an afternoon of wave-jumping with Waddles and Hopper while TDH surfed. We took our goodies home, grilled up a delicious meal of blue marlin, corn on the cob, and a green salad made with tomatoes and cucumbers. We filled the fridge with plenty more fruit (including pineapples, bananas, papayas, and honey dew melon) and made a promise to ourselves to return weekly. Other items we took home included fromage blanc from the Naked Cow Dairy and Coconut Peanut Butter and Hibiscus Flower Honey from North Shore Goodies. 

In addition to the meat, dairy, produce, plants and even some vendor booths offering delicious smelling cooked items, the Makeke Kapolei offers an opportunity to learn about the Hawaiian culture. Activities will vary from week to week, but yesterday the kids participated in traditional games and crafts. By the time we left, they had made new friends, learned ways to entertain themselves using things they can find outdoors on the islands, and increased their understanding of the Hawaiian culture.

Needless to say, we can purchase more food for less money at the Navy Commissary. We will, however, follow our goals for a healthy lifestyle, to eat locally, and to learn more about the environment and our surroundings by attending this market and enjoying the many things it has to offer.