Our pediatrician shared this article today about the importance of family dinner and eating local, organic foods.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/family-dinner-how_b_806114.html
I love the idea of family dinner. But it rarely happens in my house. I started to think about all the real and perceived obstacles about sitting down and having a meal together.
Breakfast: We are all sleep deprived, all the time. So we hit the snooze button over and over again. By the time we can get ourselves up and out of bed, we're already late (for work, for school, whatever). There is no time for breakfast. Generally I'll get up a little earlier so that I have time to make some instant (!) oatmeal for my toddler, but he doesn't always have time to eat it before his ride to school leaves. And I sure don't have enough time to make breakfast for everyone, unless everyone (meaning my husband and I) wants instant oatmeal, which they (we?) don't.
Dinner: I get nervous just thinking about it. What am I going to make that both my toddler and husband will enjoy? Right now my toddler is on a no-diary diet, so that eliminates most of the things I like to cook. I know that whole grains are important, and want to provide that and/or beans, but often times they have to be soaked the night before, and I never think about dinner more than 10 hours in advance. My cooking is often criticized, which makes it difficult for me to be creative in the kitchen, or to pick out the "right" recipes. How will I know if this recipe that sounds really good will actually taste good when I make it? It gets good reviews online, but what will my critics think? I don't remember being taught how to cook anything other than pasta. People have stories about how their grandparents taught them how to cook everything, and I don't remember sharing the kitchen with my grandparents more than once, and I'm pretty sure I got shooed out of the way rather than asked to participate. My mom let me peel apples for a pie once. When I think about going to the grocery store, I don't trust myself to know how to pick out fresh and ripe produce. I don't feel like I know how to clean it properly, or cut it into the right sized shapes. I don't trust that the things labeled as organic are really organic, and have no way of knowing what their definition of organic is. I don't trust the produce. I know what we *should* be eating, and feel guilty when I serve things I know are bad for us. Family dinner has to be everyone's priority. I have to make it my priority to have a meal planned, groceries bought, and food prepared before my toddler gets home from school (otherwise his bedtime is too late). Then the idea of having him cook with me is out the window, unless I pick him up early from school each day, which then impedes my chances of planning the meal and getting the groceries. I have an infant, too, so trips to the store, with one strapped to my body and sometimes fussy or screaming, and the toddler wanting to get in and out of the cart, are not easy. Getting my toddler to sit still long enough to eat is another challenge. My husband has to make it a priority to leave work in time to get home for dinner, which is nearly impossible because of his commute time, work obligations, and my toddler's dinner/bath/bed routine which starts at 6pm.
So you see... for me, it is not so easy. The GUILT of KNOWING what is best and the inability to provide it weighs heavily on me. I keep on trying. Hopefully something will happen to make it easier. Clearly, I need more confidence in the kitchen. I'm not sure how to build that. Maybe take some cooking classes, but who has time for that with two little kids.
Enough of this pity party. I could have spent this time soaking some beans and finding a recipe for tomorrow night's dinner. Alas.
-NinaMama
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