Many of today’s food experts (i.e. Michael Pollan) have noted that thanks to over processing, there’s not a lot of food in our food. Or at least, there’s not a lot of real nourishment in the processed items you find at the grocery store. Even Whole Foods offers a lot of items that aren’t whole foods, things like potato chips and sodas that while perhaps organic, have ingredient lists as long as your arm.

Well, last night’s dinner got me thinking. Not only was it a super easy weeknight supper on the grill, it sparked the thought in me: Now this, this is a great example of creating a dinner of whole foods.

Healthy local sausage skewered with mini bell peppers, paired with plain old squash with salt and pepper. I brushed the skewers with a honey mustard mixture while they were grilling and served the meat and veggies over some whole wheat cous cous. So basically, it’s a bunch of whole ingredients combined in a really tasty way. It’s a meal that could have been prepared and enjoyed 50 years ago, 200 years ago or way back in ancient Greece. (Although I may have had to grind my own mustard in ancient Greece, I guess.)

Baby steps. When sites like ours start jabbering on about eating local or any other way of changing your diet — going organic, eating whole grains, choosing low-fat, avoiding processed foods, etc. — it can seem overwhelming and difficult. But last night’s dinner just goes to show that enjoying tasty grilled sausage smeared in honey mustard is a darn tasty place to start.

Related Recipes

• Honey-Mustard Chicken-Sausage Kebabs