Joseph got this supper done before everybody

The above title was specifically requested and dictated by Joseph.  Alas, I have no picture of the supper as it doesn't look that appetising and, if I were to photograph it, I fear that it would look even less palatable.  However, the fact remains:  Joseph got this supper done before everybody else.  And what was the supper, you ask?  Curried-coconut lentils with basmati rice.  I used a recipe found on the modern woman's recipe book, the internet.  However, I had run out of curry (!) and cardamom, didn't want to use cayenne pepper and had no time to make the cilantro topping thingie.  I also had some left over tomato puree from last week's cabbage rolls; puree, I might add, that was pureed from the tomatoes that my mother-in-law and I canned in September.   So, really, the recipe was more like an outline to the essay that became our supper - a rough guide to insure that I balanced the cinnamon and all-spice correctly.

I don't think that I have ever written about food on this blog before.  My only mentions of food have usually been my terrible baking fails.  However, I love to cook and since Joseph's birth I have been increasingly aware of what we eat and how it is prepared.  If you are really interested you can check out the WAPF for the in-depth explanation of my cuisine-strivings, or you can check out The Nourishing Gourmet for the Coles Notes version.  Long story short:  we buy chickens and eggs from a farmer, purchase our grass-fed beef from another farmer and (gasp) drink raw milk from which I have just discovered how to make yogurt in the crock pot.  Also, I make lots and lots of stock.  And, yes, there has been a dramatic improvement in my children's teeth (despite their poor oral hygiene habits):  both in the lack of cavities as well as the straightening of teeth.

Now, if I were reading this on another blog I would look with disdain upon me and wonder why I had suddenly become an elitist foody.

That's the reason for that awful photo:  I am in pjs (Dave says that I clean up well) and grinding my front tooth which chipped during Ben's pregnancy; Joseph is eating eggs with ketchup; the kitchen is a mess; and the dog is ready and waiting in hope that the present meal might be a fail for the humans and a pass for the canine.

Nevertheless, the point is simple: this path to nutrition has taken a while and it has been a real step-by-step process that has taught me so much about myself, my family and my role as maker of the home and guardian of our children's health.  I might add that it has also been a wonderful lesson in home economics as I learn where to make the best purchases and how to stretch the food budget for six growing kids and two adults.  There have been many disasters and learning experiences along this path.

When I first heard about this way of eating (which is really nothing new, just a harking back to the way many of our farming ancestors used to eat) it was from Hannah's godmother.  I wasn't yet ready to listen and came away hearing that it was important to eat eggs.  However, after Joseph's birth, something in me changed and I was able to receive some wisdom from another good friend of ours, Phoebe the Hermit.  Yes, she really is a hermit and she really is our friend.

When Joseph was a very young baby Phoebe used to pop by the house about once a week with a delivery of eggs.  I was usually still dressed in pajamas and she would offer to sit with the kids while I showered.  I would then emerge from the bathroom and she would impart the wisdom of traditional eating to me.  I lapped it up like fresh milk.  However, I was terribly overwhelmed.  How could I possibly cook this sort of food when so little of it was available at the grocery store?  Little by little I learned about various farmers from whom I could make purchases and soon found that this way of eating was not only more nourishing but also easier than our previous way of eating.  We stock our freezer with meat in the Fall and I don't have to think about meat again for another 6-8 months.  Our milk and eggs come to the door and I have limited myself to one grocery store trip per week.  This forces me to cook from the cupboards even when the fridge looks bare.

I have also learned about soup, soup and more soup.  My mother-in-law once said to me, "Put anything in soup and your kids will eat it."  I have to agree.  While there are still some vegetables at which the kids balk, they mostly gobble up soup without checking through its contents. And, if the base is good stock, then you can rest assured that they are being solidly nourished with a variety of minerals and vitamins.  Now, there are still definitely foods at which the kids turn up their noses and, trust me, there are few meals that satisfy every last body at the table.  But, for the most part, they eat what is placed before them and are often surprised that they really liked what Mommy provided.

One important note:  when we are out and about I allow them to eat at places like MacDonald's; they eat Kraft Dinner with babysitters and they still get hotdogs on occasion.   Yes, Mom, so does Dave.  My approach to food is a bit like our approach to school:  they are in the world but not of it;)  I hope that I can provide a good base on which to grow their bodies and their understanding of food so that they can one day make good choices.  This, after all, is what my mother did for me and my sisters.

And that brings us back round to tonight.  I prepared those lentils thinking that Joseph would be sitting at the table long after the rest of the crew had cleaned up their places.  But, by the grace of a very good God, Joseph decided that he would dig into this meal without his usual histrionics.  Then he looked up from his plate with wide eyes and said, "Wow, this is really good.  Could you put it in my lunch tomorrow?"  I picked myself up off the floor in wonder.  "Mom, write on a piece of paper:  Joseph got this supper done before everybody else."

So, here's the recipe:

4 cups soaked lentils (Soak in warm water with 2 tbsp of whey, vinegar or yogurt for 7 hours.  This is easy:  you just have to remember to do it in the morning.  Planning is key.)

Puree one onion, 2 garlic cloves and one inch of ginger root.  Saute this in coconut oil.

Add 1-2 cups of tomato sauce or puree or canned tomatoes.

Spices:

1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp all-spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

(I think that was it.  The original recipe called for dry mustard, cardamom and curry as well)

1 can of coconut milk

Add some sliced carrots

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover until carrot is soft.

Serve with rice.  Awesome.