Monday, August 25, 2008

Comfort

I grew up in a very healthy home. My parents were not only concerned about eating frugaly but eating well. My mom made wonderful bread and she was known for her cinnamon rolls. They were so yummy that when my now husband came over to meet my family for the first time he had a least 2 or 3 of these whole wheat cinnamon rolls. I really couldn't understand why he left shortly after and sped home...LOL. I definately grew up understanding the importance of eating right. We ate veggies, fruits and whole grains. I didn't think anything much about the way we ate until I went to school and all my friends were eating white bread with ham and cheese, chips and a twinkie. I had a butter, peanut butter, honey sandwich or tuna sandwhich on whole wheat bread with carrots and celery. Most of the time I didn't eat my lunch. I loved my mom's meals don't get me wrong! She made the best enchilada's! We didn't grow up eating processed food and that set me apart from the rest. I hated it but now find myself feeding my children the same way. The one thing I want to achieve is the healthy eating with all the taste of comfort. For years I've cooked whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice among many other healthy efforts gone bad like whole wheat pastry crust with olive oil. I also remember making Pumpkin Pie with apple juice concentrate as a substitute for sugar...YUCK! I've made many healthy things that just didn't taste good. I'm not the best cook but love to experiment and try new things. I want to put the comfort back in the foods we eat but without the guilt. I've learned so many things over the years about nutrition and want to share what I've learned and I want to get some ideas from you as well. Heaven knows there is so much out there that I still do not know...so share your ideas with me! Post them in comments or e-mail me your ideas and I will post them on my blog. I hope with each post to have a recipe. I also hope that in this I can share ideas about home food storage and how to use it in your every day cooking. Please share your thoughts and ideas with me good and bad!

4 comments:

lAuRa said...

Well, we are definitely related, cuz your lunches sound an awful a lot like the ones I had growing up. =) my dad was a salad maniac-which i'm grateful for, because it helped keep me healthy. mmmmmm. I Love a nice big fresh green salad with all the goods on it! =) anyways, this is awesome you're doing a blog on this! 2 ideas I could share-you may already know- but using applesauce in recipes-like we used it in making brownies and they taste delicious! moist and better than regular way but healthier! the other thing is using agave nectar in place of sugar. ever heard of that? my mom uses it with a lot of stuff and it works great and is much better for you. so, that's my 2 cents. =)

Jenny said...

LOL...it's a Jessee thing right?! I do use applesauce in my cooking but also like using good oils like grapeseed oil, walnut oil, coconut oils and other good fats as well. It definately adds to the flavor of all baking and dishes I make. I have just learned about Agave Necter. It is great in baking and I'm also a huge fan of Stevia for use in my oatmeal and other places where only a small amount of sweetener is needed. Agave is awesome stuff...I'm excited to use it more and see how things turn out with it! Thanks Lauraloo:)

Stephanie said...

JENN you are AWESOME! what a great idea for a blog! i will for sure visit all the time for some yummy recipes..i am new to this whole cooking with grains and stuff so please please update! you are a great cook like your mom and i hope i can get some jessee rubbed off on me!
p.s i have started making my own bread every other day, whole wheat too!

Kaylene said...

Good for you Jenny! I was intrigued by your saying "It's gluten-free" as I cook a lot of gluten-free stuff for my husband and youngest daughter. Do you have any GF insights, or is that just a coincidence? :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts on healthy eating! We all need it these days.
Kaylene