Single Mom Cooks

Well, actually this single mom doesn't cook. At least not very often and certainly not very well. With the new year upon us, I thought it might be a good idea for both Hannah and me to start eating healthier foods. I'm not big on new year's resolutions, but January 1st does give a good fresh start to just about everything. Healthy homemade meals are scarce at our house...what with working full time, running here and there for dance, church, school activities, violin lessons, homework and trying to squeeze in some sleep. Taco Bell, McDonald's and Pizza Hut have become good friends! But alas, it is a new year. A new chance to live a bit healthier!

To get myself started I headed out to my friendly neighborhood bookstore with high hopes. Apparently just about everyone on the planet is looking for information about healthy eating....hence the huge display at the bookstore! I stood there browsing through the stacks of books promising better nutrition, great tasting food and a bikini body by Spring, and felt totally overwhelmed. How do you change a lifetime of habits? I scoured the recipe books and quickly put them back. These books are not written for the single mom! On top of having limited time and energy at the end of the day, my daughter is the world's pickiest eater. These recipe books are not for us. Hannah would NEVER eat "Braised Lamb Shanks" or "Pasta with Eggplant and Sun-Dried Tomatoes". Yes, there are a few simpler recipes but even those Hannah wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Breakfast ideas like the "Quick and Easy Frittata" would not work in our home. So, I left the bookstore and went home feeling utterly defeated.

The next day, I dusted myself off and went back for more. I figured there just had to be a book that could help me make a healthier household! In fact, I had searched the handy dandy Internet and was sure a specific Weight Watchers book was just the thing I needed to head me in the right direction. Again, I stood in the aisle with hundreds of books and that familiar feeling of dread came over me. I found the book I had seen on the Internet and to my dismay it featured recipes like "Smoked Salmon, Dill and Red Onion Pizza." Again, she won't eat that!! And, this is the book that promises meals in just 20 minutes. I don't know about you, but there is no way I could make some kind of pizza with smoked salmon in just 20 minutes! I need the book titled "Easy, Healthy Recipes For the Single Mom with No Time and No Cooking Skills Whatsoever!" Oh, and add..."With A Picky Eater!" No one has written that book.

Once again, I felt defeated. My mind raced as I saw books about no sugar diets (that definitely won't work for us), and books about the power foods we should all be eating. There are books about this diet and that diet and how not to be on a diet and still lose weight! To take a word from my daughter...WHATEVER! Ugh! I just stood there in utter despair.

I'm a smart person; this shouldn't be that hard. And then I thought about the "Pineapple Story." This story was told by one of my favorite author's at a writer's conference. She was teaching us how to write a book. She likened the process to cutting up a pineapple. Fresh pineapple always seemed quite daunting to her. How do you actually get the fruit out of that scary looking thing? And, so she always bought canned pineapple, although she secretly craved the fresh juicy stuff you can only get from the real thing. Thanks to a friend, she discovered the secret to cutting the pineapple: cut it in smaller chunks. First, cut off the crown, then cut it in half, then half again, etc. Writing a book should be tackled in much the same way. Break it down in small, manageable chunks. Aha! The pineapple theory could work now. My problem was that I was trying to change a lifetime of habits immediately and I was looking for that one book with all the answers. I snatched up a simple healthy cookbook and headed home with a brand new attitude.

Don't get me wrong, this cookbook has some doozie recipes in it...like "Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Honey." I don't even begin to know where in the store I find the "figs!" But, there are some simpler recipes as well. I decided to tackle the whole healthy living thing one step at a time, starting with the pantry and the refrigerator. Out went all the pop and sugary snacky things. Don't worry I didn't actually throw good food and drink in the trash. Nope, I drank all the pop and ate many of the sugary snacks, but nonetheless they are now all out of our house! I went to the grocery store and stocked up on flavored water drinks, fruits and healthy snack items. I even planned a week's worth of meals. My goal is to work in one of the cookbook recipes at least once a week and this week we are going to try "Panko Crusted Pork Chops." I'll let you know how it goes! Happy New Year!