Teaching and Learning

I am a mom of two little girls and a wife to a great guy. I have thought for a long time about how I should be eating for health and in respect to its impact on earth (which comes back to health).
I love food, I love eating, I also love cooking. I do not love cooking the rushed weeknight dinner. That is an awful job for the parent who wound up being the family cook. Hungry kids and the chaos that ensues after the school and work day is nothing but a headache and temper tantrum waiting to happen.

Wait, let me give you a little run down on my food history before I jump into the mix. I never gave much thought to food growing up. I didn't like meat (except for fried chicken). I could eat fruit and cheese 24/7. Mashed potatoes were heaven on a plate. My mom tried to have healthy food in the house but, with marketing and three pushy kids we did have a bit of crap food in the house.
By the time I hit high school, I knew I liked to be thin. That was easy. A meal of diet coke and skittles twice a day with one meal of a baked potato and ta da. By the time I got to college, beef really killed my stomach (shocking since I was putting such healthy things into it). Without the richness of beef, I stopped eating meat all together by the time I left college. I can't say I had a great diet. When I finally read Becoming Vegetarian, I realized I was really doing some damage to my body. I started to think about what I was eating.
Well, I grew up a bit. I never really liked bread or pasta but, I discovered whole grains when I did eat those. I started eating different kinds of veggies. I also started eating meat again. It was easier being an omnivore and once I learned to cook, I realized poultry and fish are yummy. By the time my husband and I moved in together, I didn't keep any junk food in the house and ate pretty healthy. I think he is still regretting not knowing how to cook and letting me taek over the kitchen. Then, we had two little girls. And, I was determined to teach them healthy eating and give them a great palate for good food. At home, they only get whole grains, get lots of fruits and veggies, and seldom get junk food. School is another topic. I will save that for a later rant.

So, why am I now writing a blog about getting my kitchen yummy and healthy? It is simple. Mommy is chubby. I have used two pregnancies and nursing as an excuse to eat A LOT and eat things that are not at all good for me. Besides the weight, I am tired all the time even when my 1 year old actually lets me sleep. I don't want to diet. I know how to diet - dont eat very much. But, then once I start dieting, I know I will start this all again. I need new habits, a new way of thinking in my kitchen. This will be my journal of my learning how to keep a yummy, healthy kitchen, of learning to rethink food and eating, of learning new philosphies of food and eating.