Out Of The Nest

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     I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver and what he's trying to do for American school children.  Revolutionizing the school lunch program and teaching our kids how to eat properly is the only way to end the obesity epidemic in this country.

     I've always loved to cook, but my revolutionization of my own kitchen has been a fairly recent development.  My kids are adjusting at different paces and in different ways to the removal of all things processed, but they are adjusting.  The Boy will (and does) revert to bad behavior the minute he's away from the whack of my wooden spoon, but I recently received welcome confirmation that The Girl had been  officially converted.

     Last weekend was orientation day at The Girl's college of choice.  Hiram College is a campus with which we're very familiar, but we attended and went through the tours and the advising sessions to get her schedule finalized and her dorm room selected.  At lunch time, they announced we were to be separated.....parents in the formal dining room, students led down the hill to the new dining hall.  The Girl was not happy, but she perked up and followed the leader when she realized he was the cute leader she'd had her eye on all morning.

     I've been to Hiram's dining hall before, and I knew she'd appreciate it.  AVI has done a beautiful job creating not only a healthy, tasty selection of foods, but in setting up and maintaining a green kitchen.  This is a company that takes ingredients and their environment seriously, and I applaud what they're doing.

     The Girl returned an hour or so later to give me a recap that warmed my heart.  "Mom, they have a salad bar!  And it has great stuff on it!  Fresh spinach...I love fresh spinach....and all kinds of veggies and stuff!  Everyone else was getting nachos and hot dogs and stuff, but I know I'm going to be okay.  I can live on salads!"

     Hallelujah.  The Girl is going to do fine.  I've taught her that when you eat crap, you feel like crap, and that healthy choices actually taste good, too.  She's starting on a grueling schedule....pre-med with sights set on pediatric surgery, but I know that she'll have help keeping up her strength and energy by eating right.  On that front, at least, I've done my job.  And I'm glad I have, because I know she'll be a wonderful doctor someday.