Family on the Run: An Interview with Jen Hubbell

Some of the common themes I've heard from moms in the Family Food Diaries, is that they wish they had gotten their kids more involved in family meals, had spent more time teaching their kids how to cook, or given their kids more responsibility in the kitchen. No matter how easy and convenient the foods companies make it for us, eventually your kids will have to feed themselves, and maybe their own kids one day.  If you are a parent, what recipes and skills will you pass along? Do you get your kids in the kitchen or is it sometimes easier just do everything yourself? 

When kids spend time in the kitchen, they learn responsibilities like how to plan ahead, follow a recipe, clean, organize, and most importantly, how to nourish themselves and others. 

I was inspired by the middle school children who attended the cooking class we hosted on Food Day this past Thursday at the Cooperative Middle School. Most of the kids said they watched cooking  shows and wanted to attend classes where they could put their skills to the test, like "Cupcake Wars" or "Chopped." What was even more inspiring were their ideas to prepare food and deliver meals to those who really needed it. 

Today, Jen Hubbell shares with us some of her responsibilities in the kitchen which has also meant preparing food for a husband with celiac disease, and a son with Type 1 Diabetes, along with her recipes for a spicy peanut dip. 

Family on the Run

Jen Hubbell is 47 years old and married, and she lives in Stratham, New Hampshire. She and her husband, Dave, have two children: Harry (20) andLindsey (18). She runs the New Hampshire council of Girls on the Run, an after-school running program created to inspire self-respect and a healthy lifestyle in preteen girls.

Back in 2001, when Jen’s two children began elementary school full-time, she decided to go back to work to make some extra income for her family. She got a job prepping food at Blue Moon Health Food Store & Cafe (now Blue Moon Evolution) in Exeter. One week before she was supposed to start, her eight-and-a-half-year-old son, Harry, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Jen knew that this life-changing disease would not only affect Harry’s life but also her life. She went to the owner of Blue Moon, Kath Gallant, and explained her situation, thinking it best to postpone her return to the workforce. But Kath wouldn’t take “No” for an answer. “She looked at me and said, ‘Yes, you can.’ Take another week. I understand your priority will be Harry. If you’re here, chopping and prepping, and you get a call from the school nurse, off you go. I’ll support that that’s what you’ll have to do. But if you change your plans for him, he’ll know that. You can do this!” Jen took the job.

Overall, Jen was happy about returning to work. She loved it, but looking back, she said it was a lot to manage. “I worked a six-hour shift three times a week while both kids were in school. Add in the learning curve of diabetes, plus being a mother who volunteered at the school and at our church, in addition to the responsibilities of the housework, groceries, and laundry . . . I was over the top. I would fly home at 3:00, with five minutes to breath before the kids got off the bus. It was overwhelming.” Some mornings, she would give both Harry and Lindsey a Hershey’s Kiss before they got on the bus—not only as a symbolic “kiss” good-bye but also because, with his three-mile bus ride to school, Jen was worried about Harry’s insulin levels.

To see the entire article, click here.  Or go to: www.traceymillerwellness.com