I myself am NOT an expert in these areas. I don't have a meal planner, I plan meals the day before. I don't try fancy recipes, I make the same 7 meals over and over again. And I struggled for a long time before I got in the habit of eating food that made me feel great.
And I laboured for a long time under the belief that cooking meals needed to be inventive and varied. And it always frustrated me. Until I had a mental shift. Cooking for your family does not have to be complicated! It can be simple and easy, and fresh and whole. I don't use packaged sauces, I don't buy frozen dinners, I don't buy strange crackers with 30 ingredients. But I do buy ice cream and my weight in smoked salmon and coconut shrimp. And I do make a home-cooked meal almost every weeknight. And I enjoy it now! And I hope that Dude picks up on that, and in turn benefits from it.
We made Rice Krispies on Grey Cup Sunday, two batches! And took them over to Gran & Grandpa's house to share with everyone. I let him measure the ingredients, dump them in the pot, and stir. Lots of stirring. And his attention lasted the whole time, and he was engaged and excited. We did fractions! Ha!
And then we made some more a couple days later, and he remembered his measurements. And he was still happy and excited. He was getting too close to the hot burner for my comfort level, but he's learning. He'll make mistakes I am sure, but at least he is trying. And I got to teach him how to make the easiest dessert ever, a lesson he will hopefully carry into adulthood which will come in handy when he is a bachelor and needs to bring something to work for a potluck, or BBQ to impress someone he likes.
That's me...always thinking ahead.
Rice Krispies Life Lesson...
later loves
That is so awesome, good for you! I wish my parents had taken more time to teach me basic life skills (cooking, budgeting, etc.) but I'm trying to remedy that by teaching myself these things... it's uncomfortable and often results in failure, but hey -- to be honest, my parents were terrible at budgeting and cooking, so I think ultimately I dodged a bullet. ;)
ReplyDeleteI can still remember my mom teaching me how to boil eggs and make basic things in the kitchen for a Girl Guides badge I was chasing. Ian's mom was even better at getting him engaged in the kitchen and teaching him the skills he would need to be well fed as an adult. I can't thank that woman enough. ;)
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