feeding my family | here i am

Something is seriously wrong with me.

I went back to work and I’m now trying to merge my stay at home mom lifestyle and expectations with my new part-time, working mom time commitments. Wednesdays are my “day off” and feel like my Sunday, like my day to catch up and to exercise and see friends and make appointments and to run errands and to supposedly cook like a wild woman!

Yesterday, I had to leave the house early and was gone and in and out all day and night. I had no time to cook and this bothered me. I like to have food readily available for my family when they come home. They’re all busy too, and providing food feels like I’m providing comfort and energy so that everyone survives. So dramatic, I know. But seriously. They can cook on their own and make their own food, but I still want to do it and feel like I’m doing my job. I want to take care of them this way and show them my love this way. I love that they enjoy my cooking and I feel connected to them through food. So when I literally couldn’t fit in the cooking time any time during the day yesterday, I felt like a failure. Not really, but really I’m feeling dramatic today, so let’s just go with an F- in the food department.

So today I made up for it because I had time. I also had pounds of chicken and beef and veggies that I had planned to use yesterday, so I got busy. I had leftovers to repurpose and new recipes to try and a dish that Juliana asked me to make, plus 2 dishes I wanted to recreate from the Indonesian restaurant we visited this past weekend. I had big dreams to fill today and I made 6 different things, plus washed all the dishes and put them away. All in a day and now I feel happy with my full fridge.

In case you’re curious about what I made, I made a spicy Indonesian beef rendang, Indonesian sayur lodeh, gluten free/light/baked coconut chicken, some sort of mediterranean chicken and cauliflower in a tomato and onion sauce, chicken marsala, and Julie’s spaghetti pizza bake recipe. Oh, and Thai jasmine rice to soak up all the sauces.

So no one should go hungry for the rest of the week. Phew. I feel so much better now with food in the nest, ready to feed my flock.

How do you nest?

nAMaste BeLoveRs

Food, glorious food. I love food. I love cooking and I love cooking for my family and friends and providing for them and caring for them by feeding them. This is so simple and so basic and makes me so very simply, happy. I love when they are happy with the food I prepare for them and feel such a connection.

This school year I decided to make breakfast for my family every day. I have a new menu for each day of the week and the kids are starting to look forward to what’s coming. Today was pancake day and there was a sense of anticipation that I loved.

I had fun being creative, making their pancakes with designs.

I loved seeing them smile and enjoy this simple touch. I just put the pancake batter into a squeeze bottle and cut the top so the hole was a little bigger to help the batter pass through without major clumping.

I need to play and create more often. This was definitely a highlight of my day.

I also loved when Charlie came home from school and thanked me again for making him his favorite pancakes. I loved that he appreciated me and the effort I put into making our mornings meaningful.

I make Juliana a hot lunch every day, as she eats a gluten free diet. Sometimes it is challenging to think about what to make and fill her thermos. Today I put in leftover truffled fried potatoes with brisket and bbq sauce. She texted me during her lunch break to tell me how much she loved her lunch. I know it’s silly, but these little moments of gratitude make my day. I love that she appreciates the thought and time I put into making her lunch and I loved making it. The circle is complete.

And finally, I made Christian dinner to go and he was thankful he didn’t have to eat the bag of trail mix and granola bar he had prepared to eat between his events. He was happily surprised with the hot meal I prepared before picking him up from his practice.

I loved seeing him enjoy the food I prepared and hearing him ask me to wait a minute before driving away so that he could savor a few bites before going again. It’s the little moments.

This is what our life looks like. We’re busy and running all around, yet we still enjoy good and healthy food and I get to still take care of my babies, even if we’re not all sitting around the table at the same time.

I love that food connects and binds us and that they enjoy this little touch.

Life is good.

What are some of your food favorites? What are some of your food routines?