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Nourishing Mothers

IMG_1175A quick pre-Mothers’ Day post to thank mothers all over the world for nourishing us in so many ways. Providing nourishment does not necessarily mean providing a meal.  Our commerce-driven society seems to have this all mixed up, with marketers often suggesting that home cooking is the same thing as mother-love.

Some of the most loving mothers I know do not cook at all –ever —  for their children or anyone else; they nourish their off-spring (and their other loved ones and friends) by listening to them and laughing with them, by encouraging them and egging them on, and by being a role model of hard work and community engagement. This kind of nourishment feeds our children’s other hungers — for attention, love and guidance. Frankly, love and attention can be more sustaining than a frantically prepared and grudgingly served meal (unless you are facing a starving, grumpy teenage boy just off the sports field, in which case, give all the hugs you want but give him some grub, pronto).

So here’s to the mothers who don’t cook.  It is good to remember that there are many ways to nurture.

And here’s to the mothers who do cook.  You give a great gift every meal.

While we are at it,

Here’s to the mothers of children with food allergies or medical conditions who navigate the shoals of hungry babes and scary reactions, of sugar lows and side affects on a daily basis. Couragio!

Here’s to mothers of picky eaters. Your patience is inspiring.

Here’s to the mothers who manage multiple dietary requests —  a vegetarian, a carnivore and a fish-only fellow all at the same table, three times a day, every single day;  ‘No Problem’.  You are amazing.

Here’s to the mothers who make and serve meals to suit all manner of schedules — from ballet classes to ice hockey to late nights at the office.  Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it.

Here’s to the mothers who pack all those lunches, day after day, week after week. What you do is heroic, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Here’s to the mothers who work all week at the office and then devote a day to cooking on the weekend so that there will be meals for the week to come. You are astonishing.

Here’s to the mothers who went back to work and assigned each of their children a night to cook. Bravo!

Here’s to the mothers who say eat your greens, have some fruit and no snacks before dinner.   Say it again, and again and again. Sooner or later someone will be glad you did.

And finally, a note of gratitude to my own mother, for

  • expecting my 12 year-old-self to have the rice cooked, the vinaigrette made, and the lettuce washed by the time she got home from her job as a bookkeeper,
  • saying “Why don’t we try baking bread today?”  and “I bought this yogurt maker, shall we try making yogurt?”,
  • telling me to eat my endive, even if it was bitter,
  • thinking a midnight milkshake party was a good idea,
  • suggesting that I ease up on the white starchy stuff (the potatoes, rice and pasta),
  • showing me that making and freezing 50 crepes is no big deal,
  • cooking endless budget meals from scratch, and jazzing them up with fun titles,
  • serving breakfast for dinner just to keep us guessing,
  • letting me loose in the kitchen.

This coming Mother’s Day give your children a present and  let them  loose in the kitchen.  Let them cook (and clean up).  Here’s a sample menu for the day, you can pass on to your family.

BREAKFAST
Green Smoothie
(Check out one of the many recipes on the web)
Fresh Berries
 Buckwheat pancakes with greek yogurt, honey and walnuts
LUNCH
Green Salad
 Salmon Salad with Crunchy Vegetables.
SUPPER
 Brown Rice
Chicken Thigh Kebobs

Bok choy and Radish Salad

 Lemon Olive Oil Almond Cake

Happy Mother’s Day!

Nourishing Mothers Recipe

By Katy Kinsolving Published: May 8, 2013

    A quick pre-Mothers' Day post to thank mothers all over the world for nourishing us in so many ways. Providing nourishment does not …

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