Commitment

After reading parts of the Essential Vegetarian Cookbook, I'm starting to feel what it must be like for a groom watching his once laid-back girlfriend plan the "perfect, and I mean PERFECT!" wedding: still totally in-love but questioning many, many things. Why did I think that I could do this? Can I really make this work? And, why, oh why, did I think that this might be easy?

But, alas, weddings are ceremonial; usually much more than popping a ring on someones finger and declaring eternal love. Committing a year to Diana Shaw will be much more than opening the book at random and cooking a delicious dinner in moments. All of her recipes are from scratch, and when I read Diana's loving words as to why this must be so, just like a budgeting husband-to-be begins to consider silver napkin holders versus platinum, I realize why the small details are important to the person I've committed to, especially when the little things are going into my food, and therefore, my body.

As I begin to look for a full-time teaching job, as a mother of two, I am already feeling overwhelmed and anxious about the year 2010. So many things are about to change, and I desperately need one of those things to be my body. However, I am proud to say, that I don't mean the outside appearance, but rather my insides. Maybe, as I grow to eat healthier and take care of myself, what people see will reflect that inside transformation, but as long as I'm healthy and well-tuned, I don't need to trade my curves for a size 2.

Another blessing about this soon-to-be union is that Diana has graciously included strategies so that busy housewives and working mothers can plan ahead so that the moment before the meal is so well choreographed that it does not have to be stressful at all. She promotes cooking on the weekends and freezing your portions ahead of time. Each recipe comes with a serving size, nutrition facts, and stories and tips from Diana's experience with every dish. I may be feeling overwhelmed at the moment, but I'm definitely looking forward to this culinary adventure.