Cooking while working full-time

So I came across this article and it struck me as interesting and practical.

I know cooking good meals was tough for Lyle and I before we had Keegan, and now it is even tougher.  Now instead of getting the Vegetarian (or chicken) that I crave along with the meat Lyle loves I have to consider the wants of Keegan (4 year old food sensibilities) as well.  I have to do this all in the two hours we have together each night before Keegan's bed time, get all the housework done, and would like to have time to play with Keegan as well.

I shouldn't say I...because Lyle does just as much as I do.  Still, there are occasionally nights when Lyle and I get home, look into each other eyes, look at Keegan, and say "How about a pizza night?!"

We are pretty lucky in that we make enough money that we can go out to eat a few times a week.  With only one kid it's not too hard.  Then everyone can be happy.  I can order a nice salad, Lyle can get meat, and Keegan can get his chicken nuggets and fruit.  Still even that takes time.  So most nights we try to make something for dinner that doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes to make.

What does that mean?  Well it means most of our meats are frozen and many are packaged/processed.  Is that bad?  Not necessarily.  We stick to chicken and fish.  That includes such dubious items as fish nuggets (which actually taste much better and are healthier than you would guess) and chicken hot dogs (again much healthier than the traditional version).  It also includes frozen raviolis and chicken taquitos; things like that. 

Could we make tastier stuff ourselves?  Possibly.  But I personally have never been a fan of cooking.  Friends tell me that chemists love to cook!  I guess since I stand in a lab all day doing formulation work by the time I get home I just want to sit down and eat.  I do not want to spend another 30 minutes standing over the stove, doing yet more lab (albeit kitchen) work.

Unfortunately even if you make healthier processed foods for dinner, there are downfalls.  The healthier options generally cost more and are harder to find.  We have been lucky that the Super Target we shop at prides itself in healthier options.  So I can find much healthier options there (chicken and turkey hot dogs) than I can at more traditional grocery stores.  Still they are more pricey than traditional options.

The other thing we do with side items is to just keep it simple.  Having a four year old means picky eating.  Keegan hates vegetables with a passion I will never understand, but he loves fruit of all types.  For veggies we eat them raw and dip in ranch sauce (Keegan loves ranch so sometimes he will fold).  I also keep many varieties of fruits around.  Keegan will eat any type of fruit and loves them all.  More calories than veggies but similar nutrients.  I have also taken to buying the veggie/fruit baby food mixes in foil pouches.  Keegan loves slurping the "smoothies" out of them and how else am I going to get him to eat a full serving of broccoli, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes?  He slurps up these mixtures and really enjoys them, I feel good because he is actually getting vegetables.

Then there is the sinking feeling you get after spending 20 minutes making tacos for your family because your preschooler requested them and then having him decide he absolutely will not eat them.  We've pretty much remedied that too.  I keep a supply of low-sugar yogurt and cheese sticks in the fridge.  If Keegan turns his nose up at taco meat, I say fine go have yogurt and fruit for dinner.  He gets his protein and calcuin, as well as important nutrient from fruits.  I can think of worse dinners to have than yogurt and fruit.

So, all in all I have been pretty happy with how we control meals at our house.  Many of the prepared frozen items are actually healthier than ones I would make by scratch, everyone in the family will eat them, and they are quick to cook.  We keep things simple; fruits and vegetables are usually eaten raw with occasional dipping sauces.  Generally it works out pretty well.  There isn't a lot of junk food around (although neither Lyle or Keegan can live without their weekly dose of Sun Chips).

Still occasionally we have those nights and last night was one of them.  We got home realized we were out of dog food and that I needed to stop by my parents to get something.  It was beautiful out and sunny and Keegan asked if we could go to Dairy Queen.  Lyle was ready to make dinner on the grill but time just wasn't going to allow for it.  So...we went to Dairy Queen and indulged in greasiness and saltiness.  It happens...not all the time but maybe once every other week or so...   Well we are just human after all, and every once in a while you need a little bit of ice cream and a big juicy burger :-)