Cooking is not one of my favorite household chores. I don’t mind making meals for myself, but trying to please a group of people drives me crazy.
My son hates unfamiliar food and several different vegetables. My husband won’t eat seafood and has a long list of vegetables he can’t stand, although they’re not the same ones my son hates. I have digestive issues that prevent me from eating several things that used to be family favorites.
I hate the thought of having to make three separate meals three times per day, but finding recipes that make everyone happy seems like an impossible task.
To make things even more complicated, it seems like most of the meals that please everyone are the least healthy options. My husband and I both need to lose weight this year. My son is thin as a rail, but I suspect his great metabolism won’t last forever and I would like him to develop better eating habits while he’s still young.
I’ve looked through several different cookbooks and food blogs for ideas, but many of the recipes that look like they might be winners have ingredients that are impossible to find in my rural community or too expensive for our limited budget.
If there are any food writers reading this post, a “Cheap Food for Picky Eaters” cookbook is sorely needed!
How do you handle cooking for your family? Do you make separate meals to accommodate different preferences or do you simply require everyone to eat what is served? If your kids hate trying new recipes, do you have any tricks to make them more open minded?
Photo credit: Seeman via morgueFile
