It's All About Food

So, I really think sometimes that I hate food. It's not that I hate the actual food, or eating (I love to eat!). But admittedly, I hate being so restricted. I grew up in a family where food was the center of everything - Sunday dinners at my grandma's house after church, my mom's home-cooked food, and big holiday dinners. Every time we got together with family, it was around a table full of food. I have so many fond memories associated with food. Now that things are different and we are on a "restricted" diet, it seems as if life is lacking something special. It has really put me in a rut. :/ Why is food so emotional, anyway? Isn't it interesting that the devil used food to trick Eve into disobeying God? Food has some sort of pull for us. It creates memories (good or bad!), it's a comfort, and at times it's controlling. Hence the reason most Americans are overweight and dealing with a wide array of health problems. They simply cannot give up the food that's killing them.

Today I pulled down some old Taste of Home magazines I inherited from my grandma. She loved food, too. She and my aunt loved going through cookbooks and finding fun recipes to try out. As I was flipping through them I started to think. Perhaps with a little more effort and pre-planning, I could convert some of the recipes to fit our diet. I could make food special again. I want to give that to my Man and my kids. They deserve good food! Not just good food, but food that won't make us sick, that fits our diet, and is good for us. I NEED this. I have to convince myself that food is fun, because I truly do love the process of cooking and serving something that everyone enjoys. It just takes more determination than regular cooking, right?!

So, that's my rant. I'm setting a small goal for myself that seems workable. I want to find one new recipe a week to convert, from either one of the many old cookbooks I have, or online. At the same time, I'm starting a list of what I make so I can come up with a meal plan. Now that Fall is here, I should be able to find time to do this (or that's what I tell myself), I just have to manage my time and plan better. I will post each recipe I convert, as long as it turns out edible. ;) They will all be gluten, grain, soy, and peanut free. I do use farm eggs and raw milk, but hopefully some of the recipes will work for those of you who cannot use those things.

Hopefully this works out, it seems like a good idea in my head, at least. ;)