Even though I want to give up being a mother several times a day…
Turn around and hear the story of mothers worrying about what to eat for their children at dinner!
Today, too, I heal my body and mind, tired from raising children, at the dinner table!
21 Table Recipes That Ensure Your Child's Health and Your Mother's Healing

It is natural for mothers to want to quit being mothers several times a day while raising children.
Especially when dealing with a child entering puberty, I feel like I'm a stepmother because of the sudden outbursts of anger, and when I can't hold it in and burst out in anger, I'm soon overcome with regret and self-loathing, which makes me miserable again.
In times like these, I am constantly confused and worried about whether this is the right thing to do or whether that is better. I wish my children would follow my plan, but that rarely happens.
Without realizing it, I become more irritable, more angry, more regretful, and older.
But, as soon as dinner time comes, mothers start worrying about 'what should I feed my child today?'
Isn't it the heart of a mother to feel comforted and lifted just by having her family sit around the table and enjoy a delicious dinner prepared with care in such hardships?

"Today, I'm having a game with my child and preparing dinner" is a healing essay that conveys warm empathy and comfort to mothers exhausted from the arduous task of raising children.
It also has the character of a cookbook that introduces 21 healthy recipes as an answer to the eternal homework of mothers: "What should I eat today?"


This is a collection of writings by a mother (Kim Young-hye), who is raising two energetic sons, and a nutritionist mother (Lee Yeon-jeong), who is raising an only son, in which they comforted and encouraged each other while sharing their struggles with parenting.
Each story is filled with recipes from a nutritionist mom and essential nutritional information for children, introducing healthy foods that not only help children stay healthy, but also soothe the hearts of weary mothers.
It includes 21 recipes and nutritional information that are practical because they are not special, and useful because they are simple, along with 21 essays.


The stories of the two mothers' daily lives and parenting experiences while raising their sons are filled with topics that all mothers can relate to.
Based on her own confession that “I raised a one-year-old for the first time and a fifteen-year-old teenager for the first time, so I make a lot of mistakes every day,” she reflects on the subtly changing relationship with her growing children and honestly reflects on her shortcomings as a mother.
However, we do not miss the thrill of growth that comes from “growing up eating our mother’s cooking and now we are mothers and cooking for our children.”
The story of mothers who curse and cry because of their children, but eventually reconcile and find comfort through food, unfolds against the backdrop of everyday life where they are moved and cry because of their children.
The writings exchanged between the two mothers, sharing such feelings honestly, will undoubtedly be a story for all mothers, and will also serve as a healing prescription for the hearts of mothers who read the book.

And all of that talk moves on to the children's dinner table.
This could be said to be a kind of meal prescription for mothers who have been through these things, felt these emotions, and are this tired, but are still worried about what to prepare for their children's dinner.
So, the recipes recommended by my mom, a nutritionist with 17 years of experience, are not special foods.
These are simple recipes that you can make tonight by stopping by the supermarket for a quick groceries or emptying the fridge, but more than anything, they are nutritious and filled with a mother's love.
It introduces 21 recipes including pumpkin porridge, beef bone soup, spicy radish noodles, banana almond muffins, braised potato and tofu, apple curry rice, mugwort pancakes, spinach frittata, oyster soup with rice, and rose tteokbokki. All of them are easy to follow and full of tips to make them a little more nutritious.


'Super Yum Yum Cooking Tips', which contains essential nutritional information, has summarized only the information necessary for mothers who cannot help but think of their children's health as the top priority every time they prepare a meal.

The honest and candid stories and warm essays of two mothers who pledge to live as "writing mothers" will provide courage and encouragement to all mothers around the world, and the nutritionist mother's nutritious recipes will provide recharge and comfort to our children and ourselves today.
I hope this book will be a great gift to those who wish to become healthier and happier mothers with their children.

I sincerely hope that children will pass through their adolescence flexibly and healthily, just as a river flows in its meanders. Above all, I sincerely hope that all of us mothers, including myself, who are raising children in adolescence, will be happy.
I hope that mothers raising adolescent children, who are going through a more confusing time than ever, can open up their hearts and have a lively conversation with this book.
I sincerely hope that you will also feel the fulfillment of eating a warm, simple home-cooked meal together.
--- p.7

Today, let's make pumpkin porridge, which is rich in nutrients and strengthens the stomach and improves digestion.
For those of you who are wondering, "What is that?", "Sweet pumpkin tarak porridge?", I'll tell you about tarak porridge.

Tarakjuk is a porridge made by adding water to finely ground rice and adding milk.
It was one of the representative tonic foods of the Joseon royal family.
In Tarakjuk, 'tarak' means milk. It was so precious that the general public could not eat it, and it was said that it had to be prepared by the royal family's royal physicians and served as a nutritious food.
You can enjoy it in more diverse ways by mixing ingredients such as spinach, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and mushrooms into the tarakjuk.

Today, I'm going to make it by adding pumpkin, which is good for the stomach.
The ingredients you need are 180g of glutinous rice, 1 whole pumpkin (600g), 500ml of milk, 500ml of water, and a pinch each of salt and sugar.

The ingredients are simple, right? The recipe isn't difficult, so follow along.

--- pp.21-22

It's true that I feel sad when I see the back of my child who has grown up so much and become a little indifferent.
It's kind of funny that I'm following that kid around and making him squirm all the time.
Of course, these times of chasing after a child who doesn't want to be around may one day become blurred and vague.
But, as we live, one day, those memories might suddenly come flooding back to us, unexpectedly and vividly.
I think it would be great if such memories could be cherished.
Maybe at that time, such memories will stir and shake our hearts.
Like a cool breeze that passed by us one summer night.
--- p.37

Sister, did you know that garden compatibility exists? While researching basil, I learned about garden compatibility. Basil goes well with tomatoes.
When grown together, the unique scent of basil prevents pests and diseases that may affect tomatoes, and the basil grown next to the tomatoes has soft leaves and a stronger scent.
Isn't it amazing?
Great! Tonight, I'm making tomato basil pasta, full of the flavor of basil.
--- p.89

I have no idea why my socks are soaking wet even though I sent them out wearing boots, and why my ski gloves, which are obviously waterproof, are still damp.
When children come in through the front door noisily and messily, I instinctively yell.
That fierce appearance, if I may exaggerate a bit, is similar to a shouting technique.
When I actually sing, my voice turns into a sad, sobbing voice whenever I hit the high notes.
Anyway, I'm going to start checking the kids who are soaking wet from head to toe in front of the front door.

“Hey you guys, take off your socks first.
Take off your gloves and wet clothes and quickly go into the bathroom.
“Wash your hands and feet thoroughly! Hurry up!”
--- p.112

The ingredients I chose today for Seung-i, who has been tense and focused all day, are spinach and eggs.
Spinach, which is rich in magnesium, has a calming effect when you feel anxious.
Almonds, salmon, and blueberries are also good for relieving stress.
Eggs are a representative complete food because they are full of high-quality protein.
The choline contained in eggs can help activate brain function, thus improving concentration and memory.
So now we're going to make a spinach frittata with just two ingredients.

--- pp.137-138

Yeonjeong, today I've been thinking countless times about what I want to tell my child.

“The season you were born in, the spring you love, has arrived.
Even now, when I see yellow tulips, I somehow think of you, Mom.
Mom can't forget you, who was so pure in front of the yellow tulips.
This is my first time raising a one-year-old baby and a fifteen-year-old boy, so I'm making mistakes every day.
So I'm sorry and thankful to you."
--- p.206

We grew up eating our mother's cooking, and now we've become mothers ourselves. I think that making our children my mother's cooking is not just about cooking, but about passing down the generations.
I hope that our children will also not forget and pass on the countless emotions, memories, and values ​​they have learned through their mother's cooking.

--- p.219