My husband and I had a really busy week recently. And consequently, we ordered in for the entire week. Not only that, I realized that we order food or bring food home with us at least once per week. It never tastes as good as food made at home but it hits the hunger spot.
A few days ago my husband told me that he stepped on the scale in his doctor’s office and realized he has picked up 20 pounds in the past year. His doctor told him to eat more whole grains. Yet, I will take it a step further. It occurred to me that I need to return to the kitchen. I need to return to my roots.
Growing up, rarely did I eat out. My mother cooked for my father and their six children every night. And none of us had a weight problem. Every evening she would call us into the home where we would sit down to a healthy home cooked, delicious meal. YET, my mother worked full time and was raising six children.
I look at my own life and realize that I have no excuses for avoiding the kitchen. It certainly is a large, lovely kitchen that is well stocked. I have no children—-just my dog. And there is no reason why I am not in the kitchen making healthy meals on a regular basis. I love soup. And the great thing about soup is that it is filling and as healthy as a person chooses to make it. Plus it lasts a few days, generally. I love beans. All types of beans. And I’m good at making them. Like soup, beans are healthy and not fattening at all.
Why has our nation moved away from the kitchen? I love communities such as the Amish community that lives a slow paced life and takes the time to cook from scratch, sit down to the table and enjoy each other’s company. As a nation, we all should make it a point to do that—-not just on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but on a regular basis.
From this point forward, I will make it a point to cook regularly, try out new recipes and do it from scratch as my mother always does. If more people would return to the kitchen, we will see obesity rates go down, cancer rates and diabetes rates go down, and we will see our health increase.
OH….and by the way. If you are avoiding the kitchen due to not wanting to clean it, problem solved. Give UpperCrust Maids a call. You cook, we clean!