After a good nights’ sleep last night, I feel much better today! I was just one exhausted pregnant lady yesterday!
To continue on from my previous post last week, being a mommy doesn’t always mean sacrifice of yourself or your identity. It is about finding balance without letting yourself get lost in the midst of your family. We, as moms, wear many hats… chef, problem solver, soother, listener, nurse, nurturer and for some, the CEO of the household. But, one of the most important and influential roles is feeding our families.
I’ve always loved to cook ever since I was a little girl, thanks to the wonderful role models of my mom and grandma. They exposed me to the kitchen which developed my love for it. They not only taught me how to cook, but they taught me the importance of nourishing my body with healthy foods. My grandma always said, “You only have one body, so you need to take care of it!” Her statement has resonated with me throughout my life, motivating me to maintain a healthy lifestyle, staying fit (even at times when I’m tired and don’t feel like working out) and modeling healthy habits for Keenan (and baby #2).
When Keenan started eating solids, I made all of his food, cooking fresh produce that we picked out together (he in my ergo carrier). As he got older and could pick out the produce himself, he started helping me load our basket with fresh fruits and veggies. I always ask him to name the fruits and veggies that he sees and we talk about how we are going to prepare them. It makes grocery shopping fun and keeps him occupied!
When it’s time to cook, Keenan loves to get the step stool and help. He washes veggies, tears lettuce for our salad, adds spices, stirs and mixes. He’s a wonderful little “Sous Chef,” as we call him! Since he loves to help us “cook,” he is even more excited to try the food he helped make. Fortunately, he is a good eater, but he kind of has no choice, as we only make one meal at night. He has to eat what is served. I don’t know how some moms make different meals for their kids. I think I would go crazy! Not only does it take more time and work to make separate meals, but what are they modeling for their kids?
Mashing bananas for banana nut muffins!
Being a healthy role model for Keenan and baby #2 is one of my most important goals as a mother. I want to do everything I can to help them grow-up and lead a healthy lifestyle. But, does it mean I have to sacrifice myself (and be a slave to the kitchen) in order to be that role model for them? Not at all! Taking time to make and eat healthy meals, working out and doing other things that help me be my best self only shows them how important it is to take care of yourself. I watched my mom and grandma be tremendous cooks, eating and cooking healthy food, exercising daily and more importantly, investing in themselves (inside and out) to be their best self for our family. It certainly made an impact on me, because ignited my passion for cooking, fitness and health at a very young age!
You might be thinking how you can make healthy meals for your family when you are a mom who works full-time outside of the home and all you can think of is getting some kind of dinner on the table as soon as possible. Cooking nutritious foods doesn’t have to take a lot of time, effort and money; it only involves a little planning and organization.
Taking some time on the weekend to plan out the week’s meals before you go grocery shopping can help save a lot of time during the week, but also money, as well. Buying fresh fruits and veggies to have on hand for you and your family to grab for quick snacks is easy. Lastly, take an hour or two out of your weekend to prep for the week. One of the things that I do every Sunday is wash my lettuce and spinach and have it ready to eat in sealed tupperware containers in the fridge (I like to buy a head of lettuce and a fresh bunch of spinach instead of in bags to save money). I also make a batch of hard boiled eggs and if I have time, some muffins or an extra batch of pancakes to freeze for quick breakfasts.
Involve your kids in the prep, so they can look forward to what they will be eating in the week ahead, but most importantly, so they observe you investing in your health so you can be your best self for them.
Peeling hard boiled eggs!
Being a mom and your family’s chef (among many other roles!) doesn’t mean you have to through in the towel and forget about who you are. You can still be yourself while being a mom and nourishing your family (and yourself!). I like to think that my role as my family’s chef has enriched my life, made me healthier and has helped me gain a new sense of identity.
Since today’s post centers around food, I’m still linking up with Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday. If you haven’t already, head on over to her blog to check out her yummy eats and adorable little girl!
When you were growing up, did you have any healthy role models that you looked up to? If so, who were they?
If you are a mom, what roles do you fill?
How do you involve your kids in the kitchen?
Fantastic post, but what statement stood out to me was “.. to name the fruits and veggies that he sees and we talk about how we are going to prepare them”. Such a brilliant idea, Melissa. I know I’ve said it many times – but you’re a great Mom!
Thanks, Jessie! You are so sweet!
Great post! I love to hear that I’m not the only mom who thinks teaching your kids about food is one of the most important things we do. My mom is a wonderful cook and always made everything from scratch. She had an entire closet full of foods she canned for the year. I then rebelled thinking fast food and processed food was the way to go. Now that I have seen the light, I am so happy to have had my mom require me to cook with her. I want my kids to look back on their childhood and remember the importance of dinner together as a family and how much fun preparing food really is. And……we sneak in math lessons with our cooking. Great fraction practice.
Thank you! It’s great to see that I’m not the only mom either! My mom and grandma used to can everything and it is something I’m just starting to get into. I can my own pasta sauce, but I want to try apple sauce, apple butter and pumpkin butter this year. I love that you sneak in math lessons with your cooking! I’ll have to remember that to do with Keenan as he gets older!
I lost my mom at the age of 7, but when i had the chance to visit my grandmother, I learned what I could from her. When I was in my twenties, I would use my lunch break to head over to the library and scour the “Bon Appetit” and “Gourmet” magazines. I would handwrite the recipes down (I still have some–this is 20 years later!). I didn’t start eating really healthy foods and meals until I started an ongoing exercise program about 7 years ago. Oh, I ate healthy stuff when I was pregnant with my 3 kids, but then I’d go right back to my old ways afterwards. As my kids have grown, I’ve tried to cook and bake with them as much as I could–especially because I want them to have an experience I never had growing up. With their busy schedules, I still try to take the time–if we have it–to show them little things or to try out a new recipe. In our family, we are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. We eat organic, don’t do high-fructose corn syrup, or a lot of sugar, and try to stay away from carbonated beverages. That’s tough trying to prepare meals for everyone, but we manage! Keenan is one lucky kid to have parents who expose him to healthy eating and cooking–that sets him on a healthy path for life!
Thanks, Nicole. I’m trying to do my best at instilling healthy habits in Keenan, so he grows up to lead a healthy lifestyle. Knowing how to cook and appreciating good food are wonderful traits that I want him to have, as I learned when I was a child. It’s a continuous process, but one that we all enjoy together! That is awesome and commendable that you manage to accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian diets all in one household!
Love that Keenan loves “cooking” and prepping with you in the kitchen!. Not only are you teaching him healthy habits…but you are also going to make him a great husband some day!
Thank you! I love that he loves to help us! It’s a fun family activity for us!
I enjoyed your article and, yes, you make me proud.
Love you,
mom
I’ve also got a kid who is a really great eater for the most part, but he has some texture issues (so potatoes, tomatoes and any texture like that is OUT). He has tried them several times, and gagged. No biggie in our house. He often eats the same things we’re eating but prefers his foods not to be mixed together. No biggies here either. Sounds like you’ve really thought everything out here and you’ve got lots of great tips! I’m stopping by today via the Sharefest.
Thanks for stopping by! Keenan went through a period of not wanting certain veggies due to texture, but so far, he seemed to grow out of it (at least I’m keeping my fingers crossed!).
Great post, love all your suggestions.
Thank you and thanks for stopping by!
Adorable pictures! We do actually do most of our cooking for the week on Sunday…otherwise with our crazy sports schedule, we’d never get good dinners on the table! And we never cooked different meals for the kids…we make them try everything. They’re actually really good eaters, although they all have stuff they don’t like. I think it’s important to expose them to as many foods as possible when they are young. And sometimes they grow into liking something too!
Thanks, Michelle! I completely agree with you. I believe it’s important to expose your kids to as many foods as possible when they are young, too. We have done that with Keenan and I plan to continue to do so with our next child. It helps them become a more well-rounded eater!