It's constant. The eating. The whining. The begging. The relentless pursuit of sugar and all things wrapped in shiny wrappers. I will readily admit that I am borderline obsessed with feeding my children. I blame everything on their diet. "They're hungry." I say to the other mother whose children are not acting a fool. I say, "we had a very early breakfast." Leaving out the small details like the menu consisting of oreos, cheetos, and juice. Details, details. I was double teamed, what can I say? I'm weak in the morning! They know when to strike; before the coffee, the exercise, the shower. It's no surprise that I am overwhelmed here. "Get a hold of yourself woman! You are the boss! Get rid of all things sweet and non-nutritious! Take control and fight back with omega threes and wheat!" says my inner psyche. Now, I don't disagree with that. My husband's solution is just this...purge the house of all things evil and sugary! The trouble is, by denying, I feel I am creating an ultimate desire for Little Debbie and Blue Bell Bullets. Miss Debbie and Chef Boyardee would rule their innermost thoughts and desires. To wrap their lips around a York Peppermint Pattie and feel the sensation...the sensation...sugar!
Last night we had an incident. My son Luke says to me at 10:30 ish in the PM, "mom, I really need some water." "Ok, honey, go grab some and head back up. I love you. See you in the morning." "OK mom, love you too!" Meanwhile...boom, boom, boom down the stairs. Light creeps through. "Why does he need the light?" I say to Rick. "I'll go check." says Rick. Shuffling. Quiet sobs. More shuffling. More boom, boom, boom. Mumble, mumble. Slam. "What is the deal?" I ask. "Luke was trying to smuggle a 7up". "What for??"
So, what ensues for the next hour or so is a conversation about the big issue, the deceit. He specifically agreed to water, but decided instead to push against the line of trust and sneak a 7up. I am livid. The big picture for me is the deceit, not the 7up, but nevertheless it plays a component. My kids cannot handle it. they cannot handle having sugar in the house. I cannot buy sodas ever. If I make cupcakes they will eat all 24 of them in about 3 days. Anything frozen and sugary stands no chance. Gone. Luke is terrified that if he doesn't eat all of the bar-b-que chips right now, his sisters (ages 6 and 3) will eat them ALL and he will never get them again! I don't know...
Growing up, the family joke is that we had NO food in our house. EVER. If you ever came to Anna's, most of my friends brought their own snack. (and toilet paper, but that's a different story) I'm not kidding. We typically had pecans, radishes, and powdered milk. I remember eating popcorn for dinner. Not exactly a well-balanced situation. As a result, I too looked on in awe at the filled pantries of my friends. I secretly wanted the spaghetti-o's and ding dongs wrapped in shiny foil instead of the home-cooked meals from my generous friends parents. So, I can relate, but I didn't hoard like Luke. Instead, when we did have groceries, I was so excited! So grateful! So amazed at the full jug of milk. To this day, a full pantry gives me an amazing sense of security. Again, I don't know...
Perhaps there is some wisdom in my mom's model. Maybe Rick's right, get rid of it all! What the heck?For now, we will give away the 7ups, the mini cones, the potato chips, marshmallows, capri-sun's and caramels. We will demand proper breakfast, lunch, and dinner attendance and participation. If you're hungry, learn to eat what I give you. If you don't eat, you're hungry. That's right America, Anna's going military on your ass! I'll let you know how it goes.
In the mean time, here are some delicious recipes that are simple and fast. If you don't like them...TOUGH!!
Herb Crusted Salmon with Spinach salad
6 oz salmon filets (4)
3-4 white bread slices torn in pieces
1 cup parsley
2 T ev olive oil
dijon mustard
salt and pepper
5 oz. spinach
lemon juice (3-4 T)
EV Olive oil
a few slivers of red onion slices, to your liking
Preheat a 450 degree oven. Line your baking sheet with foil. Add the bread, parsley, glug of oil (1 T), salt and pepper to food processor and pulse about 4-5 times. Not too small. Slap your filets on the prepared baking sheet. Add some salt and pepper. Put a small dollop of dijon mustard on the filets and spread around. Smush the bread topping onto the filets and press to adhere. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Should be opaque throughout.
meanwhile...back at the bat cave...
toss the spinach with the lemon juice and a glug of evoo. Serve salmon on a bed of salmon salad.
Lemony Smashed Potatoes
1lb or so of thin skinned potatoes cut in bite size pieces
lemon zest and juice (2-3 lemons)
evoo
butter
salt and pepper
All you have to do is throw those little potatoes in a pot with well salted water. Boil until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain. Add the zest and a squirt or two of lemon juice to the pot. Add salt and pepper and a few glugs of evoo and a dab of butter. Salt and pepper and stir or smash the potatoes to your liking.
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