A walk through any grocery store reveals that we are a fast-food people whether we drive through a hamburger establishment or shop for our family. Everything is prepackaged and all you need, at most, is a microwave and water.
When my husband and I decided to cut back on salt and unnecessary fats in our diet, I started reading labels on everything. I was shocked to see how little fiber is to be found in frozen meals and how much salt is included. The word 'fast' or 'quick' means they can't include a lot of anything good with fiber because that takes time to cook. There has to be salt in order entice our overdosed taste buds. For me, the jury is still out regarding soy products. Even if you
think you are avoiding too much soy in your diet, start reading the labels.
One of my pasttimes, while waiting in the check out line, is to snoop in other people's grocery carts . . . and, often, shudder. Not only were many filling their families with preservatives, fat, and salt, they were spending too much money. Someone else's work always costs the buyer money.
Not only does our fast food race cost us money and health, it takes away from the glory of food preparation. Too many people face the task with dread and, eventually, even dislike food for anything except a necessity to become full. When you are shopping for a dress for a special occasion, you take all the time you need to find the perfect one. Why not approach mealtime in the same way?
Cookbooks and cooking magazines are not the enemy. Try reading them like a good book and let you senses start dreaming about how you can master a recipe, how it will taste, and the happiness of your family when they see it presented to them. You didn't learn to read all at once. No one can expect to dive into real cooking and be immediately successful. You have to sincerely want to make the change and then work your way through the baby steps.
My children grew up with more soda than they needed. They had their treats and meals out. When the reports started coming out about the eventual dire effects of soda, excess sugar, and processed food, I realized I was not taking proper care of the children God had blessed me with. We still have our treats. They get a soda when we splurge on a meal out. The main snacks in the house are fruit, pretzels, and tortilla chips - low-salt varieties, of course.
We spiritually charge our souls every day. Seems we should take care of the soul's housing, too!
With the help of two of my children, housework got done early today so I had a couple of hours to sew. My project, today, is making Easter tote bags to sell on-line. I came up with this idea last year as an alternative to Easter baskets and all that plastic grass. The tote bag is roomy (12x13-inches) and is useful after the holiday, too. The picture shows the front and back of each one almost completed today. Almost because I still have to sew in the lining. I found it more productive to do all the creative work, first, and then do the linings on a sort of an assembly line process. I got the hard/fun part done today!
