Colors of the Farmers Market (San Francisco, CA)

Beautiful Peppers

These pictures are from our most recent trip to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, CA. It was such a beautiful day and I was pleased with the array of certified organic vendors and their products! We even had some of the best nectarines we have ever tasted from Kashiwase Farms and I am hoping to take another trip to this farmers market asap just for their fruit!

Flowering Artichoke

The next two pictures do not do the flowers justice! In person, these colors caught your attention and the beauty of the dahlias just could not be capture with my camera...

It is always great to support the locals at the farmers markets, and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, although about a 45 minute trip for us, is one of the best.

The jump start I needed!

Last week, my husband and I, took a short day trip over to the Marin Headlands (the other side of the Bay Area) to The Marine Mammal Center. A week prior, this center was recommended as a nice escape from the heat and also because I have a very large soft spot for the animals of this planet (land and/or sea). It was also that same week where my husband and I started gaining insight on the gluten-free world, the amount of processed food we are surrounded by and a whole bunch of interesting (and concerning) information about the food we consume!

Anyways, I knew we needed to make a change but my motivation wasn't 100% like it needed to be. After this trip, and I am not exactly sure why, I was all in for this lifestyle change. A small effort was made, almost immediately, by recycling all of our plastic shopping bags and purchasing (a very small fee) reusable shopping bags during our grocery trip after our visit to the center. This was because (and unfortunately I did not get a picture) around the center, that had displays of all the plastic shopping bags that the sea life either gets caught in or mistakes for food and chokes on; both resulting in fatal results. Again, this was a small effort put in by us but, I wanted the satisfaction of knowing at least we were not contributing to the death of an innocent sea lion.

The picture below was also very inspirational! Of course, I cannot help what fisherman use to fish with and whatnot but it is an eye opener to see the 450 lbs of netting and rope, left in the open ocean, that was the death of a adult sperm whale (by ingestion). Artists are always so clever in delivering their messages!

The Ghost Net Monster - Symbolizing the 450 lbs of netting, rope and junk found in a sperm whale's stomach and was the cause of its death.

I learned so much during our trip to The Marine Mammal Center. I truly learned how most of us take the ocean, and the life within it, for granted. I can honestly say I am so much more aware now of my impact on the ocean, and this planet, and will be doing my part to make it a cleaner and healthier place.

And so it begins...

Oh, the popular phrase, "Y.O.L.O". How it is used so often and freely. More recently it has meant something more to me than just live your life with no regrets. I have become more interested in where my food comes from, I am trying to be more "in tune" with my body and what it needs and doesn't like, and I am becoming more aware of how my actions affect our planet. I now realize there is a whole world behind those labels on your boxed macaroni and cheese, and the bottle of ranch dressing, and I am not sure I am too fond of it!

With all that said, I just wanted to start a blog to document my experiences through this"healthier living" journey.

You truly only live once so, why not feel your best while living it!