| Sometimes, feigning great consideration; I ask my | | | | want wholesome food the family likes and (big "AND" |
| husband "What do you want for dinner?" He feigning | | | | here) I don't want it to be the same thing I made last |
| equal consideration defers to whatever I want; | | | | week and the week before and every week before |
| meaning I have no idea and neither does he. We can | | | | that going back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth. |
| actually go on like that for several minutes. Some days | | | | Whew. How hard could that be? |
| it's a diversion, other times not. | | | | So I made a list. I wanted healthy variety of foods; |
| I can't ask the children, otherwise we'd live on pizza | | | | some beef, pork, fish, healthy vegetables and fruit. I |
| and boxes of orange powdered macaroni and there | | | | wanted a healthy variety of preparation; some crock |
| would be that guilt that comes whenever you see a | | | | pot recipes, but not all, some grilling or broiling may a |
| reminder that you are supposed to empower your | | | | quick casserole or two, but not my mother's |
| family by feeding them healthy food. Clearly those | | | | casseroles, (read no cream of crud soup) but maybe |
| people have never faced a toddler defiantly eyeing a | | | | a couple of the classic things she made. |
| mound of broccoli; scary. And really there is a limit to | | | | I wanted it to be easy. Not a lot of ingredients or steps |
| the number of pizza boxes you can carry out to the | | | | in a recipe. Not a bunch of exotic ingredients to find |
| trash before the neighbors start looking at you funny. | | | | space for and never use again. I wanted the |
| And every time I throw away greasy fast food | | | | convenience of a premade plan, but the flexibility to |
| wrappings I think about the contents that actually went | | | | change it on the fly if it didn't work for my family. I |
| into my family. And I can't keep talking my sweet | | | | wanted to be able to search through recipes easily, but |
| husband into taking us out to dinner, because one day | | | | not 300,000 of them. And I wanted things that I could |
| we may want to retire and we'll need that money we | | | | be feeding my family within thirty minutes of walking in |
| are blowing on restaurant meals that aren't that good | | | | the door. Plus I wanted some freshly baked bread. |
| anyway. | | | | And I wanted a list of what to buy and one of what to |
| I must admit I have resorted to crutches. I went to one | | | | make. And I never wanted to throw away the rotting |
| of those make it, fake it, bake it places once. Here's | | | | remains of some unidentifiable former vegetable. And I |
| the thing; you have to remember to thaw the thing, | | | | wanted my grocery list sorted by aisle and I wanted to |
| then you have to cook it (again). Plus the formerly | | | | be reminded when something needed to be thawed. |
| frozen blob is insufficient for the healthy food police. | | | | And saving money doing it would be a good thing too. |
| You know you have to make a salad too. So there is | | | | Does that sound impossible? I don't think so. In fact I |
| every bit as much work and the formerly frozen thing | | | | know it is possible, because I built it. A space where |
| does not hit the table to a round of applause, they | | | | we can all come together and share ideas that work |
| whole family eyes the suspicious brown sauce, well | | | | for our families. A community sharing ideas. Easy |
| suspiciously. | | | | customizable menus and best collection of quick |
| So what's a busy family cook to do? I don't need to | | | | recipes on the internet. |
| be super mom. And frankly I am not going for the title | | | | So here it is, the Best Thing to Have For Dinner is a |
| for queen of the cardboard health food either. I just | | | | PLAN. |