Oh cooking...I have always been fascinated by food preparation but completely unwilling to deal with the chaos. How do I manage to to get everything onto the table at the same time. Who cleans up? Who shops? Where do I find healthy but still delicious recipes? I would become so overwhelmed just thinking about it.
In July, I spent a week with a wonderful friend and her family in Dallas eating fabulous, homecooked, healthy and simple meals as part of the family. I returned to California with an interest in bringing the dinner table and homemade food into my family's routine. I am entering a new phase of raising children with a son heading to high school and my youngest to 4th grade. Instead of mourning the loss of my babies, I have decided to embark on a new challenge. I feel like I was always prepared to be a mother, I even have a degree in elementary education. Cooking has been something that I avoided. Dinner in my house was all about gathering. My husband gathered his own meals on his way home from work (great man:). The kids and I would eat a rotisserie chicken or cooked beef from the hot case at the grocery store and I would steam a vegetable, I often made breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes, etc.), pasta with sauce from a jar was popular, frozen chicken pot pies, frozen mac and cheese (Amy's, so it's healthy, right?) and the ever popular pizza (frozen or take-out). Once "dinner" was officially ready we would all eat at the coffee table while watching tv. This setup really worked for us in many ways, nobody wanted to cook and I never felt any guilt about not cooking. Many fun conversations took place in the comfort of our living room and I think that both of my boys feel connected to us. I love my family but more importantly, I like my family!
So, here it goes-no pressure, no obligation, I can stop anytime. I do not have to cook, I choose to cook!
