Seeing as how I am studying to be a registered dietitian, I try very hard to cook healthy meals for my family. Having a small iceberg salad with dinner is not my idea of healthy. Since getting married and having a baby, I understand the importance of incorporating nutritionally dense foods into our everyday meals. I am known for doing things like "hiding" spinach in pasta sauces and whole wheat flour in cookies. I have almost mastered how to make things healthier without my husband noticing. I have tried so hard to encourage my husband to eat sweet potatoes. They are an absolute powerhouse of vitamins and nutrients. I have made sweet potatoes on several occasions but my husband always pushes them away and says they are too sweet! Last night for dinner, the light bulb finally went off. Just because sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, does not mean I can't add a little spice to them. I made sweet potatoes fries dusted with cajun spices last night and they were a huge success! They were so easy too. I julienned the potatoes fairly thin and then brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled sea salt and cajun spices. I cooked them at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. This is a great way to encourage healthy eating to anyone who is picky. I can't wait until Sophia is old enough for sweet potato fries. Until then, her sweet potatoes go in the blender before they go in her tummy. :)
Being a mother has proven to be the most rewarding and nerve racking thing of my life thus far! Having a little 11 month old scooter presents many challenges during my day. I used to be afraid to take a shower because I didn't want to hear Sophia cry, now I am afraid to take a shower because I don't want her to choke on a piece of plastic that the vacuum missed. Leaving her alone for two minutes while I go do laundry is just not an option right now. I can put 5 toys in front of her and she will somehow find something off limits to put in her mouth instead! This evening, I put her on the floor with her beloved piano, but she was much more interested in the wrapping paper under the staircase. She managed to scoot across the living room, under the staircase and unravel half of the wrapping paper. I am finding that the older she gets, the more paranoid I become about her safety. Every time I leave her with someone, I can't help but be afraid for her safety. I know she is safe with her dad because I am constantly reminding him of just how careful he needs to be. I love him for putting up with me :) Am I crazy or are all mothers overly controlling when it comes to the well being of their children? I fear that this control will only get worse as she gets older. Who will be allowed to drive her places, how often will she be allowed to have junk food, what will she wear, what will her bed time be, who will her friends be? These are all things that I want to control, but I don't know that I can. Like I said before, being a mother is the most rewarding and nerve racking this of my life thus far!
