Legacy

Ya know, I try to always have this positive outlook in life but the adult experience has not been easy lately.
My mother passed away in July and carrying on with that grief has been horrific at best. I’ve learned to cope by celebrating her in my actions.
One of those actions is cooking. My mother was a good cook and I appreciate how much she did for her kids. Cooking is truly a labor of love, even more so when you are a parent. I’ve had that in the back of my mind every day, I want to show my son love by cooking him a good meal. It’s one of my love languages or whatever, it’s a cherry on top when he compliments me because it makes me feel proud. I’m proud of him for simply existing but it is a good feeling when he eats hamburger helper that I doctored up and says it’s the best thing he’s ever eaten. I added canned green beans to it and he still scarfed it.

I love making Stick-To-Your-Ribs food like The Helper because it’s a piece of nostalgia and a core memory for my dad brain. But I am on a health journey that I want to show my son that eating healthier is how our bodies feel the best. I often make protein pancakes that I add egg and chia seeds to and I use the “lite” syrup that is either sugar free or at least half the sugar. I got him on a new snack of Greek yogurt, dried blueberries, and crushed pecans.

I just want him to have balance, where he is not robbed of being a kid and eating kid food, but he understands the benefits of cooking whole foods at home paired with physical fitness.

All those meals my mom prepared for my sister and I when we were growing up. I knew she had to be tired from working all day, and dealing with the crushing weight that is adulthood, but she still cooked.
To me, this is a way of honoring her and celebrating her impact on my life.
Love you mom and miss you everyday,

Nathan