Thursday, February 10, 2011

Not So Easy

Experimenting with the recipes from Nourishing Traditions was far from effortless. I grew weary of all the pre-planning and time consuming food preparations.

Nourishing Foods filled the need I had for deliciousness and fullness. I got a bit hell-bent on richer foods after being on my fake food diet. And I loved being back in the kitchen, amidst the clatter of pots and pans, the science of fermenting and soaking, and the acrobatics of scrubbing down a well used kitchen filled with the aromas of honest cooking. This was such a welcome change after months of silently zapping bland, prepackaged meals and steamable bags of frozen vegetables.

I enjoyed the food, but eventually resented the time spent making it. Then I got lazy, but I liked the high fat foods. To sum it up; the holidays came and went, I ate everything, and my jeans got tighter.

Reading and making the recipes from Nourishing Traditions was an educational experience. But it didn't take long for me to veer away from time consuming food prep, and to feast upon heavy foods. Somehow I got lost in the tastes and experiences, and that opened a floodgate to eating whatever I wanted. I don't blame Nourishing Traditions. I think you can learn a lot reading the book and trying out the recipes. But making tasty, nutritious food needs to be easier for me.

I appreciate the love and thought and time put into making these recipes. I love the slow food movement and all it embodies. I just need to speed things up a little and trim some of the meat, butter, cheese and cream.

I chalk it up to a learning process. Figuring out what works for me is a good, good thing.