Yes, you read that right. Amanda Marcotte wrote an article and said that expecting home-cooked family meals is too "expensive and time-consuming and often done for a bunch of ingrates who would rather just be eating fast food anyway." She also sites women as being too busy because they work outside of the home and many people are too poor to cook.
It does seem like home-cooking your food is going by the wayside. I see all these state-of-the-art kitchens and no one using them. Fast food joints are as busy as ever and children get to decide what they want to eat instead of being told what they are going to eat.
A lot of women are too busy to fix home-cooked food thanks to the majority of women working outside of the home. Home-cooked food does take a lot of time and preparation, but I believe it is one of the very most important things mothers can do for their families.
Food was meant to nourish our bodies. When you eat out, you have no idea what is in the food. Restaurants usually use the cheapest ingredients they can find. Food Babe did an article about Subway sandwiches and what exactly is in them. They are filled with toxic chemicals even though we think of them as being healthy. The bottom line for the majority of restaurants is money, not health.
Secondly, meals eaten together establish strong relationships in families. My very favorite thing to do in the world is to sit down to a home-cooked meal with my family and fellowship. I love knowing their bodies are being nourished and I love the time we spend together talking and laughing. These times are vital to strong, healthy families.
For her to say that too many people are too poor to cook is a joke. She said they don't have the utensils to cook. Even in third world countries, mothers cook their families home-cooked food. You can buy almost all of your utensils at a Goodwill store and you really don't need that many items to make healthy meals.
The problem with picky, ungrateful eaters is often a problem with the way you train your children. I wouldn't let my children be picky. They ate what I fixed. I could have trained them to say "thank you" after every meal but I didn't. I have learned to do things out of love and serving my family without expecting anything in return. {I am not saying it is wrong to teach your children to say "thank you" and have a grateful attitude. I just didn't think about it when my children were growing up. It probably is a VERY good idea, however.}
Yes, fixing home-cooked meals is an act of loving sacrifice but something that is so important and should not be neglected just because everyone else is neglecting it. Families will suffer in the long term because of this. They already have.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house:
thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Psalm 128:3
Logging you in...
Stephanie · 543 weeks ago
Katie · 543 weeks ago
I have to tell you... I tried your roast chicken recipe using ghee last week and it was delicious! My husband asked that the recipe be added to our recipe box and I wholeheartedly agreed! I always had trouble with chicken getting dry, but not with this recipe. I am excited to try out the others on your blog site! So thank you for posting them. I am always looking for healthier versions of meals we love.
Mbb · 543 weeks ago
Cynthia · 543 weeks ago
For far too long, we have convinced people that cooking is difficult. There is this idea that if you don't spend a massive amount of time in the kitchen, and if you don't have a gourmet kitchen with the latest gadgets, you can't possibly manage.
I'm also seeing a "mom as a restaurant" mentality that's not helping either.
Here are some simple ways to make it better:
1. Have simple community cooking classes, aimed at teaching the absolute basics of quick, healthy meal prep. Also, encourage schools to teach this, either during school time or as part of after-school activities.
2. Forget celebrity chefs and complicated cooking. Let people know that you can cook an egg in a few minutes (even in a microwave). A glass of milk comes straight from the carton. Fruit requires no prep other than washing.
3. Teach things that seem almost too obvious and simple. An apple and peanut butter make a great after-school snack. Teach meals that require few ingredients. A can of chick peas can easily turn into a chick pea salad.
4. Teach families how to get everyone involved in menu planning and meal prep. Kids are far less likely to complain when they help plan the meals and prepare them, and it's good training for life.
5. Teach strategies for planning meals that can be made it advance quickly. You can buy a cheap crock pot and use it to make cheap soups and stews, that require no more than 5 min of prep.
6. We need to address food deserts in some cities. People in poor areas need to be within walking distance of places where they can buy fresh food, not just processed junk.
7. Let people know that frozen fruits and veggies can be used easily, esp. in areas where fresh produce is hard to get out of season. (You may not relate in California, but it's a real issue in winter for us.)
Sarah · 543 weeks ago
Trudy Callan · 543 weeks ago
Lee Ann · 543 weeks ago
You sound like my mother! She cooked one meal, and that was it. You ate it or you went to bed hungry. If you didn't eat it, there was no complaining. When we went out to eat, which was rare, my parents ordered for us. We didn't even know to argue about dinner because we were never given any other option. It is just the way it was! My mother stayed home with us and always served delicious meals. To this day, I would choose my mother's cooking over any restaurant, hands down!
-Lee Ann
musicow2 22p · 543 weeks ago
Cynthia · 543 weeks ago
When I focus on training and disciplining my kids, I ask myself, "how will this affect them when they are 20?" By 20, my kids will need to know what's involved with healthy eating. Not giving them junk food makes perfect sense, because they shouldn't become sugar addicts, and they should be used to real foods.
When my kids are 20, though, I don't plan to prepare every meal for them. They should know how to plan menus, shop and prepare meals. They should be aware of how food makes them feel, know how to listen to hunger cues, and know how to eat in a healthy way.
Even preschoolers can be given simple choices, and see menu charts. Let's say you have stamps or stickers for each serving of fruits or veggies, for example. They can choose which ones they want, and count 5 servings in a day. They can also pick a choice of healthy dips. Hummus? Pure peanut butter? Greek yogurt dip? Olive oil and lemon juice?
My son is very particular about his salad, and wants cucumbers and tomatoes cut into tiny pieces, with just the right amount of red onion and olive oil and lemon juice. Guess who our designated salad make is? I don't have the time to cut up tiny pieces, but he does. When he makes it, he eats it.
My kids get to choose what they eat - on Sundays, when I make the family menu. There needs to be a certain number of servings of fruits, veggies, protein, etc. but I'm flexible on the choices within each category. If we are doing a certain type of food or preparation one night, I can give choices on the type of sauce or spices, for example. I may make fish for everyone, but one person wants plain, one wants spicy, one wants garlic, etc. I just put different seasoning on each piece, since it's about personal taste.
Christine · 543 weeks ago
Today, they both are great cooks! Each of them enjoys presenting their families and others their newest "concoctions".
Parenting isn't easy but with God's help you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Jo · 543 weeks ago
I work fulltime and home cook all our meals. Only occasionally do we buy takeaway as a special treat. I have a well-stocked pantry, a freezer full of premade food (often the leftovers from previous meals where I have made double) and lots of quick and easy recipes within reach. It doesn’t take very long to make a yummy curry and let it simmer for an hour whilst doing other things or a healthy salad in summer. These are not meals that take long to prepare and they are not expensive. I use my slow cooker for those meals that take longer to cook and if we want a roast, I make those on weekends. I often make twice as much so we have left overs (which often taste nicer the next day). I make stock on weekends and pop it in the freezer for use during the week, I bake all our cakes and muffins as my husband enjoys them during the week. I have never thought it hard work or difficult and I know for certain it is much cheaper than buying processed foods/premade or eating out. I learnt how to cook by my mother who would never dream of using something pre-made for dinner and I have taught my children to cook and I happily share recipes to those who want quick healthy meals.
Women like to use the excuse that because they work they don’t have time to cook, I think it’s rubbish and they need to reassess their lives. Often they are also busy doing other social activities or running their children to many different places, something I didn’t and don’t do. They need to decide what is important .
Julie · 543 weeks ago
Jamie · 543 weeks ago
Roxy · 543 weeks ago
God Help Us!!
mama · 543 weeks ago
Nancy · 543 weeks ago
I keep our meal planning very, very simple. I don't cook "gourmet" or even themed meals. I don't plan a weekly menu or have a grocery list. I just buy whatever looks fresh that week. I keep foods close to their simplest form. For example, for butternut squash, all I do is cut in half, take out seeds, and roast face down in oven at 375 degrees until it is soft. Then I scoop out the flesh and serve it as a side. Nothing else added. Another example is potatoes. I cut them up (keep the skin on) and steam them in an Asian rice cooker, and when they are done I toss with salt and oil. Delicious. I also grill or bake chicken and other meats in large batches and freeze them in individual portions. So usually for dinner I usually don't have to cook a protein; I just take one package out of the freezer. Big time saver. I use a rice cooker for cooking rice; it's no work at all and I've got a food group covered. And I cook lots of beans. I soak them early in the morning, then I cover with water and add some salt and simmer for 2-3 hrs on the stovetop and serve them just like that. My family enjoys it, and it's so healthy. Cooking can be very, very easy without much fuss.
Cynthia · 543 weeks ago
The reality that some of these women have no access to even basics like a kitchen sink or pots and pans is truly horrible. Also, in some poor neighborhoods, it's not even possible to buy decent food. There are no supermarkets within walking distance, people don't have cars, and family are forced to shop at convenience stores which are more expensive and have largely processed foods.
I know it's hard for any one person to eliminate poverty, but it occurred to me that a wonderful project to help poor families could involve putting together a very basic kit for those who don't have proper kitchens and equipment (a $10 crock pot, a can opener, a sharp knife, for example), along with a cooking class and recipes that show what you can make with minimal ingredients and equipment. For example, a family without a kitchen might be able to use the cheap crock pot to make stew, chili or soup with cheap ingredients like barley and beans.
Loving being Mrs. W · 543 weeks ago
Lori, I was thinking of this post today while driving our Joshua to an appointment, and I got to thinking that food must be very expensive in America compared to here in Australia!
A roast dinner costs way less than take-out.
Roast Leg of Lamb $25.00 - I get 3 meals out of that (for 3 people, i.e. 9 servings); so per meal for 3 people, that is:
Lamb $8.30
Peas $1.00
Corn $0.50
Potatoes $1.50
Homemade Gravy $0.25
All in all, $11.55
Now the cheapest take-out for our family of 3 is Pizza, coming in at $23.00.
That is double what a home cooked roast is. So saying the take-out is cheaper is stupid at best a lie at worst (at least in Australia it is). And that is a roast – there are cheaper meats, so the cost of a home-cooked meal can be even less.
Sorry, but I think this is a cop-out, and laziness on her part.
I love putting a meal together for my family – it is one way of showing them how much I love them! I can’t imagine living on take-out! The thought of all that fat is just yuck to me!
Also, I did waitressing for about 18 months, and in all honesty you don’t want to know how chefs or cooks at some restaurants treat the food you eat - it made me never ever want to eat out again. I do go out but only when I really have to! Home cooking is so much better; you know what has gone into making that meal and how fresh it is. We had a rule that whatever I cooked, that is what our children ate. I never told my children to say ‘thank you’ because like you, I did it as an act of love; however Ant would always say ‘thank you’ at the end of each meal, and both children learned from him as they grew up so they always said ‘thank you’, too. I have Ant to thank for that; he has always been a gentleman!!
Love & Blessings.
Kim · 542 weeks ago
morewithlessmom 28p · 542 weeks ago
morewithlessmom 28p · 541 weeks ago