What's For Dinner?by Laura Browne"What's for dinner?" Those are some of my most least favorite words to hear. They're right up there with, "It wasn't my fault," "None of my friends are doing it," and "You just don't understand". The problem with these words is they normally mean I've got to figure out what to feed my family. You would think it would be easy. It seems like an innocent question, until you've made dinner over and over and over again; one day blending into the next, a mélange of meatloafs, baked chickens, hamburgers and spaghetti. If only dinner didn't happen every night! It's so repetitious. And it's not just making the food that's difficult. Planning meals gives me a headache. I worry if I'm giving my family the right amount of food from the food pyramid. (Does anyone else remember when we had only four main food groups? The new food groups mix me up. Is popcorn a vegetable? Do the raisins in Cinnamon Raisin Bread count as a serving of fruit? And what about Pop-Tarts®? Does that count as a bread, fruit or a separate category of things that you should never eat? As someone that thinks pizza is the perfect food, I'm not terribly qualified to determine if my family is getting the right amount of nutrition. Actually, left by myself, I'll be happy just to eat a bag of corn chips (does that count as a vegetable?) for dinner, however, I'm fairly sure that's not a good idea. My family complained that we ate the same old things for dinner so I decided to try a new recipe. And as long as I was going to experiment, I thought I should make something high-fiber, low-fat, high protein and all those things I think I'm supposed to be serving. The tofu, bean and walnut loaf recipe looked like a healthy replacement for the meatloaf that everyone complained that they were tired of eating. My family was as supportive as I expected when I announced what I was making for dinner. "Gross!" wailed my daughter. My husband said nothing. He's too smart for that. However, later, he did mention that he had to work overtime that night. Suddenly my daughter "remembered" that her best friend had invited her over for dinner. I'll show them, I thought that night as I made the tofu, bean and walnut loaf for myself. My first bite was... chewy. My second bite reminded me of one of my daughter's art projects - a mixture of cardboard and clay. Perhaps I had left something out of the recipe; like taste. My third bite... actually I gave up and shoved the rest in the back of the refrigerator. It was as bad as my daughter and husband had imagined. Actually, it was probably worse. I had to console myself with a frozen mini pizza that I found hidden in the freezer. The loaf wasn't a total loss though. I never told my family how terrible it tasted. And whenever they start complaining about eating the same food, I just suggest the tofu, bean and walnut loaf. It's wonderful to see how quickly they praise my boring hamburgers and chicken. So if you want a solution to boring dinners, just look for a tofu, bean and walnut loaf recipe. You don't actually need to make it. Just leave it around where your family can see it. You'll be amazed how the threat of something healthy can suddenly make your old recipes seem like gourmet meals. Laura Browne ©2006 Show All Articles By Laura BrowneLaura Browne is the author of a practical & easy-to-use book for women, Why Can't You Communicate Like Me? How Smart Women Get Results At Work. To register for her Free Teleconferences on various topics such as: Are You An Invisible Woman? How To Get Heard, go to http://www.inyourfaceink.com (This book is available at the website and at Barnes & Noble online.) When Laura isn't writing, she helps women be more successful through WOMEN Unlimited, a nationally recognized resource for cultivating leadership excellence. (This article was originally printed in Cranberry Magazine.) The Greatest Parenting Secret In History
How much is it worth to you NOT to be saying "Clean up your room . . ." for the next 18 years? How many mothers do you know who are still telling their kids at 16 or 17 to clean up their rooms or pick up after themselves? How much is a peaceful home and peaceful relationships with your children worth? Think that's difficult to do? It's not! Kids have the capacity to learn and understand some pretty big concepts, like INTEGRITY. Do you know how to teach that? To get it across to them, to actually INSTILL it in their hearts so that it becomes their own inner star that guides them? How do you teach your children to have emotional balance? A good heart? How do you teach good character qualities and life principles to your children and instill it deep in their hearts? It's really not as hard as you may think. Kids love it, no, change that to . . . they are hungry for it! The Secret waits for you here |
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