It’s the extremes that make up my childhood memories—the special things and the bad things, but not a lot of the in between stuff. There are many special memories of my mom, like the special birthday cakes and flannel night gowns she made. Among the bad things are foods like lima beans and peas. And then there were the foods that Mom tried to make healthier.
She would add buckwheat flour to pancakes, which for some reason I thought was horrible. I don’t think so now, and my kids don’t either. Maybe she added something else with it. She added wheat germ, nuts, and raisins to baked goods, which totally ruined them for me.
I can remember thinking that I wish she wouldn’t ruin perfectly good foods by trying to make them healthier. When I became a mother, I vowed that I wouldn’t do that to my kids.
But guess what? Recently one of my kids asked me to make chocolate chip cookies. He said he wanted them the normal way without anything different done to them. That’s when I realized I had become like my mom.
I try using sugar substitutes for at least part of the sugar. I try using better oils, such as coconut oil, which, until I recently bought Tropical Traditions brand, made foods that shouldn’t taste like coconut taste like coconut. I try using healthier flours, and I add things like chia seeds.
I guess that’s what moms do, and I can’t say that I’m going to stop doing it. However, I did make my son a batch of perfectly normal chocolate chip cookies, and I loved his response.
He ate a cookie and said, “Mmmmmm. Thank you.”
I’m going to keep trying to use healthier ingredients, but I also want to make food they enjoy. Desserts aren’t really expected to be healthy, and an indulgent treat once in a while is okay. I hope I can keep a balance, and along the way, teach my kids to enjoy healthier options.
Are you that kind of mom?
