So I read just about every article I find about food and dinners and whatnot. So a few days ago I found an article about making dinner for family:
Dinner at home
After reading this article I weep a little bit. I know I don't have children yet so I really don't know what it's like. But after reading this article it sounds like this woman is seriously over thinking dinner; it doesn't have to be that hard.
My solution for her is as follows:
Salad course: Romain lettuce with a lemony vinaigrette you made yesterday or over the weekend. (or buy one, no shame here people, save yourself the aggrivation of lemon seeds in your salad and worry about getting everything ready in one night)
Savory smelling dinner ready when you get home: Use a crock pot! or use a a pressure cooker. Either way you get a great tasting meal either ready when you get home or ready in a short amount of time.
Cut down cooking times by using some pre-made things, don't feel guilty about it, be glad you live in a country and at a time where you have the option. The pre cut vegetables are a great option if you don't have the time to chop them yourself. Prep work is what takes up most of the time anyway. Use boxed stock and stewing meat (it's the off cuts anyway). While this might take some prep the night before you can do that while they're in bed. You're still up. And crock pot meals are awesome because they can be either kept warm or really easily re-heated. Then your husband could have a nice hot healthy meal too.
Also, you have children who can be left without supervision. Why are they not helping you cook, and therefore learning to cook with you? If children learn to cook early they can work more independently later on and have dinner ready for you when you get home. It's also a great time to talk to them about whatever's going on. While you may not know if you're daughter is crying from cutting the onion or that Johnny was mean on the playground I'm sure you'll figure it out if you actually talk to her instead of dreaming about your lemony vinaigrette or the fruit tart you didn't have time to make.
The other option here is to cut back on a few of the kids activities. It sounds to me like there may be a few too many different things vying for the family time when it could be better spent at home savoring the short period of time you have together before the kids go off to work or college, then start their own families.
Listen, I know it's hard to cook every night, or even most nights. Even if I didn't work and didn't have other responsibilities (taking care of children/keeping house) it would be a lot of effort to make sure there was a perfect "Mrs. Cleaver" dinner on the table every night. It's a lot of effort to think up menus of different things you actually know how to cook and even more daunting when you try to make new things.
The most important thing is to try and to do it with love. If you throw food on the table, no matter how nutritious or delicious it is your frustration will come through to your children. They will associate dinner time with rushing and frustration. This is the time to relax and unwind and enjoy the family you have around you.
Until next time my friends: Make what you love, eat with who you love and life will be full.
Dinner at home
After reading this article I weep a little bit. I know I don't have children yet so I really don't know what it's like. But after reading this article it sounds like this woman is seriously over thinking dinner; it doesn't have to be that hard.
My solution for her is as follows:
Salad course: Romain lettuce with a lemony vinaigrette you made yesterday or over the weekend. (or buy one, no shame here people, save yourself the aggrivation of lemon seeds in your salad and worry about getting everything ready in one night)
Savory smelling dinner ready when you get home: Use a crock pot! or use a a pressure cooker. Either way you get a great tasting meal either ready when you get home or ready in a short amount of time.
Cut down cooking times by using some pre-made things, don't feel guilty about it, be glad you live in a country and at a time where you have the option. The pre cut vegetables are a great option if you don't have the time to chop them yourself. Prep work is what takes up most of the time anyway. Use boxed stock and stewing meat (it's the off cuts anyway). While this might take some prep the night before you can do that while they're in bed. You're still up. And crock pot meals are awesome because they can be either kept warm or really easily re-heated. Then your husband could have a nice hot healthy meal too.
Also, you have children who can be left without supervision. Why are they not helping you cook, and therefore learning to cook with you? If children learn to cook early they can work more independently later on and have dinner ready for you when you get home. It's also a great time to talk to them about whatever's going on. While you may not know if you're daughter is crying from cutting the onion or that Johnny was mean on the playground I'm sure you'll figure it out if you actually talk to her instead of dreaming about your lemony vinaigrette or the fruit tart you didn't have time to make.
The other option here is to cut back on a few of the kids activities. It sounds to me like there may be a few too many different things vying for the family time when it could be better spent at home savoring the short period of time you have together before the kids go off to work or college, then start their own families.
Listen, I know it's hard to cook every night, or even most nights. Even if I didn't work and didn't have other responsibilities (taking care of children/keeping house) it would be a lot of effort to make sure there was a perfect "Mrs. Cleaver" dinner on the table every night. It's a lot of effort to think up menus of different things you actually know how to cook and even more daunting when you try to make new things.
The most important thing is to try and to do it with love. If you throw food on the table, no matter how nutritious or delicious it is your frustration will come through to your children. They will associate dinner time with rushing and frustration. This is the time to relax and unwind and enjoy the family you have around you.
Until next time my friends: Make what you love, eat with who you love and life will be full.
Agreed agreed agreed. I obviously don't have children either, though in a lot of ways I feel like being a grad school doesn't leave me with any more free time than being a parent does. With some planning and a bit of "bulk" cooking it's totally possible to eat a home-cooked meal most nights of the week. And I couldn't agree more that once kids hit a certain age (seriously. not old. a kid can put out silverware or shuck corn at like 5.) they can and should be helping to get dinner on the table. I was more or less my dad's sous chef growing up, but it didn't really seem like work because I spent the entire time gabbing his ear off about my day. There's nothing wrong with the occasional carry out pizza, or using jarred spaghetti sauce or frozen vegetables or a premade pizza crust. Dinner can be done.
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