belloftheball's Profile

Currently using our microwave to steam-clean bags of milk-pumping accessories! Certainly handy for someone who doesn't own a dishwasher...

I have been dealing with the same issue for the past few weeks. What's been difficult for me is the cooking withdrawal I've experienced...I have little energy or desire to cook because food on the whole just doesn't sound appealing, but I miss cooking wholesome, homemade food for dinner each night.
I've found that drinking a small glass of orange juice in the mornings helps me (sometimes it is the only thing that I can even imagine ingesting in the mornings). I've been bringing fruit, crackers, mint tea, and Sprite to work to keep something in my stomach. We are participating in a CSA this summer and have tons of vegetables at hand, but I recently made myself a huge salad for dinner and about halfway through, I just could.not.eat.any.more. of it! I've been finding what feels good to me to eat right now and sticking with that (even if it's not the healthiest thing...i'm still eating SOMEthing). AND reminding myself that this is temporary (I will cook again!)
In terms of dinners, my husband and I have been eating out (or grabbing some food from the grocery store/take out restaurant and bringing it home) or I may eat a bowl of cereal or something simple for dinner and he will eat something on his own.
Hang in there!

I'm surprised at the anger this article is generating. For some people, eating in a balanced and nutritional way is something they were taught as young people, or perhaps something they taught themselves, and that's great. However, I don't think it's ridiculous for someone like Ellen Tarlin to recognize that she eats so poorly and figure out why it is she does so. I am a frequent reader of the Kitchn and I love cooking and learning about food, but I don't begrudge anyone else who may not feel the same way I do from navigating this issue herself. It may be easy to say to someone, "Duh - go buy some apples instead of processed foods!" but for the person who is not used to eating whole foods and/or nutritious foods, putting this into practice can be very different. I think it's a bit of a cop-out to judge Tarlin by saying, "you can afford it, and you have access to the food, so eat right." (whatever you view eating "right" to be). For some (I'd argue for many) food represents comfort, and eating may be intrinsically tied to one's emotions, and some people link choosing foods simply with convenience. I personally know a lot about food nutrition, but that doesn't mean I don't naturally go for a sweet treat or feel I deserve some kind of food reward when I am feeling down, or when I had a rough day at work. I naturally feel that way, and I have to work to keep myself from eating emotionally. My point is: I don't think we can judge the writer so harshly simply because she does not have the same habits as many people who read The Kitchn. Further, I think most people will agree that Amercia as a whole is experiencing some seriously negative issues and habits when it comes to eating and nutrition. Our obesity rate is still sky-high and increasing year by year. Perhaps Tarlin will shed some light on why someone who has gotten into a pattern of eating the way she does would continue to do so (or why she started eating that way in the first place).

Spritz cookies, Snickerdoodles and "Fruit of the Gods" cookies, our name for these a.ma.zing peanut butter cookies with mini peanut butter cups in the middle. Heaven!

I think both types can be completely lovely and succeed in bringing holiday cheer to the home.

Personally, I've gotta agree that the SCENT of a real tree is the clincher. To me, there is nothing quite so wonderful as waking up and coming downstairs to the welcoming, Christmas-ee smell of the pine. Add the scent of coffee and from-scratch pancakes and I'm in heaven! Of course, if a fake tree is preferred, there are some excellent pine-scented candles available these days...

Thank you for this post! I've been fumbling through the kitchen cabinets these days, frantically trying to pull something comforting together for breakfast on these cold autumn mornings. The mini quiche and apple struesel pancake bar recipes shall be utilized at my house soon!

So true. Foods that would generally be categorized as "simple" often provoke the most wonderful memories: how simple is a s'more, and yet how rich the thought of crisp autumn air; being snuggled up around a roaring campfire with dear friends; laughter. I will forever covet those cheap after-dinner mints from the grocery store because they remind me of my grandma, who always had them with her and handed them out to everyone for a treat. And what about a perfectly ripe, sweet, in-season peach? Can there be anything more divine?