The only fresh foods I ever had were carrots and apples. Everything else was cooked to death or came out of cans which my Depression-era family kept stacked in the pantry as their form of food security. Having had more than one family involved, my second grouping left me with TV dinners as they were at work. When the third group entered my life, it was all boiled food and heavy on meat and potatoes, more southern cooking with lots of grits, pork, rice, cornbread, etc. That was some really heavy eating there and they were determined to 'put some weight' on me.
When I left home I discovered salads! Honestly, I don't know how I survived and attribute most of my health problems growing up from eating what I now call the SAD way of eating, that 'dead food.' The bad thing about cooking for my family was the abundance of processed meals as they and the microwave came into vogue. Those things are all high-profit margin items and so the stores always pushed it but I'm seeing that healthier food choices are turning the tide in the stores to more lively food, at least where I live.
The website said to cut up the field roast sausages and use them for anything, so I may make some mock spaghetti with that, I think it would be good. I'm glad your mom was able to stay vegetarian for so long! I went vegetarian when I left home but was influenced by my husband to start with the beef again. I think people were still going with the illusions about the happy cow and all of that in the sixties and seventies.
Unless you know who's doing what personally, almost all food is factory farmed and it's not good for anyone, not the people, animals, workers or the environment but some people hold to their illusions. People are changing and that's good.
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