The Many Hats of Motherhood

The job of wife and mother has many responsibilities. I like to call them hats. One of the many hats of Motherhood is that of Nutritionist. It's our job to make sure those tummies are full of good, wholesome food.

How do I do that?

1. Constant Education
I am always educating myself on food, cooking and nutrition, use the library to check out cookbooks and magazines before I buy them, take cooking classes which are offered free in my community and do a lot of online research.

2. Talk to People
I find out what my family likes, taking note of what is and isn't a hit.

I ask other moms of larger families how they feed their families.

I ask my friends for the recipes of dishes I've enjoyed in their homes.

3. Plan Ahead
I plan ahead for my week by cooking and baking on the weekend. I make cookies, treats, etc., with whole grains so I'm not tempted to eat/serve something I shouldn't. I make healthy salads ahead for the first part of the week. I freezer cook in a simple way so it doesn't overburden. Instead of making one dish a night, I will make three of the same and freeze two. I don't do this all the time, but a few times a month can build up quite a stock in the freezer.

I'm not perfect. We have days when we don't eat as healthy as we should and I have weeks when I lack the energy to do what I know I should. But I'm working on it and I enjoy helping others work toward feeding their families well, too.

Here's a list of helpful resources to check out:

For Inspiration
www.allrecipes.com (Advanced Ingredient Search for those days when you haven’t planned ahead. Oops!)
www.epicurious.com
www.recipezaar.com

Freezer/Bulk Cooking
Dinner’s in the Freezer, Jill Bond
Mega Cooking, Jill Bond
The 30-Day Gourmet
The Make a Mix Cookbook, Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, & Madeline Westover

http://www.30daygourmet.com/ Nanci Slagle

http://bulkcooking.com/

Crock Pot Cooking
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
Stephanie O’Dea committed to a full year of using her crock pot every day, with some very interesting results. She keeps the recipes online for all to benefit from.

There are a lot of websites with slow cooker recipes and many books on the subject, also. Search the web for “slow cooker” or “crock pot” recipes.

Cooking with Whole Foods
All Sue Gregg Resources http://www.suegregg.com/
Sue’s work is impressive. She has online sample recipes she WANTS you to try before buying her cookbooks. She also has FREE cooking lessons at her web site. Highly recommended by many.
Crystal Miller at www.thefamilyhomestead.com This mother of eight children is an experienced cook of whole foods and beans. She has great information on her website and her blogs.
All La Leche League Cookbooks http://www.llli.org/
Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon

Enjoy!
Kris