Rough Morning and Bacon Goat Muffins

So, my four year old decided to paint her nails this morning. She was hysterical while I was cleaning off the nail polish from her arms, wrists, and legs. I had forgot so get my coffee maker all loaded up and the timer set last night. No coffee was ready for me. And, to really top things off, my cooktop is not working. I just wanted some eggs and coffee.

I brewed some coffee. By the way, I use Noble Coyote Coffee , Cultivar Coffee , or White Rock Coffee. Beans are sourced to fair trade farms. Roasting is done in small batches. My favorite is Costa Rican beans. I like that bit of citrus. I blended my coffee with Kerrygold butter, coconut oil, and goat butter.

Mom's Bacon Goat Muffins:

1 pound of Applegate Bacon
9 eggs
4 oz goat cheese
Muffin Pan

I cut the bacon into workable strips. A trimmed piece of bacon went into the bottom of nine of the muffin cups. I lined each of those cups with more bacon on the sides. I baked for 5 minutes on 425. I then changed the oven temperature to 375. As the oven cooled, I put one egg into each of the cups and a big dollop of goat cheese. Bake until the yolk is cooked to your liking. I crumbled a little more goat cheese on top and served with fruit.

These are also good with spinach or kale added before the eggs.

Have a good morning and stay out of the nail polish, Mom

Heavy

So, this weekend I read the book Heavy - a mother, a daughter, a diet - a memoir, by Dara-Lynn Weiss. As the mother of two little girls, I found this book chilling and disturbing. For those who might remember, this is the mom who was featured in Vogue in 2012 for her radical weight loss strategy for her 7 year old daughter. 

The first thing I want to make clear is I have no idea what it is like for the author. My kids have always been healthy. The author did not have the same experience wi her daughter. Like the author my own experience with my weight and food has not always been healthy. But, I do think the author thought she was doing the right thing for her overweight daughter. It was really heartbreaking though to read how misguided this woman was in terms of nutrition and health. What a tough year her family had as the author forced calorie restriction upon her daughter as the only means of that girl losing weight. 

That is my first concern. Why is weight the measure of health? This woman was obsessed with the scale. She could look at her daughter and see a belly when the rest of the children her age had thinned out. Success and failure was based on what the scale said each week. Now, I haven't stepped on a scale in 18 months. I don't see a need to step on a scale. When my clothes are tight, I know that I have been indulging too much. I watch my kids playing and I can see tiny muscles. But, I am pretty strict about what they eat. They are growing. They are building who they will be. They are building the bodies that will get them through what will hopefully be long, healthy lives. 

Weight may or may not be a measure health. It would not be the only indicator of health I would use in my own family. Using weight as the only indicator of health is how I think the author got to the point that she would rather feed her growing daughter low calorie junk food that whole, real foods. The thing is, she knew is was a bad choice. She knew her daughter should not be eating that highly processed "food". But she felt she had no choice. 

The author had lots of opinions on foods and even exercise. Why exercise when it will just cause one to eat more? Instead, she believes that some people are just predisposed to overeat. I hope along the way, she has spent some time learning the difference between cardio and strength training and the effect on the body. 

I also hope that she has learned about food quality. She leaned on highly processed foods so her daughter could feel normal. But, the author also pointed out that childhood was not in fact about cookies and cupcakes. She sees that food is a part of family life, a part of a community, a way to show love. But instead of finding the wonder is real food, she picks apart processed foods to discover their calorie content. Nourishment and nutrients mean nothing to her. I hope the lack of real nutrition and good fats do not have a long term effect on her daughter. I hope that both mother and daughter can find ways to eat real food in healthy portions. 

It's not that I don't see the emotion in food. I feel like one way I show love to my husband and kids is cooking a great meal for them. But, my focus is using high quality ingredients, cooking to enhance the food, and making sure all appreciate that a good deal of effort goes into every bite. From the farmer that raised the animals that became our meat to the farmer or gardener who raises our produce. 

I hope that my daughters do not seek food as comfort. I hope that they will not see their bodies as imperfect. My daughters and I discuss being strong, being healthy, and the beauty of being female. i have a feeling this book will haunt me. As a mother who focuses on healthy food, I say no, a lot. But, since my children has no health issues, I also let go when we are outside of the home. A few times when reading Heavy, I worried that I might sound that obsessed at times. But, I realized that I do not carry around the level of guilt and responsibility as the author.  

I am glad I read the book. I had really demonized this mother after reading her Vogue article. It reminded me that most parents are doing the best that they can and what they believe is right. It also reminded me that the general public doesn't understand the importance of what we eat. 

Stop worrying so much, Mom