self-portrait

i catch this view of myself in the mirror a lot.

me, in an apron.

a lot of factors have led up to this image.

food storage.

bread making.

studying the word of wisdom.

animal, vegetable, miracle.

food inc.

jamie oliver's food revolution.

green smoothie girl.

cali's classes.

essential oils.

herbs.

committment to a new lifestyle.

jamie oliver inspired me to get in the kitchen.

i've never loved cooking.

baking, yes.

cooking dinner, no.

not at all.

shopping, preparing, planning, cooking, cleaning up--i could leave it all thank you very much.

and i did.

we ate out all the time.

tim and i both loved it, so why not?

i would estimate that we ate out 7+ times a week, easy.

fast, yummy, fun. . .

jamie made cooking in your own kitchen appear the same. . .

fast, yummy, fun.

i love to watch him cook.

his excitement is infectious.

and it made sense.

of course my family would be blessed if i could learn to cook. . .

but i didn't just want to cook, i wanted to enjoy it.

i started searching for recipes online

buying cookbooks.

reading food blogs

(this is my favorite--although i have never tried a recipe--i look at the images and sigh)

and somewhere along the way between this fall and now

i learned, i can prepare nourishing, fast, yummy food for my family.

meals that earn thumbs up.

and it makes me so happy.

i am passionate about food now.

i love choosing foods for their nutritional value.

i love, love, love the color of fresh fruits and vegetables.

i love the smells.

i love knowing that i can do it.

i thank jamie oliver for his inspiraiton

and i thank him for being a male role model in the kitchen.

i had his award video up this morning (i re-watched it last night), ready to link its awesomeness on my blog.

i heard it playing and came in and saw davis watching it.

or should i say re-watching it--because we watched it together last spring (warning: that adorable englishman uses a few curse words in his passionate speech about food).

he watched the entire 21 minutes, totally engrossed. i talked to him about what a few of the words meant (not the curse words:)). he loves the part when jamie brings out a wheelbarrow full of sugar and dumps it on the stage--to show how much sugar school kids consume in their chocolate milk alone.

i am happy for all of the positive messages about food i can give my children--to shore them up against the barrage of poor messages they receive.

and for myself, to remind myself that what i am doing is important.

not just important, but fun.

that is the best reminder.