Cutting Board Blues

One of the Orange Tree taste testers is loathe to clean their room. I’m sure your kids keep their personal space neat and tidy, but this one of mine has a room that looks like the drier exploded right in the middle of the floor…always. Trust me, I’ve tried it all, especially the nagging. In all honesty, that same feeling I get when nagging about the mess is something I feel sometimes when writing about nutrition. We all want a beautiful, organized and well synchronized body, but its that darned cleaning up that takes more effort than we care to give most days. So forgive me if I make you feel like sloppy teenagers by constantly bringing up the “needs” we all have to change what we eat, but I want that room clean, and we all want great health!

Speaking of teenagers… one taste tester friend came over the other day, opened the refrigerator door and just stood there staring. When questioned about this strange behavior the answer was, “I’ve just never seen a refrigerator like yours before!” She must have been talking about the food inside because the appliance itself is nothing special. And it must have been close to my big weekly shopping day because then you will find bags of fresh produce stuffed here and there on every shelf. I imagine the difference she was seeing was food that was going to be chopped and cooked vs. the already processed.

So why do it? Who wants to spend time in a kitchen chopping produce? Used to be I would have replied “NOT ME!” right away in answer to that question. But as the years go by and I read over and over again the incredible value of fresh food, and the unfortunate loss of nutritional value in processed food, well, I’ve changed. I had to start by forcing myself to become a cutter and chopper, but in the end I’ve been pleasantly surprised by my new, healthy habit. I’ve overcome my cutting board blues, and here are a few things I did and still do to keep my perspective positive.

1- QUALITY CONTROL- I know I’m on the right track when I’m using it daily. No cutting board in meal prep usually means we are eating just carbs and protein, and though they are good for us, everything must be in balance with plenty of fresh vegetables!

2- CONVENIENCE- I purchased a good sized board that has turned out to be very handy for getting things ready. I’ll pull together all of the things I’m going cut, and then as I cut and chop I leave the piles next to each other on the board until it is full. Then I bring the board over to the stove and grab each item as I need it for the recipe.

3- FUN FACTOR- I love things that catch my artistic eye, so my cutting board is an interesting checkerboard pattern of different wood grains. I know it was a bit more of an investment, but it has paid itself off many times over with how much I enjoy looking at it. Maybe it helps me in the “getting it out” process too.

4- FUN FACTOR- Music can make the whole cutting event more fun too. Before I do anything I’ll go turn something on that I like, pull up my sleeves, and get ready to do something good for my family.

It is possible to change! A friend of mine told me the other day that even though her family has never eaten that tough leafy free stuff before (like collard greens and kale), now that they have found some tasty ways to eat it they like it and she has been cooking it for the first time. Did I mention that her kids are now in college and that she has been cooking meals regularly for at least a quarter of a century? (Sorry friend if that makes you feel old!) It’s never too late to start, and getting to be friends rather than enemies with your cutting board is the first step.

In the menu this week your knife will be a blur cutting up fresh broccoli, kale and carrots for Vegetable Chicken Pasta, and kale, mushrooms and tomatoes for Beef and Bean Pie. There are also a few fun ways to use bananas; to replace some of the butter in Vegan Chocolate Chip cookies, and then tossed with a delicate coating of cocoa powder and sugar for a fruitful dessert on their own.

Let me know you thoughts and happy chopping! Does anyone have advice about teenagers and messy rooms?