by Audrey
There is so much talk in the world today about organic food, gmos, preservatives, etc. Everywhere you look there seems to be someone telling you how bad certain ingredients are. I’ll be honest…this is not one of those articles. I want to tell you why I love to eat meals from home, food that I’ve made from scratch. It’s not only about eating healthy, it's about ENJOYING what I eat! There are few things more comforting than a good home cooked meal, or better yet, a scrumptious homemade dessert! Mmm…makes me smile just thinking about it. Like so many others out there, I really love good food, and in today’s world that often means out of someone’s own kitchen and made with love.
When I cook the meals for our family, I know exactly what’s going in them. I know what piece of meat, what the sauce was thickened with, what variety of veggies I want. I can adapt it to my own tastes or goals. Yes, sometimes that means that extra chunk of butter to give it the right flavor or texture! It’s really not that hard to feed my family food that tastes good and has the nutritional value I’m looking for. What's not to enjoy about that?
Let’s be honest, when it comes to prepackaged food, there’s really not many that are very scrumptious and quite often lacking in the meat and veggies department. What a bummer! Going out to eat can be pretty awesome if you know where to go and what to get, but honestly, even a lot of the nicer restaurants seem to be going down in quality. It’s often just greasy, overpriced food that makes you feel…blah afterwards. But, there are so many reasons to enjoy cooking and eating out of your own home.
Now here’s a reason to enjoy cooking at home. It’s cheaper. How many of you go out to eat and choose the cheapest thing on the menu because you can’t stomach (or afford) paying thirty bucks for a steak? Just know that you are not alone. It's hard to enjoy a meal when the pricetag turns your stomach. You could easily feed a family of four a meal just as fancy from your own kitchen for that price.
Recipes We've Tried!
I’m not afraid to try something new. The more I cook from scratch, the more empowered I feel to try new things, even the challenging ones! It’s fun and exciting, and admittedly sometimes doesn’t turn out the way it’s supposed to but at least I have something to laugh about later. There is something completely satisfying about making something that tastes fantastic and the whole family enjoys.
I want to put in one more thought about the joy of cooking from scratch, and it’s my favorite. Spending time with my family! I know, cooking with children can require patience and I’ll be the first to admit that I know I have limits. There are days my kids need to be in the other room altogether. But the opportunities and the memories that can be created when cooking with your family are amazing! My daughter is still a little young to do a lot of cooking with me, but my son is getting to preschool age. I love to count with him, to talk about colors, shapes, sizes, temperatures, and anything else I can dream up! It’s a fantastic way for him to use his motor abilities. Let your children help you knead the bread, or stir the soup (with adult supervision obviously). Let them cut the shapes or even choose some of the ingredients! So many teaching moments involved in cooking with the kiddos! And at least I know that when my kids grow up and leave the house, they’ll be able to eat more then boxed meals.
When it comes to cooking with my family, I’ll be honest, I love to cook with my husband too. Especially for date nights and we’re making something extra special. Or when we’re cooking together and he teaches me things I didn’t know about cooking. It’s all about the memories, making those moments count and finding the joy along the way.
Yes, it’s important to eat healthy. But there’s so much more to it than that! It’s about learning, providing, loving, teaching, laughing, and growing. It’s about enjoying the opportunities, and I don’t want to let those moments get away.
RSS Feed