why resist mamas delicious food?

since i am trying to loose some extra inches on my ass and tummy it is particularly hard to visit my parents. as i probably mentioned before my whole family *loooves* to gorge on mamas great dishes. she inherited her way of cooking from her mother and passed it on to her daughters, and though this might be a wide generalization i assume exactly our traditional home cooking is responsible for the struggle with my weight.

of course my mother has her own style and she did not actually copy her mothers recipes. but her only commitment to health probably was to substitute lard for butter or margerine. we where not wealthy at all when i was a kid and so the main aim probably was to feed the kids and put something filling on the table.

only recently as my father is struggling with diabetes my folks had to review their diet and this is a constant battle for them as the really tend to hang on to their (mal??-)nutrition. i do not want to be judgmental and blame my fat ass entirely on my heritage, but it was a real struggle for me to let go of unhealthy food. when i first moved out of my parent's and started my own household i was not able to integrate vegetables and fruits in my daily routine. i really had to force myself to grab an apple instead of a bread roll or a glass of water instead of a soft drink. i was just used to satisfy hunger quickly.

when i am with my parents i am usually adapting the conventions in their household in the wink of an eye. but i was not willing to give in this time! i wanted to stick to my rather strict diet and so i had to use a little trick for myself. though my mother did not want to hand over her kitchen to her daughters today (for gods sake mama, it's mothers day!!!) we somehow made a healthy deal: the other day i told my mum that i was crazy for fennel at the moment. my mum told me that she had never eaten fennel before in her entire life! so i suggested that i would prepare the side dish for lunch today. she agreed.



still my brother and my father would insist on their pasta on the side of their schnitzel but my mum and my sister where swept off their feet by my easy half steamed and half roasted fennel&vegetable creation.

i am strangely proud of myself to introduce my mama into the art of steaming vegetables - or letting a fennel touch her schnitzel :)

tagged with: cooking + food