Once upon a time my husband, Mitch and I, visited Kings Landing, a historical pioneer village here in New Brunswik, Canada. We had a great day exploring and “stepping back in time”. When we were there we walked past this beautiful garden of fresh veggies growing outside one of the historical homes. It had chickens scratching around eating bugs, and a jersey cow grazing in the field. When we stepped into the house the most amazing smell of freshly cooked chicken soup wafted through the air. The lady of the house took a pot off the hearth and ladled out this incredible food for the “visiting cousin” (summer camp child) to enjoy. Clearly the little girl was disgusted… it wasn’t the usual chicken nuggets and french fries she was used to. But, Mitch and I were drooling. It looked just a good as it smelled.

On the way back home after our visit we talked about how far food has come since the 18th century. We realized that society has traded fresh and healthy for quick and convenient. It was then that Mitch and I decided to go on the “Kings Landing Diet” — only eat what our great grandparents would have eaten. We simply started eating local, organic, fresh, un-processed foods. We began making our own food from scratch. It was fun, exciting, and within a few weeks we noticed a huge difference in our health. We just felt SO much better, more energy, better skin, better mental clarity, higher sex drive, and more.

Nearly 12 years later we haven’t looked back, and preparing healthy old-fashioned meals has become just a way of life for us. When I tell people about how we eat, they often give us that “Yeah right?!” look. We don’t go out to eat often (once or twice a year). We don’t use a microwave. We don’t buy pre-made meals. We pretty much avoid all of the centre aisles of the grocery store, and grow as much of our own food as we can.

Eat the way your great great grandparents did. That's our Martin family motto when it comes to food. We cook 99% of our meals from the vegetables and animals we grow here on our little homestead. The recipes below will taste best if you can source ingredients that are as local and organic as you can find.