Clean Eating and Clean Living

Happy Thursday all!

As we approach Easter this weekend, my days have been filled with pastel colors, too many jelly beans, and, of course, Easter eggs!  At the beginning of this colorful season I didn't think too much about the usual traditions I was anxiously waiting to take part in.  Like every other Easter, we went to the store and bought the necessities, candy and Paas Classic Easter Egg Decorating Kit.  As I walked to the register I couldn't help but smile as I looked at my decorating kit.  I envisioned all of my pretty decorated eggs is colors of purple, green, and blue.  My excitement was quickly dulled, however, when I got home and looked at the back of the box:

Ingredients:  Sodium Bicarbonate, maltodextrin, FD&C Yellow #5, modified cellulose gum, FD&C Red #3, FD&C Blue #2, FD&C Red #40, magnesium stearate, FD&C Yellow #6, zinc stearate, sodium lauryl sulfate, silicon dioxide

Anyone have an idea of what those things are?  Me either.  So I began thinking, what am I taking into my body every day?  What other "mystery ingredients" are in my food, my drinks, my air, my cleaning products....

I must admit, Brian and I haven't been much on "clean eating."  I never really understood the importance of it, as ignorant as that may be.  I suppose some of us need a little kick to jump on board.  Easter egg dye was mine, so why not have that be my first move in the right direction?  So here's what I did...

Instead of using the egg coloring from the box, I went to the local market and bought three yellow onions, red cabbage, and carrots (probably wouldn't use carrots again) for natural color.  I also bought two .99 cent panty hose and vinegar.  When we got home we chopped up the veggies and got out three pots (a larger one for the cabbage, etc).  I placed an egg in the pot and filled water at least one inch above the egg, removed the egg and added the vegetable of choice.  I placed a lid on it and boiled for 30 minutes.  This allowed the natural color to come out of the veggie.  I then strained the veggies out and left the colored water on medium heat.  I added some vinegar (I used 4 tablespoons for the larger pan and 3 for the smaller pans) and let it sit for a bit.
While all of this boiling was taking place we went outside and collected leaves and flowers.  I placed the plants on the eggs and wrapped them in a piece of the pantyhose and tied it up.  The purpose of this whole process was to leave plant outlines on the eggs, kind of like the stickers you get in the colored egg packages.
I then gently put the eggs in the pots on a gentle boil for 30 minutes.  I removed the pots from the heat and let them sit for 2 to 3 hours until they were the right color.  I then rinsed them with cold water, unwrapped them from their pantyhose cocoon and peeled off the plant parts.

They turned out great!  And natural!  I'm not afraid of what I may be putting in my body when I eat these.  I think this will be the beginning of living a bit more clean...