I think I understand your problem. My family has been doing macrobiotics my whole life too. I am also going to college and have a part time job while trying to make macrobiotic food. I understand how you feel about you mom not making quality food. I get frustrated too at my mom because she seems to cook without caring about the end result or quality. I feel that the energy in her food is sometimes mediocre. I don't understand how a person can be macrobiotic who took cooking classes and reads macro books can cook and this way. I get so frustrated sometimes that I feel that she is physically unable to be conscious of how she is cooking. I tell her she needs to be aware how she is cooking but she doesn’t do anything about it.

I have recently become more serious about being macrobiotic about 2 years ago after going to some macrobiotic lectures. This year I decided to start cooking. At first I was becoming so stressed out because it was taking me almost 3 hours to complete a full meal. Because of my work schedule I had to make my dinner before I went to work. At first I was so frustrated about not having enough time to make my food. I was trying to make food that would make me balanced, but cooking made me feel worse. I think the stress from cooking gave me an upset stomach and I became depressed and moody. Now 6 months later I feel much better about cooking and am not stressed out anymore. I still have some problems though. I don’t seem to be as happy as before. I would like to get to the point where I lived worry free. The point in my life where I didn’t worry about cooking or time.

Some of the things that helped me was to have a system or routine. I have been cooking for 6 months and over that time I became familiar with some dishes because I cook them often. Now I know the steps on how to make each dish. Next I kept track on how long it takes me to make a full meal. It takes me 2.5 hours. Now that school has started, I get up at 6am and make my meal for the day. Then I set the food aside and my dinner is ready when I get home. For lunch I eat the leftover food from last night and for a snack I might make a rice ball or a hummus sandwich. So if you don’t have time, you could try my way. If you have about 2-3 hours free time you can make your whole meal for the day. You could make it before you go to bed or when you wake up. If you are so busy that you don’t even have 2 hours, then that might be tough. Maybe there is a natural food store nearby that has a deli with brown rice and vegetables? That might have better energy than the food you have at home. The most important thing again is to have a routine. This gives you a rhythm in life and helps you body function smoothly. Its hard sometimes when society is demanding things of you and pushing and pulling you in all different directions. I wonder myself how I can live free from stress or demands in society. I think I have to be lucky and get a perfect job or have lots of money. Maybe live in nature.

Well, good luck. I hope I have been helpful.