One thing that I have been focusing my attention in this summer is home improvements and health improvements for our family. Of course we all think being healthy is important, but I feel certain obligation to walk the walk I will be telling patients about day in and day out as RN and hopefully one day a midwife.
I'm pretty proud of some of the dietary changes I've made for my family lately. Really they are just small choices that start amounting to something more meaningful. For example my family loves Indian food. Particularly Ismael and I love Indian food and Nassim loves rice. We used to indulge this love by going to Indian buffets for lunch almost weekly only to feel like lead after we finished eating. Then feeling the need to sleep the rest of the afternoon. For money and for health I figured I could make some of the things we like myself so I started making a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala which seems to be one of the Western version Indian food staples. My first recipe was essentially butter, cream, chicken, tomato sauce and spices. We were both quite pleased with the taste and decided to integrate into our "meals we like to cook." Since the first time I made that dish maybe in March of 2012 I have altered the recipe to use chicken and a significant amount of green beans sometimes using less chicken and large pieces of sweet potato instead. I added corn to the rice. I substituted the cream for coconut milk, and white rice for brown rice. I suppose my final change will be to use coconut oil instead of butter. However I will always use and love butter, which makes me recall Rebecca saying, "Buttered toast is one of the finest foods." I couldn't agree more.
Other changes I've made is finding ways to cook foods I know are good but have never had a taste for. Since the summer has begun I've prepared Swiss chard with onions and garlic and I have roasted beets with sweet potatoes. I have what I would call a mid-conscious mental block about eating many healthy foods. Intellectually I am all for eating diverse and dark colors of fruits and vegetables. As for the taste, I prepare these foods in ways I will enjoy them. The only problem seems to be that somewhere in this brain of mine I'm thinking eating vegetables is a chore that I need to get over with and in a way I force myself to eat them without savoring the taste I really do enjoy. It's strange, but I figure I am combating 18 years of no vegetables and all high sodium instant foods. I ask myself frequently if all kids would like vegetables if they were prepared in a more palatable way?
Another change is I've reduced the amount of meat we are eating, particularly red meat. There will never ever be a replacement for how flavorful fatty lamb shoulders are in a sauce or rice, but instead of trying to make the dish without the lamb or trying a substitution I think we will just have it less often instead of trying to modify it.
I spent a lot of time trying to make food my family would like to eat and less about all the contents of the food, but now that I have thoroughly established my ability to cook and please my family it's given me the confidence to make decisions for the family about our health. Less "What would you like to eat?" and more, "This is what I'm making tonight."
Lastly I want to note that I'm fully aware that diet is not even half the battle to our family being healthier, but I MUST find a way to exercise. Fortunate for Soumaila he is able to go to the gym on a regular basis and the more he works out the more energy he seems to have...energy to do dishes no less! As for myself, we just got a hold of child carrier bike seat for the back of my bike. Nassim is crazy about it, just like his Mom was when she was young. I have such fond memories of riding on the back of Chris' bike and eating a turkey sandwich and then loosing that turkey sandwich.
