Monday, May 10, 2010

Little Miss Betty Crocker

Lately I have been on this kick of trying to cook as many things as I can from scratch. Ever since I got food poisoning from McDonalds, I have tried to stay away from fast food chains. I will NEVER take my kids there again (they got food poisoning also). It really made me realize a few things.

1) I have no clue who is preparing the food I am giving my family or myself. I don't know if they are following the guidelines. I don't know if they aren't putting boogies or snot or sneezing or coughing in our food. At fast food joints the person fixing our food, which is supposed to fuel our bodies to work properly and help our children grow strong, is probably some teenager who only wants a paycheck so they can blow it on whatever it is they fancy. They don't care about the fact that actual people EAT that food and if they don't handle it correctly then THEY are the ones making others sick. My children and I got super sick because someone else didn't handle our food properly.

2) I have no clue WHAT I am eating actually. I don't know what they use to cook the food in. Or what else they put on it. Or where it was bought at. I want to make sure we are getting the best I can offer. I can offer my children food from a fast food place or I can make them something from my own kitchen that I know is good for them.

3) It is much more expensive to go out to eat. I am far from rich and would much rather spend our money on other stuff. I would rather build memories of cooking in the kitchen with my boys (spending money on groceries rather than fast food is that point).

4) I want my boys to look back at their childhood knowing that Mommy is the one who fed them. Not restaurants, not other people, but their loving Mother. I want them to say "my Mom makes the best .... (fill in the blank) when someone asks what their favorite dish is. I want them to want their wife to cook at home like their momma did. I know this one is selfish but this is how I feel. My blog, my feelings.

So with those feelings I now possess, I am cooking all my meals without prepackaged help (as much as I can) and trying not to go out to eat all that often. I am loving it. It is so much fun learning all the different foods and ways to cook things. And baking is so different than cooking. Baking is all about being exact with your ingredients and cooking is all about "feeling" what's right. Cooking is more generous with mistakes and baking is not forgiving at all. But I still like it.

Julian is LOVING it. He always says such sweet, encouraging words about my cooking. He is very supportive. He also eats everything...even if it is gross. My husband...I love him.

So that is why I am cooking all the time now. That's the reason behind it and I am very excited to continue this journey of learning and feeding my loved ones. I can't think of a better way of showing how much I love them than providing them energy and fuel for their precious bodies to grow. I am keeping my family as healthy as I can because I want them around me all the rest of my days.

2 comments:

  1. Jen - I never looked at it that way. Well, point three I'm totally aware of I just ignore it. But points 1, 2, and 4 are really true. My mom DOES make the best...everything really. I don't want James to be like, my mom orders the best take out! LOL. You have inspired me. :-)

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  2. Keep up the good work Mama! I can cook, but I usually don't feel like cooking. I keep it pretty simple though when I do cook. Lucky for me, I married someone who's mom is a horrible cook, so James thinks everything I make is good.

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