Growing up in the 60s in small town Wisconsin, we ate whatever our mother made. I do not recall anyone ever complaining about any meal. Our diet was very Midwest, even after we moved to Connecticut. Roast beef, hamburgers, fried chicken, pot roast, meat loaf, and hot dish - a casserole of hamburger, noodles, some kind of vegetables and sauce. It never occurred to any of us to complain about not liking something. We ate it anyway. When we were on vacation in Minnesota, we caught perch and sunfish every day and ate fried fish every day for a week.
Some how we all survived with our arteries fairly intact.
As time passed I discovered other cuisines. I distinctly remember being at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962 and seeing pizza for the first time, though I didn't eat any. After we moved to Connecticut in 1965, friends took our family to eat in a Chinese restaurant. That was the first time I had eaten Chinese food, and maybe the first time my parents had too! I liked it, a lot.
Now my world is filled with all kind of foods, and at the same time, I have eliminated many foods. I'm now lactose intolerant (this after living in Wisconsin for 5 1/2 years and drinking milk three times a day!) and have become a pescatarian, eating seafood and vegetables. My husband cannot eat spicy food and watches his cholesterol. And frankly, he's sort of a picky eater. So menu planning has become just slightly stressful. We want variety, healthy foods, and I don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen.
So now I have lists -- fast dinners, slower dinners, fish dinners, veggie dinners. The plan this week is:
Monday- Asian Salad
Tuesday- BLTs (I have a rehearsal to get to!)
Wednesday- BBQ Pineapple Pizza
Thursday- Mongolian "Beef"
Fish- Fish, type TBD
Saturday - Tropical Island Kebabs on the grill
Sunday- We're going out!
I'd love to hear about other people's dinner strategies.
I grew up on Slavic foods, pierogi, halushki, bleenies (potato pancakes). I am sure that all of these foods played a part in my needing a triple bypass later in life. Now, Kathy and I enjoy a variety of foods and try to eat healthy and balanced meals, although an occasional slip is allowed. arjeha.
ReplyDeleteI just love how your menu has such variety of cultural dishes. My planning for meals has shifted lately and I am trying to include at least 2 plant based meals each week. Last night I added Cauliflower Crust pizza to my recipe list. I only plan 5 meals a week, 1 day of leftovers and 1 day of eating out.
ReplyDeleteAnytime I can have leftovers, I want them! So I make twice as much and eat it another day. I also like to get as much in one “pot” as I can. We often chop up some spinach and put it at the bottom of a bowl and dump the meal on it- noodles, soup, rice & chicken….
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