Ann Marie Michaels aka CHEESESLAVE spoke to us today about her exciting new online class, Surf and Turf: Cooking Wild Seafood and Grass-fed Meats. Have you ever wondered about the difference between farm-raised and wild caught fish? Are you afraid to prepare fish because you don’t know what to do with it? Did you buy half [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/08/onl063-giveaway-ann-marie-michaels-cooks-surf-and-turf-you-can-too/feed/ 48 Low-Carb Lifestyle - Ann Marie Michaels aka CHEESESLAVE spoke to us today about her exciting new online class, Surf and Turf: Cooking Wild Seafood and Grass-fed Meats. Have you ever wondered about the difference between farm-raised and wild caught fish? (http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/AnnMarie.jpg) Ann Marie Michaels aka CHEESESLAVE spoke to us today about her exciting new online class, Surf and Turf: Cooking Wild Seafood and Grass-fed Meats. Have you ever wondered about the difference between farm-raised and wild caught fish? Are you afraid to prepare fish because you don't know what to do with it? Did you buy half of a cow from your local grass fed farmer and wonder how to cook all that meat? Listen to the podcast and read more to find out what Ann Marie will be covering in her class and how you can win this $120 value for FREE with our GIVEAWAY August 6-11. Ann Marie is the founder of Real Food Media, a blog network in which we participate as featured bloggers. If you follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or CHEESESLAVE, then you know this woman can cook! She is passionate about real food, slow food, and nutrient dense food. In this podcast interview she tells us her story of recovering from health issues related to vegetarianism, the importance of protein, and details about her new cooking class. The class is called Surf and Turf! Cooking wild seafood and grass-fed meats. In it you will learn how to prepare raw fish and organ meats that your family will love, using inexpensive cuts of meat to prepare delicious and nutritious meals, make nutrient-dense bone broths and reduction sauces to make gourmet touches to budget meals, prepare grain-free and low-carb meals, save money by purchasing whole or partial cows and cooking all of it, learning how to purchase and prepare fantastic seafood, no matter where you live. Lessons will be online and you can take them at your convenience. There are a total of 13 lessons - only about nine dollars per class. What a bargain for skills you can use for a lifetime! Here is a promotional video that Ann Marie put together describing the class. You can tell just from the quality of this short video that the class will be well worthwhile. 6 WAYS TO ENTER TO WIN SURF & TURF ONLINE COOKING CLASS - $120 VALUE Registration for the class is open from now until August 14th. The GIVEAWAY period is from August 6 to August 11. On the 11th, we will announce the winners and release a coupon code for everyone who entered the contest to get a discount to the class. You'll have until August 14th to use your coupon code. HOW TO ENTER * Blog about this giveaway and link back to this page on your blog. Post a comment below with a link to your blog. (1  entry) * Sign up for the Our Natural Life newsletter or RSS feed. Leave a comment below telling us that you signed up. You can also get an entry if you already subscribe - just let us know in the comments! (1 entry) * Follow ONL2 on Twitter - Tweet about this contest including the URL and put @ONL2 in the text. (1 entry) * Email 5 friends about the GIVEAWAY and link to this page. Be sure to leave a comment! (1 entry) * Post a link to this site on your FACEBOOK page. While you're at it, join the Our Natural Life page on facebook. Let us know in the comments. (1 entry) * Leave a review on iTunes about our Podcast if you have listened to one or more shows. Let us know that you have done so by listing your iTunes byline in the comments below. (1 entry) So we're giving you 6 chances to win! Remember that everyone who enters will be given the coupon code on August 11th if you send us an email requesting it. (see details in the rules below) Be sure to check back to get it. Good luck, and Bon Apetit! Want to register now? Sign up for the class here. (http://www.cheeseslave.com/cooking-classes/?AFFID=40590) Notice of disclosure: Our Natural Life (ONL) is part of Real Food Media and we participate in their affiliate program. If you sign up for this course through the ONL link, ONL will earn a commission at no extra charge to you. There is no purchase necessary to win, and the contest is open to anyone. Jon and Cathy Payne no 46:38 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/07/onl047-fresh-the-movie-interview-with-producerdirector-ana-sofia-joanes/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/07/onl047-fresh-the-movie-interview-with-producerdirector-ana-sofia-joanes/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:47:49 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=85

In this week’s Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Ana Sofia Joanes, producer and director of the recently released documentary FRESH: The Movie. FRESH is a call to action, intending to inspire viewers to positive change and portray a hopeful message about possibilities for sustainable food. Local screenings are followed by a panel discussion with local representatives [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/07/onl047-fresh-the-movie-interview-with-producerdirector-ana-sofia-joanes/feed/ 0 In this week's Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Ana Sofia Joanes, producer and director of the recently released documentary FRESH: The Movie. FRESH is a call to action, intending to inspire viewers to positive change and portray a hopeful message abou... (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/s539633553_500502_1031.jpg)In this week's Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Ana Sofia Joanes, producer and director of the recently released documentary FRESH: The Movie (http://www.freshthemovie.com/). FRESH is a call to action, intending to inspire viewers to positive change and portray a hopeful message about possibilities for sustainable food. Local screenings are followed by a panel discussion with local representatives from the sustainable food movement. Be sure to download the Podcast at the end of this blog to hear about the movie in Ana's own words. She exhibits great passion for the subject and dedication to the cause. You can also download Podcast ONL047 from iTunes. (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/200907101948.jpg) Fresh: The Movie Readers of our blog and listeners to our Podcast know that Jon and I are passionate about knowing where are food comes from, having personal relationships with our farmers, and assuring that the food we eat has been sustainably and healthily raised, preferably from heritage or heirloom stock. Joanes' documentary does a superb job of highlighting farmers throughout the country who are doing things right. Because of high interest, FRESH is getting lots of media attention from sources such as the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-trueman/fresh-director-ana-joanes_b_207678.html), and bloggers Cheeseslave (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-trueman/fresh-director-ana-joanes_b_207678.html) and FairFoodFight (http://fairfoodfight.com/blog/el-drag%C3%B3n/fresh-movie-review) . Also receiving attention are featured farmers Will Allen of Growing Power (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/magazine/05allen-t.html) and Joel Salatin (http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/index.php/sustainable-farmer-joel-salatin-goes-beyond-organics/) of Polyface farms. Will Allen performs miracles on 3 acres in the middle of urban Milwaukee while changing the food system to provide everyone equal access to healthy food. Joel Salatin respects the design of nature to leave his Virginia acreage richer each year rather than depleted, as in conventionally farmed land. Michael Pollan's (http://feedmelikeyoumeanit.blogspot.com/2009/05/fresh-movie.html) authoritative voice also lends credibility to the film. Many of you have read his landmark book The Omnivore's Dilemm (http://astore.amazon.com/ournatlif-20/detail/0143038583)a. Pollan asserts in the film that "Cheap food is an illusiion" paid for with tax subsidies, environmental damage, and poor health. The story that impacted me most, however, was about Russ Kremer (http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-11-26/news/the-pope-of-pork-in-tiny-towns-across-missouri-old-school-hog-farming-stages-a-comeback-mdash-and-at-tables-across-the-nation-diners-rejoice/), the formerly conventional pig farmer from Franenstein, Missouri who exterminated his herd after an accident led to an antibiotic resistant strep infection that almost cost him his life. His revelation that what he learned in college went against nature's plan is similar to the story shared with us recently by Bill Hodge (http://www.ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=327). Russ, however, required a life-threatening condition to make the transition. He is now a respected leader in sustainable pork. I also greatly admire the efforts made by small farmer Diane Endicott and her creation of Good Natured Family Farm (http://www.goodnatured.net/our_story/story.html)s, an alliance of 75 farms in the Kansas City area. This coop bands together to find purchasers for their products. Many of their fresh, local food is taken to Ball Grocery Stores (http://www.goodnatured.net/our_story/partners/ball_foods.html). Some enlightening information in the film is that if farmers stopped feeding grains to herbivores that do better on grass, 70% of our farm land would be available for development. Jon and Cathy Payne no 43:38 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:12:57 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/

This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal “revelation” and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, improves the land, saves money, and has hardy, long-lived stock.

Our Natural Life Podcast ONL046

We hope you enjoy [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/feed/ 0 This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal "revelation" and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/aboutus-sm.jpg)This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch (http://hodgeranch.com/links.html) spoke to us passionately about his personal "revelation" and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, improves the land, saves money, and has hardy, long-lived stock. Our Natural Life Podcast ONL046 We hope you enjoy the Podcast of our interview. It can be found at the bottom of this blog or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Tivo. We'd love to hear your comments or have you review our show on iTunes. This blog is not meant to duplicate the information in the interview, but to be used as a vehicle to provide links with more information and to encourage you to give a listen! Grass Finished Beef We've been buying beef from Bill and Di Hodge for the past 7 years and have never been disappointed with their product. Bill is the first farmer we purchased from directly and developed a relationship with. We admire the work he is doing with rotational grazing (http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/rotategr.html) . (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/88u-oct08-sm.jpg)(http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/123-july2008-sm.jpg) According to Hodge, a beef cow is kept for an average of 6 years before making a profit in regard to breeding. However, most cows in the industrial system do not live past the age of 5. Hodge's cows live 15-18 years and when Cathy visited his ranch she saw one who was 19. If you have seen recent films such as Food, Inc (http://www.foodincmovie.com/) , FRESH: The Movie (http://www.freshthemovie.com/) , or classics such as King Corn (http://www.kingcorn.net/) , you may be aware of problems with grain-finished beef. If not, Food Renegade has published some good articles here (http://www.foodrenegade.com/grass-fed-meats-health-benefits/) and here (http://www.foodrenegade.com/more-advantages-of-grass-fed-beef/) . Other good resources are Jo Robinson's book Pasture Perfect (http://www.eatwild.com/jo.html) and the Eat Wild (http://www.eatwild.com/index.html) website. (http://www.OurNaturalLife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/store.jpg) Supporting Sustainable Farmers On twitter, Cathy has noticed a movement that associates itself with sustainable food called "Meatless Monday." Michael Pollan recommends eating less meat. However, we concur with Lisa M. Hamilton: In order for pasture-based livestock to become a significant part of the meat industry, we need to eat more of its meat, not less. As it is, grass-fed beef accounts for less than one percent of American beef consumption, and numbers for chicken and pork hardly register. Even where the industry is growing, it is stunted by inadequate infrastructure. The greatest challenge is a lack of small-scale slaughterhouses ...but the industry also suffers from a dearth of research, outreach for new producers, and investment in breeding for pasture-based systems. And those things will change only as the market grows. So if you want to use your food choices to impact climate change, by all means follow Dr. Pachauri's suggestion for a meatless Monday. But on Tuesday, have a grass-fed burger-and feel good about it. You can read the rest of Hamilton's article and view her links here (http://magblog.audubon.org/node/469) . We choose to eat pastured beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, and milk from pastured cows and goats on a daily basis. We also consume eggs from pastured chickens. Although we do have meatless meals, we rarely have a meatless day, as we are both "protein types (http://www.metabolictyping.com/) ." We prefer to go one additional step and give preference to farmers raising heritage breeds on pasture, something that Nature's Harmony Farm (http://www.naturesharmonyfarm.com/) has committed to. By "voting" with our food dollars three times a day in this manner, Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:06:28