Slower than molasses in January or full speed ahead?

I've been reading about the 'slow food' movement. No, it doesn't mean your veggies are having trouble getting around or your fruits are being lazy. It means taking the time necessary to ensure that the food your eating isn't processed and full of additives. It means having this:

instead of this:

It means preserving the methods of food preparation that our grandparents utilized back before canned and boxed goods became the norm; before there was a McDonald's or a Burger King at every intersection;

before Chef Boy Ardee and Campbell's took up residence on the shelves of your pantry.


It's a great theory. Going back to the basics, cooking meals from scratch, simmering your own stew, making your own broth, baking your own bread, rendering your own lard, milling your own flour...

RENDERING LARD AND MILLING FLOUR?


Seriously?

Some days I don't even have time to stop and pee

let alone mill my own flour!

I'm afraid that more often than not I'm a full speed ahead kind of girl.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE cooking and baking! There are days when I could spend hours in the kitchen and my family loves it when I do. I love experimenting (yes, I'm one of those annoying people who has a terrible time following a recipe too closely), the chopping, the mixing, the feeling of accomplishment when your family appreciates all the time and work you put into making something to please them. It's a great feeling!

You can just call me


Or not.

I try, but I definitely fall short.

If there were no Burger Kings or Taco Bells, no Ore Idas or Oscar Mayers....well let's just say we'd probably all starve. Spring has sprung, meaning softball/baseball and track seasons are in full swing and I'm officially licensed to operate Mom's Taxi Service. I'm on a first name basis with drive-thru personnel at all the major fast food joints in town.


I admire anyone who can do it all, I really do. I just decided a long while back that not doing it all is well worth the reduction in stress levels. My kids enjoy their sports and I enjoy watching them enjoying their sports. I still make homecooked meals on days that aren't overbooked. I even bake my own bread from time to time, but good ol' Pillsbury Better for Bread works just fine for me.


Someday, when the kids are grown and I have too much time on my hands, I know I'll do a lot less fast food and a lot more cooking from scratch. But for now I'll just keep doing the best I can with the time I have. I'll feed them as healthily as possible and appreciate the time we have together, even if it is moving by at warp speed.

So tell me, at what speed are you moving?