Homemade broth. Diet Coke. Kale. Peanut M&Ms. Basil. McDonald’s French Fries. Matcha. Black Coffee. Pilates. Netflix. Bed by 8pm. Dive bars. Church. Sleeping in on Sundays…

These are a few of my favorite things. Yes, I am a paradox. An oxymoron.

But….aren’t we ALL?!

Social Media Land promotes an extremely binary way of life–for all things. Specifically if you are a Mother, the algorithm is focused heavily on FOOD! There are extremes everywhere but I’ve noticed it has gotten fairly polarizing when it comes to feeding our families: you are either healthy, eating clean and providing wholesome meals for your family or…you are not! (For someone who loves Kale and Diet Coke, this is problematic.)

Motherhood and Social Media is an unglued partnership. Gone are the days of innocently stalking your friends’ lives; instead Social Media Land has become a place where Influencers rule and, Ladies… “we” are definitely being influenced.

If you scroll through top Mom-influencers you will find a hunter-gatherer situation.

You guys…we are buying chickens and homesteading.

Let me repeat…we are coveting the Farm Life (I also partly blame the Oregon Trail game from the ’90s –apparently it had a lasting effect on our psyche.) The generation that fancied things like Abercrombie & Fitch and Love Spell are now peddling unpasteurized milk and homesteading.

Listen, I’m not attacking healthy and/or clean eating. I’m a fan; especially since the lid was blown off of the USDA Food Pyramid from the 20th century. What a debacle! I’m continuously working to rewire my brain; I still consider Bread the most important food group thanks to those LIES about grain.

Honestly, I take no side because I can be both. I can be moderately crunchy– I’ve traveled down the Sourdough rabbit hole and have fed my family homegrown Kale for days. My husband unknowingly brought home regular non-stick spray once and I began to cry hysterically and asked him, “why are you trying to kill us!”. With a quiver in his voice, he replied “Because it was on SALE at Harris Teeter.” He was scared and oil has forever been a hot topic in our household.

I’ve also had plenty of days/weeks where just feeding my family is all I can handle. Sometimes survival equals…anything goes!

Eating healthy is not the problem. Living a crunchy life is not the problem. If you are married to a millionaire and never eat anything processed…good for you. But, there are the rest of us. The middle-Moms–those of us that just do the best we can with what we’ve got.

The problem is…there is NO middle in media.

I was scrolling this morning and suddenly felt the urge to “wake up” my sleeping sourdough starter (By sleeping, I mean that it has been jammed in-between forgotten olives and pickled okra since April). My lofty goal was to make my kiddos a delicious homemade breakfast. Due to an unplanned uprising, our morning didn’t go as planned. Sourdough pancakes turned into To-Go Cheerios.

So…three cheers to all the OXYMORONS out there! I salute you. Remember this, friends, the MOM living in the perfect farmhouse, wearing ironically frumpy designer clothing, milking a cow…probably dabbles in Diet Coke and Cheetos every now and then. Additionally, if you wake up on a Monday wanting to buy a gaggle of chickens to raise but find yourself tearing into the McDonald’s Drive-Thru by Thursday…you are not alone.

In celebration of the Crunchy and not-so-Crunchy…here’s my favorite Homemade Broth recipe (adapted from my Chef obsession, Alison Roman) and my coveted To-Go Cheerio Recipe. Enjoy!

Golden Turmeric Chicken Broth

1 Tbl. coconut oil

1 large yellow onion

2 heads garlic, cut lengthwise

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 piece ginger, peeled and cut lengthwise

4 celery stalks, chopped

3 sprigs Rosemary

2 springs Thyme

Salt and Pepper

1 (3-4lb.) Chicken carcass

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger (place cut side down). Cook until fragrant. Add celery, herbs and turmeric. Cook and stir about 4 minutes. Add chicken carcass and 12 cups of water, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. I cook anywhere from 2 to 6 hours (Whatever you have time for. The longer it cooks, the more flavorful). Once cooked, strain everything out. Use immediately or freeze. (adapted from Alison Roman’s, “Dining In” cookbook–check her out here!)

To-Go Cheerio Recipe

1 c. Cheerios

1 Zip Lock Bag

Shove Cheerios in bag with reckless abandon. For added taste and excitement, don’t close the ziplock all the way–the trail of miscellaneous cereal will give you a chore to do later or can be substituted as a delectable snack for your dog or cat.