Meals 101

I don’t know too many moms who enjoy meal planning. I’m not even sure I know one, to tell the truth. By the time you tally up who will and won’t and can’t and shouldn’t eat what, you have a head of romaine and a gallon of mint chip ice cream on your list. And even that is problematic. My cholesterol enhanced husband isn’t supposed to eat ice cream and he, of course, loves it. He hates mint, however. If I had known this before I married him I would have rethought the whole idea. I, on the other hand, would put mint chip ice cream near the top of my “ten things to take to a desert island” list. No scoop, thanks, just a spoon. This is also problematic, since I’m back on Weight Watchers, and I don’t appear to have a stop button when it comes to mint chip ice cream. This is the only flavor the Film Geek doesn’t like and it happens to be my very favorite. So it all comes down to choices. Do I buy another flavor (which means he’ll snarf it down) or do I get what he doesn’t like (which guarantees me mint breath until the carton is licked clean)? Whose will power is strongest? For anyone reading this who asks why you need to get any ice cream at all – you don’t have kids, do you?

See, just the thought of mint chip ice cream and I’m totally off subject. I was talking about meal planning. In my house I have two vegetarians, one die hard bottomless pit carnivore, one person who is supposed to eat high protein/no refined carbs and one gourmet chef in the making, who says things like “gelee” and “deglaze”. And actually I feel pretty grateful, because I know it could be worse. I have one friend whose daughter eats nothing but breakfast cereal and spring rolls. And another whose daughter only eats pasta with butter and cheese. And another whose son won’t touch a single vegetable ever, but thinks pizza is its own food group. Like I said, it could definitely be worse.


My particular problem this week is that I didn’t plan my meals and go grocery shopping over the weekend, since I was working. That’s my routine and it works pretty well. I’m off today and certainly could go buy food, but I don’t want to. I have the whole day to myself (until 4:30 at least) and I don’t want to spend it in the dairy aisle. On the other hand, we have nothing in the house to eat. I actually had to give the kids money this morning to buy a toxic school lunch, since I couldn’t interest anyone in an applesauce and leftover mashed potato sandwich. The longer I write the more I know what I have to do, but I don’t want to. (Insert pathetic whine in that last sentence for full effect). Do I have to???(Insert again).

I’m off to the market, it seems. I might make a small pit stop in the ice cream aisle.