Miss Maria keeping it real

I am new at gardening but absolutely love it!! The problem that I have is that my backyard is very small and I am limited on what I can grow.  So....when I can't grow my own, I turn to people I know and trust who grow what I don't.  I absolutely LOVE   rosemary but don't really have the adequate space for it since it is a very hearty herb and grows into a bush very quickly.  Who do I turn to for my rosemary needs?  Who better to trust than your own mother?? She lives in Lincoln and has recently started taking up gardening on a small scale but like me, she loves rosemary and decided to give it a try.  Her bush is really thriving and producing a really delicious, high quality product.  Like mine, her garden is organic.  We don't add any chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides to our crops.  Compost and natural organic matter is all our gardens need 🎋 I use her rosemary  in my Rosemary Olive Artisan Bread   which helps to cr...

I don't know about you but I loved dried foods.....raisins, jerky, tomatoes, any fruit basically 😋 What I don't love is all the sugar that is added to these foods when processed 👎 The way I Keep It Rea l is to make my own dried foods with no added sugars keeping it as close to it's natural state as possible 👏 One of my favorite, easy, and cheapest foods to dry are tomatoes.  Tomatoes are in season right now which is the perfect time to can, dry, or freeze any food.  Picking produce at it's peak and then preserving them for a later time in the year when they're not at their best ensures the highest quality of nutrients and flavor. You can enjoy your favorite foods at any time of the year 🙌 Here is a before and after of some fresh tomatoes I just oven roasted (at 200 degrees for at least 4 hours or more depending on how big of a batch).  Roasting them brings out their natural sugars and delivers a deliciously sweet addition to the fresh 🍅 I use these t...

I am a Bread Girl....always was....always will be! Not processed wanna be bread that you can find almost anywhere but fresh , homebaked , all natural REAL bread with REAL ingredients that you can feel good about.....who would be mad at that?? Where to find this bread and be confident in the ingredients and where they come from?? I decided to fix my own dilemma and Keep It Real I have gone into business for myself and created Garcia Bread Co .: Guaranteed All Natural, Homebaked fresh bread from my kitchen using real , and local ingredients when possible.  I have created unique flavor combinations to appeal to all types of palates....sweet and savory!  I like variety and get tired of boring, simple flavors.  I like to experiment with flavor combinations and get creative with my baking/cooking. Visit my website:  www.garciabreadco.com You'll find a list of my current flavors along with pictures and a short bio of myself and the company.  If you're l...

Do you know why I don't like going out to eat? The fact that dinner out costs more than a grocery trip?  maybe Portions are large and food goes to waste?  possibly A lot more fat and calories?  probable Or.....the fact that I can't control the quality of ingredients and really have no idea what is actually going into my food?  BINGO! Now, don't get me wrong......I do enjoy date night and the occasional dinner out especially for the experience but not on a frequent level.  I prefer to control what ingredients are actually going into my meal, where they came from, and how they were grown.  Here's how I Keep It Real  and control much of what's going into my mouth.  First, I started a mini garden (my backyard is very small) and grow what my family enjoys and what grows well in our climate.  I chose: arugula , mint, rosemary, cilantro, green onion, and am trying to grow a lemon tree (that is going to take some time).  ...

Who doesn't love nachos?? Everyone loves nachos right? Who loves all the fat, calories, and processed ingredients? Not many right? Nachos or my take on nachos..... chilaquiles (basically simmered nachos finished off in the oven) is the most worthwhile and rewarding indulgences that I can think of! The way I Keep It Real   is to: make my own tortilla chips , roast my own tomatoes and jalapenos , make my own guacamole from scratch using the above 2 ingredients, layer with organic beans, any kind of lean sustainable meat I can find, and local or organic cheese .  Caramelized onions aren't traditional but I am obsessed with them and put them in everything.  I am literally making a new batch every other day 🤭 This dish is so easy, quick, nutrient dense, a fraction of the fat and calories of traditional nachos, extremely affordable (Who wouldn't feel good about that?), and is one of the Garcia's favorite dishes!!  No matter how big of a batch I make, there...

Hi everyone, I'm Miss Maria and I'm keeping it real.  What does that mean?  I'll tell you....but first.....a little bit about me and my background.  I am a wife, mother, and Nutrition and Sustainable Ag Major who believes in the importance of eating sustainable to keep yourself and the environment healthy. I  am a former preschool Chef (hence the name Miss Maria) where I focused on cooking meals and snacks from scratch and organic whenever possible exposing children at an early age what healthy eating looks like. With my knowledge and experience, I have ventured out on my own and have started a brand new business baking homemade all natural breads from scratch using local ingredients in my products.   What does it mean to eat sustainable?  It means: eating locally (supporting your local farmers by going to farmers markets near you), eating grass fed, free range, organic whenever possible, eating foods that have an expiration date, eating foods th...