If it’s true that the way to your heart is through your stomach, maybe this Valentine’s Day we should love ourselves a little more by taking the
time to make what we put into them.
Last week I counted eight people eating a meal as they walked along the street. Including myself. Running from one place to another one night, I stopped at Gourmet Garage to pick up a quick bite to fuel up. And even though it was healthy, eating it while walking up Seventh Avenue negated that fact.
Then I made a promise. After five years of salads, take out, and prepared foods from Fairway heated up in my toaster oven, I now vow to wow my tummy every day with something homemade that I will also take the time to enjoy. One night I made grey sole, the next meatballs from scratch (a first!), then sautéed chicken over quinoa. What has really amazed me is how simple and fun it can be. Sure, there were nights I was tired or had a lot to do and it would have been easier – and faster – to pic
k up dinner, but now that I have a kitchen (not to mention a mortgage) I have no excuse. So on went the music as I continued learning this new dance.
On Saturday, staring at a leftover chicken carcass, I contacted a recipe resource better than Google.
“Hi Mom. How do I make a chicken soup?”
A few hours later a friend stopped by. “It smells so homey in here!” she declared, and then tasted the soup. “Delicious. What’s in it?” I smiled and said exactly what my Nana Tobey says when asked what’s in her recipes. “Love,” I said. “I made it with love.”
When someone prepares a meal for you – even if it is just a PB&J sandwich – it tastes a whole lot better because they took the time to make it. In our busy lives, it’s easy to say we don’t have time, but really, that’s all we do have, something I’m just now learning. So why not love yourself a little more this Valentine’s Day and take the time to prepare a hearty meal just for you.
Happy VD.
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