What's for dinner?

...This is a frequently asked question in our household, often resulting in fear, dread and panic on my end. Just ask Greg. While I sometimes meal-plan, oftentimes it doesn't hit me until late in the afternoon that I haven't even thought about what we're going to eat for dinner. Thankfully, my mental resources of late have been able to scrounge up something decent for the two of us to eat, but more and more lately I'm realizing, soon, it's going to be the THREE of us.

Which sorta scares me. Greg & I don't eat awfully, which in my mind conjures up images of driving thru fast-food places day & night and stuffing our faces with pre-packaged crazy sugared items, but we don't eat perfectly, which in my mind conjures up images of eating whole, fresh, sometimes raw, sometimes organic foods straight from their respective sources, grinding our own flour and wheat and planting our organic garden, harvesting it several times a year. And although I sort of want a goat on my roof like the lady in the Hormel commercial, I'm pretty certain Ron (or is it Rob?) next door wouldn't approve. (Totally kidding about that last statement.)

Some parents really look forward to introducing their foods to their little one; it's a chance to expand developing taste buds and create the next generation of "foodies." I'm still grappling with the fact that Mia needs more than just Momma's Milk and a few servings of pureed fruits & veggies each day. She nibbled on some quiche I made the other day, has had chunks of cheese, breads/muffins, even some enchilada. Actually, we've found she's really into pulled pork (y'know, the "other white meat").

The question, or rather, questions, are--do we really want her eating the foods we're eating on a regular basis? Are we setting a good foundation for a lifetime of a healthy diet and good nutrition? Will we be teaching her how to eat simply, healthily and enjoyably?

So in our quest to answer these questions I've been doing lots of reading, pulling together anecdotal information I've gathered here and there, and checked out what others do. It's a good way to get a baseline of what's expected vs. what the possibilities are.

Yet I do not have a solid answer. I imagine that as time passes and we gain more experience in the food & health department, our eating habits will evolve and adapt to fit what makes the most sense in our family. I do know that I struggle to maintain the right balance: recognizing that our bodies are temples and we are to treat them as such, but also realizing God never meant for our bodies to be immortal, but instead our souls. I know we're all going to die someday, but I guess I don't want a poor diet to be the reason that Mia struggles with health problems later on in life. We cannot be perfect. We can try, but we will fail. So, I guess I have to remind myself that I will do the best I can with what I have available, and learn perfection is not the goal, but a healthy balance.

And you thought this was going to be some post with a picture of a delicious roast simmering in the oven? Gotcha!

Who knows, maybe next time. I think I might just go steam some produce and make Mia's next batch of homemade baby food. Think she'll like broccoli??

How do you do it? Balance the influx of information about what you should and should not eat with what you realistically can provide? Do you think I'm settling or going overboard?