Resolutions

January 2010.

'Tis the season for resolutions: eat better, exercise more, do more of this, do less of that.

Makes sense. I myself have some resolutions:

• Rock a true two-piece bathing suit sans skirt for the Florida trip this spring
• Eat thoughtfully (health, ethics, etc.)
• Make my exercises count more (I can run 7 miles, but can barely do a push-up)
• Finally start my blog
  

Minus the two-piece (if I do get into it, I won't have the literal or figurative stomach to post photos to cyberspace), the following three are related to this, My Family Dish.

I am a mom, foodie, exercise lover, wanna-be chef, and food politics maven. As I try to shop right, cook well, and remain healthy, I find myself conflicted. I imagine many of us (busy, on budgets, but wanting to do what is best for their families) feel similarly. How far can we go with our beliefs? How do we do the best in what time/money we have; all the while pleasing little (and big) palates and setting up how our kids will eat for life?

While I pour over the writings of folks such as Michael Pollan and Alice Waters and agree with much of what they preach, I find them apsirational.

In addition to rearing our two young sons (currently ages 4.5 and 2.5), I work part-time. The boys eat well for their age; and a lot for their age. I have a husband who eats what I cook, but likes to be involved in decisions as well. And, I really like to cook (and eat), so don't want to be "pinned" into a certain style of eating.

I tried to plant a garden, but I don't know whether to blame bad soil, a black thumb, the two-year-old's stomping, or the backyard skunk for its failing. I get to the farmer's market as much as I can in the limited growing season of New England's non-lettuce pickings, and while delicious, it's not predictable. Despite my own dreams of a freezer chest full of locally-grown blanched and frozen vegetables, my husband really might join some frequent diners club at McDonalds if I join a vegetable share and add any more kale, chard or bok choy to the menus.

I shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Costco and even (gasp!) the "regular" grocery store every so often. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have done the homework for me (very few dyes or high fructose corn syrup) and Costco is the easiest, most convenient, budget-friendly way for me to get much of what matters most to me for my family. I pretty much stick to the whole foods (those homemade cookies count!) at the store and agree that Garelick Farms travels fewer miles from farm to table than Costco's Kirkland 1% Organic milk; but, I don't have the time or patience to run all over town for what already adds up to about $200+ a week on groceries. And, my kids eat so much fruit. Real fruit. LOTs of it. Aren't real grapes from Chile (albeit non-organic, but washed very well) when I can't find anything else better than raisins or applesauce? And those adorable, little, tangy, seedless, Clementines that my toddler eats like candy? I don't even look at their origin anymore.

A couple things I've been thinking about lately:

1) My hero, Alice Waters, shuns the microwave, yet more than half of the Cooks Illustrated Best of 2009 recipes, another publication my husband and I both trust, use the microwave to short-cut steps in the kitchen. I want both: the "Art of Simple Food" and simplicity in the kitchen.

2) Michael Pollan and others shun Whole Foods for sourcing so much meat/fish from other places. Local farming isn't scalable for the masses and impossible if you want to choose what you eat. Sure, you might get lucky at the farmer's market, but it's not guaranteed. Last summer we joined a meat share. Fabulously delicious. 10 lbs of meat per month all frozen in 1 poundish packages. Problem: lots of red meat and cuts of meat that weren't all that desirable or easy to cook for one meal. I found ways around it, but if I'm going to strive to eat less meat, I want to choose it myself, like I do other areas of our family meals.

Alas, thus begins my journey on My Family Dish as I try to navigate the balance between food politics (safety and sourcing) and feeding my family nutritious meals that work within my time and budgetary constraints.

We all do what we can do as we organize our lives so that our families get our very best. With this blog I will dish interesting articles, recipes I have tried, and other ways that inspire us to eat more thoughtfully, healthfully, and pleasurably. Please bear with me on this whole "blog thing," and share your ideas and thoughts.