Nutritious choices made simple®
Do you cook from recipes or do you cook from what’s in your head? I am really curious about this and don’t know how to find the answer other than to ask all of you. I would love to hear your thoughts, so please share your recipe (and non-recipe) experiences with me.
Like many of you, I work full time and have other interests so I do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, especially during the week when I come home from work tired and hungry. But even tired and hungry does not translate into processed and unhealthy in my household. I still want access to nutritious foods at a good price. I don’t want supermarkets to shift away from the plain and good to become just a venue full of highly processed foods.
I wonder every day if I am giving my daughter the basic fundamentals to be a happy and healthy child who will grow into a happy and healthy adult. I can’t tell you what it was like for my mother when I was a child, but I feel there is more pressure today to raise the “perfect” child—the “perfect” child, who eats only nutritional foods. If you want credit for being some sort of super-mom, the food has to be not only nutritional, but organic as well. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, but it can also cause stress, confusion and low self esteem because suddenly it puts everything under the microscope. What’s good? What isn’t? Technology opens us up to the opinion of anyone and everyone. I say, “Enough!” We Moms, we need to stand up and let the world know we are doing the best we can!
Growing up in New York, I was surrounded by other Italian families so it seemed natural to me that we were exposed to wonderful Italian food not only at home, but also in supermarkets and restaurants, even the ubiquitous corner pizzeria. Now I realize that wherever I go, there is a deep love of Italian food.
Recently I was invited to present to the parents and administrators of two local NY school districts. I genuinely enjoy the opportunity to speak to parents and caregivers about their child’s nutrition. As a sidebar, to be able to speak directly with a group like this is unique, noteworthy and a clear illustration of a […]
When I’m not helping someone learn how to choose healthier foods, I’m usually assisting them in figuring out how to fit healthier foods into their day. It is a struggle I deeply and personally understand. Since not providing my family with wholesome meals wasn’t an option for me I had to find a happy medium on how to fit those healthier foods into my day.
As a chef, food is my life and the best thing about life, food. Sadly, it seems everyone is just too busy these days and as a result, food, tragically gets shortchanged.
From my perspective many children today don’t know the pleasure of real food. Every bite they take needs to be coated in sugar, or be crazy salty. Everything seems to be a vehicle to eat ketchup or ranch dressing. Easy meals for busy people. It’s easy to feed people badly. Cheap and easy. Every bite of over the top fat laden pizza seems to be one bite closer to a half a box of Nutty bars for dessert. Boxes of “stuff” that now replace home baking are, unfortunately, the norm. The thought becomes: What kind of villain puts artichokes on my plate? Vegetables, no thank you. I could go on…
My three daughters are now young adults living away from home so the food-related role of being a mom has undergone many subtle changes over the years. When they were small it was “all mom, all the time” when it came to feeding them. Today, of course, they still rely on me for guidance but for the most part they are on their own to forage for food, prepare it and eat on a day to day basis.