What’s for Dinner?

Everyday, without fail, I make the decision regarding what is served for dinner at 6 pm. My husband is able to cook, but what he cooks is not healthy. He loves cooking everything in one pan (less dishes to wash), fried. When we met his dinner was Hamburger Helper with a can of vegetables added. Needless to say I have made his life healthier and with more variety in what he eats.

There is always the question “What’s for dinner?” that I must answer daily. I love grilled steaks, grilled corn on the cob and a salad for dinner. There is the budget to keep balanced. Steak is good on occasion but not healthy everyday. The cost of steaks today, the bank account would be zero.

The challenge is to prepare healthy meals, variety and stay within the budget.

As a child I was excited to become an adult. In high school we were required to take a class, Early Adulthood. This class covered job applications and interviews, how to balance a checkbook, make a budget, the process of a marriage, renting and buying a home, divorce and funerals. There was nothing said the daily decision on what to feed yourself and a family.

My parents did their best to prepare me for adulthood. My mom never mentioned the constant decision of what to fix her family for dinner.

Somehow telling a child “When you become an adult, you will have to decide what you are going to eat everyday.” was not important. There is a lot that goes into deciding what a person should eat.

First, there is what they like to eat, favorite foods and those they hate and refuse to eat.

Then there is the budget. Many of us can not afford to go to a store and get whatever food their taste buds desire.

Health, the meals prepared need to be healthy. “Garbage in, Garbage out” is true when it comes to what we feed our bodies. In order to stay healthy, we have to put healthy foods into our bodies. Providing our bodies with the proper nutrients and in balance, not too much of this vitamin and enough of that mineral, keeps our bodies working properly allowing us to grow, work, and enjoy life.

Then the time required to prepare the meal. Working a job takes time away from preparing a nutritious meal for ourselves and our families. Crockpots and planning ahead help with the time management of preparing a meal.

All things considered and executed daily to answer our loved one’s question: “What is for dinner?”

Ironically for many decades being a housewife was not considered an occupation and did not require a skill set. A very untrue statement. The meal planning and budgeting and cooking required skills.

amtolle