Mark’s Melon Patch

We stopped by Mark’s Melon Patch in Georgia on the way home from visiting J’s grandparents.  It is a roadside stand to beat all roadside stands!  There was so much to look at that it was a bit overwhelming.  The boys liked play ground and outhouse complete with girly posters…  I liked the flower gardens and mountains of fresh produce.

Have you ever seen a yellow watermelon?  I hadn’t so I made sure to buy one for us to try.  It tastes just like red watermelon to me.

I couldn’t resist the fresh Georgia peaches either.  We bought a basket of beautiful peaches that I turned into this:

The peach cobbler was heavenly when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  Yum!

Peach Cobbler

1/2  cup  unsalted butter
1  cup  all-purpose flour
2  cups  sugar, divided
1  tablespoon  baking powder
Pinch of salt
1  cup  milk
4  cups  fresh peach slices
1  tablespoon  almond flavoring
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

******

Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and almond flavoring in a medium bowl; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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Waka Waka

I could not be more proud of my Monday night Zumba class for performing the choreography to Shakira’s Waka Waka song!  You may recognize the song as also being this year’s World Cup song. The chorus was Shakira’s choreography, everything else was mine.

This class did a fantastic job learning the steps with very little practice.  I love this group of people!  They make me love being an instructor.

I posted this video to YouTube to show our support for 1GOAL.

You can find out more about 1GOAL and universal education for children by clicking here.

A Trip to the Farmers Market

So, I’ve become slightly obsessed with making better food choices.  Ever since I watched Food, Inc. on pbs.org I have become disturbed by the practices used in the production of our nation’s food supply.  Quite frankly, I am horrified.  Go check it out.  Everyone needs to be better informed.

In light of my new food awareness I have sought out ways for our family to consume healthier items that are available locally.  Joining the organic produce co-op was one step.  Trying the organic produce delivery service was another.  I’ve also tried to incorporate more organic items into my grocery cart when I shop at Publix.  The truth is it’s darn expensive to be healthy!  But if you do it right by searching out coupons, promotions and buy only seasonal produce it can be much more affordable.

Another venue I discovered just yesterday is the Brevard County Farmers Market.  It’s is held every Thursday afternoon from October-June at a local park’s equestrian center.  What drew me to it was it’s advertisement for grass-fed beef.  When the boys and I checked it out though no such booth was set up and I was not sure who to ask about it.  We’ll have to go back next week because I was impressed with what we saw and bought.  I ended up with a gorgeous head of hydroponically grown lettuce, a tray of beautiful hydroponic tomatoes, two organic cucumbers, a loaf of amazing-looking iced cinnamon bread and two white chocolate dipped pretzels for the boys.

I never thought that I would be one of those organic, granola types…, and I’m not as fanatical as some folks (I still wear deodorant).  But I do feel like I need to be a better job of policing what goes into my body, my husband’s body and my kids’ bodies.  It’s the least I can do, right?