on food.....

This was my dinner tonight.  I followed most of my rules for the healthy eating plan I am on:  brown rice, lots of  veggies and fish.  I'm eating it now and it is YUMMY!  It's an eating plan that will hopefully help me lose weight, and also learn portion control, and eat "cleaner".  Here in the Midwest, its hard to eat "clean" and "organic"....since our ground is frozen for a few months every year.....and we have no access to fresh seafood.  My Dutch heritage dictates that most meals have cream soups, cheese, bread......ok.  You get the point.  I'm trying hard.  Roger and I both are!  We just want to eat better....and move more....and be healthier.

Can I just say that  the process to that goal is abso-lutely-freakin'-miserable?  I'm busy in my day of driving around the county visiting moms and babies and I'm stinkin/ hungry....and I really want to go to the convenience store for a slice of hot, greasy pizza....and instead I open a bag of kale chips, or dill flavored dried cucumbers.  I get snarly and crabby really fast.(  I love food.)

Cooking healthly and trying to eat healthy is time-consuming and very expensive.  It's just not fun.  or rewarding.....the kids are definitely not excited about some of the adjustments.....so I end up making 2 versions of everything....and spending way too much time in the kitchen.  Blech.

Today, I was working and one of my families needed help.  They had no food.  None.  Nada.  They were tapped out until payday on Friday.  Can you even....remotely....imagine?  I cannot.  My tummy rumbled because I had eaten tuna and veggies and I was calling a local food pantry asking for food for 2 adults and 3 kiddos.  We got them food and vouchers for fresh produce/meet/cheese/milk and diapers from the grocery store.  I was running late but I took them to the store to cash in the vouchers.  So that.  They had.  Food.

Mom was anxious, not wanting to make bad choices on foods that were not fresh.  I kept saying, "its fine"   because it was at the grocery store, of course!  She has had experience with being given/sold bad food.  Here.  In wholesome northwest Iowa.  We followed the rules of the voucher and got meat, cheese, bread, eggs and milk.  She wanted cinnamon but it wasn't included.....to make french toast....and she did without it.  (I should bring her a little jar of cinnamon next visit, don'tcha think?).  She checked out and was a dollar and change over her voucher.  Seriously.  She started to look at what she could give back and not purchase and I said it was fine.  I didn't have the dollar and change available so I swiped my debit card to cover the difference.  She took her food home and had more than they have had in awhile.

I'm crabby about my diet food.....but this mama I helped today is overwhelmed by all the possibilities she now has in her kitchen.

When the kids from school ring your bell and ask for food pantry donations......please give them.  When the agencies advertise needs for diapers and donations.....please step up.  It makes a difference.....every day....to people right here at home.