They just won't stop interrupting my homeschooling and life.
They creep up on me twice a day, everyday, and fill me with dread. And there's no getting out of it.
Ugh. Grrr. The times of day when I have to think about what to feed my clan.
"What's for lunch?" "What's for dinner?" "I'm sta-a-a-rving."
It can't be just me. There have to be other homeschool moms out there who don't plan breakfasts.
Or lunches.
And sometimes not even dinners.
See, I enjoy vacuuming, laundry, dusting, even cleaning toilets and showers. But I dislike loathe cooking.
I am pretty good at the culinary arts, if I do say so myself. And I definitely enjoy it when I get to try new things and change it up. I have plenty of fun and delicious recipes in my repertoire that never get used.
It's hard to develop a passion for preparing plain-jane lunches and suppers for a meat-and-potatoes kinda family.
every. single. day.
But that's where I am. I'm [trying to be] content there and work around it.
Sometimes I get revved up and exciting about "conquering" my meal dilemma. I seek out new recipes that I just know my family will eat. I make up menus. I excitedly present my new masterpieces to my family.
Only to be bitterly disappointed when plates get scraped into the trash, and I hear, "Um, I'm just not hungry."
Followed shortly by, "Can I make a sandwich?"
One way I get around having to plan out meals is buying frozen and canned foods. It's not all unhealthy. Mostly it's how you prepare food that determines its healthfulness.
Right?
Well, that's what I choose to believe...
Fish sticks are healthy if you bake them. And so are chicken nuggets. And sweet potato fries.
There's nothing wrong with canned carrots or green beans.
My favorite lunches are the ones where I walk to the deep-freezer thinking, I really hope we have something for lunch, only to open it up and see numerous choices to whet my palette. In a way it's like going out to eat and choosing from a menu.
I couldn't get that "out-to-eat-mentality" satisfaction if I planned a menu.
We love, love, love Stouffer's Easy Express microwavable meals for our homeschool lunches. One favorite is the Rigatoni with Chicken.
Every once in a while the kids get on a Chef Boyardee Ravioli kick. It never lasts long, unfortunately.
Then there's the wide assortment of Ramen noodles.
Sometimes it's the old standby peanut butter and jelly (or, for my oldest, WowButter and Jelly).
Recently, ham and cheese sandwiches made a comeback when I purchased light and fluffy deli rolls to use in place of regular white bread. It was more expensive, but worth it.
I bought Hot Pockets this week, but they usually aren't very successful. We'll see how that goes.
If you plan out a varied, healthy menu with fresh chopped veggies and homemade bread, that's lovely!
Please keep it to yourself. I feel guilty enough.
If, like me, you struggle with mealtimes, let me know what works for you. I can use some fresh ideas.
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