Friday, November 4, 2011
Ho hum
I am in a cooking rut and I lay the blame squarely on my family's shoulders. They are in an eating rut.
It doesn't seem to matter what I cook, they barely eat.
Last night I made pork chops with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed sugar snaps, and both Doug and Noah dumped half of their plate in the sink.
Noah says, "I'm not really hungry, mom." And half an hour later he's eating cold cereal.
Doug says, "I must have had a bigger lunch than I thought. You know I'm not big on pork chops."
Hmmm. Pft. It's six o'clock and no one (but me) is hungry for my dinner.
Faith ate well after her ballet lesson (one little pork chop and sides), but Josh dumped most of his after he came home from school, and I found the evidence in the sink.
I'm almost to striking point. Why should I bother cooking if they don't bother eating? I'd rather picket than cook.
Part of the issue is the change of seasons. Fall brings soups and stews and casseroles -- at least to me -- and my family would rather be eating grilled ribs, steaks, chicken legs.
What's a mother to do? What do you do when your family doesn't eat your meal?
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9 comments:
I hope some other moms have some great ideas! When this happens at our house, I start requiring each family member to give me one meal idea for the week. What I don't like about this is what I normally get is spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers, etc. All things that I feel sick off pretty much all the time already.
Barb that's where I am too. My 4th child hasn't been eating much of what I've cooked lately but he sure loves his cereal. I think we're all in a rut over here too. Unlike you though my recipe arsenal is very limited, so maybe I need to try new recipes.
SAME!!!!! My husband "doesn't like" spaghetti, suddenly, after 20 years...the kids and I would eat it 3 times a week if we could. He can't have pork--it causes gout. No one but me likes stew; he doesn't like roasts unless it's filet mignon. Middle Sister turns up her nose at anything with soy sauce in it. And Little Brother's not a fan of spicy foods or casseroles.
I want to cook all kinds of yummy stuff, and no one wants any part of it.
Misery loves company???
I agree - I find it very difficult to cook when my family does not eat the meal - or claims not to like it. I definitely take it personally! But lately I've just been cooking what I feel like and if they eat it fine and if not, more for me! And if the left-overs end up in the fridge too long, they move over to the freezer to be thrown into a future meal of some sort, so no harm no foul I figure.
Our family has found a great way to come together in the "dinnertime" decision making. We all sit down over pizza on the last day of the month and look at our calendar for the next month. We add what's for dinner each day. We skip Wednesdays because we're all at church for youth group and we eat there. Nothing, like tacos, spaghetti and burgers can be duplicated and we only have pizza twice a month. We've been doing it this way for so long that the ideas now just fly around. Then I do my big monthly shopping with my dinner list. Everyone has had their say and is pretty happy at dinner time. Just an idea...
There are a few good ideas here, Barbara. Good FAMILY ideas that you might try. But it's just me and my husband that I cook for most days. He was wonderful about eating anything I made while the girls were young, but now he barely lets a vegetable pass his lips (and, like you, I'd prefer to eat veggies all the time), he's less than lukewarm about soup (which I also love) and he always say I give him too much. I now measure his portions...he watches...using a 1 C. spoon and a 1/2 C. spoon for things like casseroles. Lately, a normal "dinner for 2" becomes a dinner for 2 for 2 days! I know we're in our 60s and don't need as much as before, but geesh! Any suggestions?
Wow - this brings back memories because me and my daughter used to do this to my Mom when she cooked pork chops. She used to cook them almost every time she saw us - I finally had to tell her pork chops are just not our "thing." Beyond that, I don't know what to say! I know our family LOVES your recipes/food! You could cook for us! : )
Oh - one more thing: my daughter (and a previous boyfriend) have this thing about foods being mixed together, so much LESS enthusiastic than me about soups, stews, casseroles - won't even eat them out. So for them the best thing is meat/chicken with potatoes and vegis on the side - everything separated on the plate or they won't eat it. (So aggravating! RRRRR!)
Oh, gosh, Barb. We are having some of the same issues. My husband says he won't eat chicken any more -- or cheese pizza. Everyone else likes chicken, but now I feel guilty every time I make it. My favorite chicken recipe is your Greek grilled chicken. It is absolutely delicious. He does not complain about having leftovers, while the rest of us eat chicken, but somehow it has made his food preferences a weird issue.
I have stopped serving my families plates. I put the food out on the kitchen counter and let them serve themselves. I try not to look at their plates or at their choices. I am a good cook, and the choices are pretty tasty and nutritious. I don't let my youngest have dessert if he has not eaten his dinner. The others are on their own. This is a control issue I had to give up. It was not bearing good fruit. I think they waste less food. Maybe they have to "own" that decision.
Thanks for the excellent recipes that you post. I have made so many of them. I would be delighted to eat at your table -- pork chops and soups would make me very happy!
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