Eating well

Today arrived my brand spanking new cookbook, Simply in Season . I am both excited and intimidated. I don't know what it is, but the idea of following a proven written recipe for good eats somehow offends my creative genome. Its totally silly, rediculous even, because frankly I'm just not that creative in the kitchen. The kids don't seem to mind, and Mr. Himself is just happy to have warm food at the table with his family. I think I owe it to us all to spice things up a bit. We get stuck in this hum drum rut and every now and again change something up to keep the homefront fun and not dreary. As a homeschool family, the kids are literally here 24/7 (minus assorted outside activities they attend, their social calendar is stunning) so keeping things new can be quite a task.

In theory I could turn the cooking into a class in and of itself, with a different child helping me at different meals. Learning about chemistry, measurements of dry goods verses the volume of liquids. How to cook. What temps different meats need to reach for how long, that sort of whatnot. My future DIL's will love me LOL
Maybe thats part of my issue. My own mom wasn't available to teach me how to cook or read the recipes, and tho I still got 4 years of Home Ec, I never got that whole 'bonding through the generations with family secret recipes'. I'm big on that kind of stuff and I'm a bit of a weirdo about teaching things. If I was not not taught one on one how to do something, I have a very difficult time trying to teach it to my boys. My brain is wired to understand things differently, so trying to teach them the hows and why's of something I taught myself drives us all a little batty. I'm instinctual, they are intelectual. But still, its worth a shot. Maybe Princess will have my kind of understanding and be my reward for not beating her brothers with wet spaghetti in frustration.

Another reason for getting the book is my Mom, Dad, Grandfather and Uncle. All 4 of whom have developed late stage type 2 diabetes. One of the precursors to diabetes in families that are genetically predispositioned to it, is high cholesterol. Now I've known that for quite some time. My mom has been jiving me for years at my overly healthy eating patterns, cause I ALWAYS fall off the wagon when I'm around her. Who doesn't over do the junk food when on vacation right? She got a kick out of me lecturing her about sugar consumption while drinking a Coke. Heheheheheheee I totally see the humor in that. I think I may come off like I think I know more or better than everyone else, when I don't think that at all. I'm particular at looking at all sides before forming an opinion, but once made, I am quite firm, not wish washey so if you don't know me well, I can sound like a real jerk when I'm really just trying to explain why my opinion is what it is. But I digress.
I got the cookbook because my doctor told me my cholesterol was way too high for someone my age. I told him that was really odd considering our eating habits, and how self consious I've been for years about eating more veggies than meat, and we don't even DO any fast food, like EVER. (Pizza does not count cause of the veggies on it so HA!)
Thats when he reminded me how bad cholesterol has much more to do with gentetics than a bad diet. I was rather upset. I have zero desire to be on medication, but less of a desire to have a heart attack at 35. I asked him to give me a month or two to see what I could do with my diet and then retest my levels. He agreed, but didn't look hopeful that I would achieve much since my diet was already pretty healthy. I read up on some natural ways to help and Niacin keeps popping its head up, so I'll add that to my diet along with the fresher foods.

'Cause see, I just THINK we eat healthy. I can go on and on about making foods from scratch, but we still have store bought bread with its myriad of chemical additives to give it a longer shelf life. I make spaghetti sauce from scratch, but still dump in noodles that were bleached and rendered mostly nutrionless. I use too much butter and salt and not enough real spices to flavor. I'll make a pot roast packed with veggies in the crock pot, to serve on top of minute rice, or rice-a-roni. The kids consistantly have apples and oranges on the table in my big wooden bowl, but are more often snacking on PB&J's while I snack on my guacamole. Granted its home made guac with only fresh ingredients, but I scarf it with corn chips packed with saturated fat, salt and the bad kind of carbs. Our diets as a whole need to change. If I am genetically prone to high cholesterol, its likely I passed that gene on to my kids. Easier to train them good eating patterns when they are young than an old dog new tricks eh?
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

So, while writing this lil post of mine, I asked the oldest Boy(and most anti-veggie boy) to pick from the new cookbook a recipe he would like to make for the family with me.
He chose: Chilled Strawberry Soup!
WAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA figures. I really should have been more clear with him.
Thats like a dessert soup you would dip coffee cake into. I told him to go pick something that I was actually likely to make for a dinner. He can make that for a dessert hehehehehehe.
His second choice just suprized me: Spring Celebration Soup serves 2-4(so I'll need to double it)
2 cloves garlic (yummm)
1/3 green onions chopped (mmmmmm)
1 cup thin sliced carrots (yus!)
1 cup asparagus (doy will faint)
2 cups chicken or veggie broth (eh, not a canned broth fan)
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (gabe will be thrilled, lil lemon boy)
1/8 teaspoon salt (does anyone only use 1/8 of a teaspoon of ANYTHING?????)
1/2 cup watercress or spinach (spinach it is)
2-4 table spoons fresh parsley (I'll substitute honey, I know you hate parsely)
Garnish with grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese!

Way to go A! This looks like a winner :-D