We rarely “eat out”. We cook.
Rarely, meaning twice per month and sometimes less. Typically, my husband and I try to enjoy “eating out” together…when the kids are not with us. We monitor the sodium levels on our son so it lead to less “mommy guilt”. However, I have a mild form of Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus, too. I feel better when I eat lower sodium foods.
We decided long ago that we should cook awesome tasting, healthy food at home and it will shape great eating habits for his life.
In theory, that sounds like solid parenting advise, doesn’t it? I really don’t remember what lead us to that decision. In a perfect world, there is probably some truth to that reasoning but we don’t live in a perfect world. In reality, we do our best as parents and hope for a decent outcome in the end.
Reality check.
I don’t always want to cook all that healthy stuff. I have cravings. I have cravings a lot. I usually don’t voice them to anyone. I usually smile and cook up something nutritionally stellar in every way. I make a game out of it in my mind to see how I can take good food and make it better. I get a weird thrill out of being able to articulate how and why a recipe was good for my children. I really can’t explain this. My other calling in life was as a nutritionist, I think.
Did I hear the doorbell?
So, imagine not having had gourmet, organic, real ingredient pizza from an old pizza oven for a very long time. It’s 6 P.M. and your stomach is growling. You feel so hungry, your stomach actually hurts and you are crabby with everyone who comes near. Nothing will go well until you eat. Are you salivating yet?
Now imagine this amazing pizza place delivers all their pizza’s for free, you just have to call and talk to them at the store so they know what you need. They never charge their customers anything but time. They may ask you to do a service project for someone depending on your skills, if they know of someone else in the community who needs your help.
Is the pizza still worth it to you? How hungry are you? How much do you long for that chewy but crunchy crust, the pile of warm topping, the melted cheese that covers it all…
I want to feel this way about God’s word.
I want my soul to long for it, be willing to give my time to get it, and be willing to serve others to be around it. I want God’s words to fill me with joy and delight, till I won’t be satisfied reading and learning from God’s word just once in a while. I want to be able to articulate how this “daily bread” has changed my days and my life.
When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
Lord God Almighty.
Jeremiah 15:16 New International Version (NIV)
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