State of the Plate, June 2012

A Moment to Reflect

I've taken a break from blogging the last two months for a couple of reasons.

Being Busy

I've been so busy that I just couldn't justify making time to write blog posts.  Gardening is lovely and the ideal way to get produce for my family--but, good grief, it take a lot of time.

Couple that with obsessively reading books (organic gardening techniques, finding and cooking grass fed meat, edible landscaping, root cellaring, home orchards, home meat curing, and some phonics thrown in for good measure) and I just haven't had much time.

Motivation Check

I also found myself question why I was blogging.  It takes time, but there's no return.  And as I mentioned, time is in short supply these days.   I'm not in a position either time-wise or knowledge-wise to launch a profitable blogging empire (although I'm so impressed by mothers who manage to do so).  So much of what I want to blog about is just my experience with some one else's ideas, not something truly original.

Of course, there's nothing new under the sun, is there?  And a quick Google will reveal that for almost any idea there are more than a handful of bloggers who have addressed it.  So, really--what's the point?  Why add to the virtual clutter when there are so many things tugging at my time?

As I've reflected, I realize that I started this blog not with lofty goals about making money or building a massive following, but as a journal--a way to hold myself accountable and to nudge myself to encourage healthy eating habits in my kids.

Journal writing is a powerful tool for self-reflection and self-discovery and, frankly, I have a history of being lousy at it.  I just don't take time to write unless I have an audience--or at least a potential audience.

So I've decided to try to make time for myself to blog--embracing that this is really a journal about developing a healthy food culture within my family.  If it helps some one else--bonus.  The act of writing (and even just thinking about writing when I don't have time to get words on the page) helps me.  

What's Coming

I have so many could-be-posts swimming around in my head right  now.  I have a bunch of food goals for my family this summer and I'm hoping to write about them.

French Kids Eat Everything:  Based on this book, I'm working on giving my family a French-food-attitude makeover.

Cool Breakfasts for Hot Days:   Our usual warm breakfasts, like French toast, are heating up the kitchen too much in this warm weather, so I'm hoping to mix up our menus with some nourishing food that won't overheat the house.

Not PBJ for Lunch:  We've fallen into a bad rut of eating peanut butter sandwiches way too much.  With first grade looming, I'm eager to create a lunch rotation featuring more diverse and nourishing options that will also be lunch-box friendly.  I have no idea what that's going to look like!

Book Reviews:  I've been using and abusing the library like a crazy lady this spring.  I've read so many wonderful books and cookbooks; I'm hoping to review some of them so that I will be able to remember why I loved them and refer to them again in the future.

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