One of my personal goals through this time of COVID-19 has been to not gain 50 pounds. Dorothy is an excellent cook. I am the designated grocery shopper since March. She has yet to go into a grocery store, which is a fair trade for all the good food she has prepared. Cooking three meals a day for seemingly endless days became an enjoyable challenge for her, for a while. After a few weeks she decided that she wanted to do more with her days than figure out what to fix and eat three times a day. She cautiously went back to work two days per week. She implied that it might be helpful if I participated a little more fully in the meal preparation. Take out it is—now two or three times a week.
I read recently about the Betty Crocker Cookbook making a comeback during these uncomfortable times. Chances are you are acquainted with the Big Red cookbook from your earliest days. While Betty Crocker has been the “face” of General Mills since the 1920’s, the cookbook with her name was first published in 1950. In that post-depression, post-war era, no one went out to dinner much at all. In fact, in those days one-third of a household income went to groceries. The genius of the cookbook was found in its explanation of how to prepare even the most complicated recipes in simple words and pictures. Comfort food found its glory in Betty Crocker. Dorothy got her first Betty Crocker cookbook while she was in junior high school. It was the big, bulky loose-leaf edition. We still have it, though it has been put away for safe keeping.
I have managed to keep my weight the same through these days. Dorothy always cooks healthy, with lots of fruit, salads, and vegetables. Smaller servings of heavier meals does the trick and gives us left-overs to enjoy it all longer. Eating at home is healthier than eating out all the time. It has given us time to grow some cherry tomatoes and have a cucumber patch, which are now available for our salads. Are you staying healthy through these times? Or are you finding yourself standing at the refrigerator 20 times a day? Are you outside daily—walking, working in the yard, or feeding the birds?
Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Take care of yourself. And let’s experience the love and power of God together while apart.