Food. It's on my mind this morning. Not so much as to eat it but to think of what we really put into our bodies to nourish and sustain. It's fuel for the day, to help keep running the race. What do we put in to go the day?
We eat seasonally and locally here at home. If anything comes from a can or a box, its because I simply can't find that item in produce or from a local source. Otherwise, I'm in the kitchen, working over a recipe, fresh and local ingredients in front of me. I bake, grill, steam. Yes, I fry on occasion. My boys eat healthy snacks, and yes, even cakes and cookies that aren't gluten-free or sugar free. I use raw sugar instead of refined. No bleached flours. My preschooler has never sat with a can of soda and a bag of chips (he does like chips now and then, and has sipped a soda but not devoured those items). He's not a candy eater. When he's older, I have no problem with the once and a while snack of crap but not a consistent basis. I'd rather he ate well and be healthy than to let him ping off the walls from sugar loaded stuff. And with today's products being overloaded with refined sugars, chemicals and preservatives for shelf life, and the over abundance of dyes for color, what child needs to be hopped up on all that junk?
This past week, we've had dinners I've taken time and effort to make. With the leftover chicken from a couple dinners, I'm making dinner tonight that will actually be breakfast. I've not had breakfast for dinner in a long time. Good stuff. Who says eggs and waffles are for 7 AM? I say make a break in the menu and enjoy your food. Sunday will be my day to look into next week's menu plan and posting the new menu on the fridge on Monday morning.
This week has been a good one for gardening and being outside. The weather has been fantastic, and the days we've gone to the park have been great ones. Letting my guys run and play, swing, taking those rides down the slides, and the new fascination with baseball diamonds; time to get the t-ball set up ready to use. I think the next time we go to the park, we'll have to take it along and set it up on one of the diamonds. Let my big guy get a feel for what it will be like to play ball like the guys he was watching yesterday during a practice game.
My gardens are set for late crops. The only trouble I'm experiencing is the squirrels will not leave my corn alone. Punks. If we get corn this year, we'll be lucky. Otherwise, we'll have to wait for next year. Corn can be picked up at the store but I love being able to go out and pick my own. Next week, I start slowing down, maintaining and harvesting. Getting flower areas cleaned out, set for Fall and eventually the big sleep to come before Spring arrives again and the gardens come alive with color.
So, when you think about food and what you put into your body, what fuels you? Don't drive yourself mad reading every label out there; I don't read ALL of them, just what pertains to our household. And by the way, we do eat out now and then. We do eat food that we could do without. I do eat a cheeseburger or a hot dog now and then. I'm not starting a riot about food. I'm just as guilty with my simply pleasures of junk food. We are entitled to treat ourselves to what we normally don't consume. It just doesn't have to be a habit for us. But hands down, I would rather eat something I know doesn't make me feel like crap later or even more hungry. Give me a good portion, let me fuel up, and let me go for the day until the next meal. ~Momma
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