Food can be Fun

I'm so excited.  Tonight I am going to watch Food Inc. online because I missed it last night.  I am totally scared to feed my kids food from a box now and find myself reading the labels meticulously before I put anything in the cart at the store.  The only problem I am running into is that I lack the culinary know how to be able to cook my family fresh food everyday.  I always thought fresh meant "I just cooked it even if it did come out of a box".   After all, that's how I was raised.
I went to Target after work today to pick up some groceries and found myself having to tell my daughter "NO" about a dozen times.  It seems almost abusive to deny them a sweet treat even every now and then but at the same time isn't it abusive to be putting all that stuff you can't pronounce into our bodies??
I have found myself becoming a fan of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution".  What an undertaking!  If you haven't seen it yet, check it out on Hulu.com.  Jamie believes that in order to combat obesity in our nation we need to start with the children and getting the processed food out of their diets.  Yes, the kids like it because it tastes good, however, if you give them only one choice and it's a healthy choice, they will take it.  Over time, they will grow to like it.  I have had this discussion with both of my kids and according to my 13 year old son, who will eat anything that isn't nailed down, I am an excellent cook and he doesn't care what I make as long as it doesn't try to eat him first.
Needless to say I can't wait for the farmers market to begin and be able to meet with my friend, Diana, so she can school me on how to prepare the fresh veggies that are currently in season.  I have never tried most of them let alone know how to cook them so that kids will eat them!!  Hopefully she can find the time to show me the ropes so that I can pass it on to my family and curious others.
The internet is such an amazing resource and wealth of unregulated information all at our fingertips.  Growing up I would have spent hours at the library to gather the information that I have garnered in just a few short hours on my Mac.  Today I did some research on making fresh pasta and also canning.  It all looks so fun and easy!  Not only that, but what a great way to bond with your friends and family and enjoy some fellowship time.  I can't wait for the opportunity to make some fresh spaghetti with my son and can some homemade spaghetti sauce with my daughter.
Who knew that eating fresh could be so much fun and why did they never tell me????