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Once again, I am sitting here wondering "What shall I make for dinner tonight?" I have been thinking about this since six a.m.. It's just one of those questions that pop into my head from time to time. Unfortunately, it's one of those questions that pop into my head far too often.
I wonder how much time I waste worrying about dinner. I'm sure I could be pondering more important things such as, "Why do my children watch that irritating Blues Clues show?" or, "Why can't my husband lift the lid on the hamper and put his clothes inside rather than on top of the hamper?"
There are just too many criteria to consider when planning dinner. Jafar and I are always attempting to lose weight, so we are looking for low-fat, low-calorie, high fiber meals. Any meal has to pass the child test. Now, in many households dishes involving vegetables would not pass such a test, but not in my house. Jasmine loves vegetables, she will eat seafood and stir fry; but, a simple dinner such as a burger or macaroni and cheese, gets rejected by the child gourmand. Another criteria is that the food has be finger food. Jane tries to eat with a spoon, but more ends up in her mouth if she can pick it up. Then if I'm making meat, fish, or poultry, I have to make sure to defrost the item.
Of course, planning the meal is just the beginning of the hassles. For some unknown reason, I like the family to eat together. My kids are young enough that I don't have to manage schedules, but other situations get in the way. My husband and I don't get home until six p.m. which means the earliest dinner is put on the table is seven. I know that there are supposedly meals that can be made in fifteen minutes, but obviously the cooks, nutritionists, and marketers who make this claim don't have two children helping them make dinner and a husband who is not helping. These people haven't had to make a meal with a toddler sitting in one arm or attached to a leg. Just try to cook a meal with one arm balancing a child who is reaching for everything, and the other arm trying to prepare dinner. So several times during a week, dinner is served twice. The first meal is the child's seating. Usually, this first serving is something quick and probably not as nutritious as it should be. The first serving tends to be pizza, hot dogs, food substances that come out of cans or frozen dinners. The second seating is the main meal for adults and the nutritious portion of the child's meal. If Mom and Dad are seating down to eat, the kids usually end up at the table asking for a taste of this and that, so they get their salad and vegetable at the second course.
Seating at the table is another crisis. Jane sits in a high chair, although now she can climb up on a dining room chair. We don't trust her to sit still in a booster chair, and we feel there is a little more control in the high chair. We really think that tray in front of her is going to stop her from going anywhere; we are such fools. Jasmine doesn't like to sit next to Jane because Jane is messy when she eats. I don't want to sit next to Jane for the same reason, but since I am the mother, I sit next to the sloppy child. Jasmine also doesn't like to sit across from Jane because Jasmine doesn't like to watch Jane eat. Well, there are only four of us, so that's not much I can do with seating arrangements. My solution, "Don't look at her."
Dinner is over and then there is still clean up. I know this should be simple, clear the dishes, rinse, and put them into the dishwasher. Instead it is clear all the dishes, step over toys and children when navigating between the dining room and kitchen. Put condiments back in the refrigerator and keep toddler out of the certificate. Rinse dishes and break up fight between children. Put dishes in dishwasher and keep toddler out of the dishwasher. Yes, the toddler will try to get into anything that is open.
It all started with the simple question "What's for dinner?" By the way, tonight's dinner will be salad and salmon for the adults and fish sticks for children
Feb. 16, 2000 |
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