How yummy, does this look? hmmm...
I love food. Actually we all love to eat in my family; growing up in Ecuador until the age of eight set the stage for my having quite a broad palette now (which gets me into trouble at times). And of course living in nyc, where I have virtually every kind of cuisine I can imigaine at my fingertips, continues to nurture my life long appreciaetion of food. My favorite cooking in the whole wide world is my mama's followed by my grandma's, and now my boo's (fiance). There is nothing better and more satisfying than a bowl of freshly made chicken soup (which can include anything from yuca, plantains, angel hair pasta, and whatever else my mom feels like throwing in) or a plate of yummy guatita, there's a party in my mouth with every bite (guatita is a typical ecuadorian dish that blends cow stomach, peanut butter, and potatoes to make a delicious stew). I know, cow stomach??? (my fiance was in shock when I told him about this) but let me tell you when in the right hands, it tastes fantastic! If you ever muster up the nerve, try it, I think you might be pleasantly surprised ;-)
The connection between our sense of taste, our minds, and souls is much deeper than most of us are aware of. Food not only nourishes our bodies but it nourishes our soul as well. Most of us have at least one dish/food that we associate with a loved one, whether homemade or not, every bite conjures up a memory. At least for me this is the case. I have, over the years, formed a deep emotional connection to food and while I know that for some the source of the connection is not very healthy, for me it's working out well so far. The older I get the more I am dedicated to keeping my best loved memories fresh in my mind and heart, and I love to share them with my precious baby boy and my fiance. Food is one of the ways that I keep my memories alive, especially when eating typical ecuadorian cuisine or something that taste similar to an ecuadorian food, it always transports me back to a beautiful period in my life. A great way to spend quality time with your kids is to enjoy a favorite snack (healthy is key) with them, my son and I do this everyday and it feels so right and special, even though i'm the one stuck with the clean-up (my son is now 13 months and has discovered how much fun it is to take food out of his mouth and smear it all over himself and his area, oh the joy). Also, I am soo grateful that my son, so far, eats everything I give him, even kale ;-). My advice to parents is start young, I started at six months (always wait about two weeks when introducing new foods, this way you can see if he/she is allergic to anything and do not be afraid to mix all kinds of healthy veggies and fruits, at the end of the day at least you tried). Oh and a big plus, for me that is, is that I eat the same food I cook for my son (of course, I add a little salt and pepper here and there but at times I eat just as he does) and it works great for the figure ladies.
While I have, for many years now, been focused on eating healthy and living healthy overall and having my baby boy further strengthened that commitment, I still cannot for the life of me shake my sweet tooth. I love sweets, I use to be that person who a lot of times ate dessert before dinner and maybe a little more after. I use to dream about cakes, pies, cookies, all kinds of desserts. This is a trait I lovingly share with my daddy ;-) And while I do love homemade desserts the best, I do not discriminate one bit, I can put down a twix or a kit kat faster than you can blink. This is where I am odds with myself a lot of the time because overall I do eat healthy and keep healthy food options around, but there are days that I get a little risque (as my fiance says) and indulge, and I love very minute of it. But then I walk by a mirror and the sesible nat comes through, oh well, I guess that's one of those lifelong goals, to be sugar free! we'll see...
Food is life, energy, love (if you cook with love it becomes and act of love and that is very important), culture, and health. I encourage you all to eat healthy (organic when possible, shop farmers markets, and support local farmers over all), teach your kids to eat healthy from the start, if your kids are old enough cook as a family or just with your spouse-turn the necessary but seemingly mundane acts of cooking and eating into a meaningful experience for yourself and your family, this is what makes for those indelible and comforting memories we all grab a hold of as our journeys unfold...and go ahead and indulge at times, we all need that moment of chocolate ecstasy here and there, don't feel guilty if you are eating it, enjoy every last morsel ;-)
My next post will include some of my favorite yummy and healthy snacks for the whole family to share, so stop by,
in the mean time check out this food blog:
Closet Cookingthis -this gentleman has some very yummy recipes and beautiful pics, I find this blog very inspiring (here is where I got the pic above).
Wishing you all a blessed day...
