Shh...don't tell Dan, but I don't think my kids should be eating red meat. Or processed meat for that matter. Or really any meat. As I'm thinking through this I revise my former statement. I think it should be eaten sparingly, like on special occasions, but certainly shouldn't be the qualifier for the "real dinner" nights. Do you have those nights too? It doesn't feel like a real dinner unless some sort of meat dish is present? Otherwise it feels like a collection of side dishes without a real purpose? The side dishes look at one another on the table whispering, asking each other why they showed up so early and when will the real party start.
But here's what I've noticed. My kids are happy having an apple, carrot sticks, cheese, and a banana for lunch. They were fully satisfied with tonight's apple German Pancakes, and cottage cheese and pear in the shape of a mouse for dinner.
Also? Meat is expensive! Really expensive. I would really like to find ways to not spend it on not eaten dinners that end up in the dog's bowl. Sorry Percie, but that chicken I made wasn't meant as a super nice food for you.
Probably I'm crazy and my kids are healthy and we are doing fine financially and why does this thought keep nagging at the back of my brain? But maybe it's there because I should give it a try.
The biggest hurdle in all of this though is that I make meals for my family all day every day. That's three meals and two snacks that need to be healthy and things they will eat every day. That's 21 meals and 14 snacks in a week. Coming up with that many things is hard. So what do I do? I do what I did before. Turkey sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly and pot roast and mashed potatoes. There's nothing wrong with any of those foods, they just need to take a passenger seat. I don't think ascribe to what feels like vilifying foods either. I love food in all it's many forms. It's just that possibly (probably?) we've been eating a little too much of one form.
But I also want my husband and I to feel like we are eating a real, delicious, great mouthfeel type meal too. I don't really like cooking things that aren't going to be appreciated and I don't like feeling like I'm eating "kid food" you know what I mean.
So then I look at all of those hurdles and my brain cramps up and all I can do is yell GAH! And nothing significant really changes.
But there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the subject.
PS. The don't tell Dan part was totally a joke. Of course I talk to him about this kind of stuff.
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2 comments:
I used to make a menu every week - it accomplished a couple of things: I could keep track of how often had a particular dish & I only had to "come up with" dinner ideas once a week. I made my shopping list from the menus (also helped to use up any "special ingredients" before they went bad.) I also sent Heather a vegetarian family cookbook at Christmas - I'll see if I can remember the title. And they say stay at home moms don't work....
Sounds like a good,menu. Today I fixed beef stew in the pressure cooker. Really good but what is next? Left overs? Sliced apples, cheese and celery.I haven't convinced Mel that pecan stuffed dates are better than snickers. Like Martie Jane said, " grandma jane says what you see is what you get. love you.
keep cooking g-jane
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