The Mennobrarian

A great time to be alive

03:35, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 .. Posted in Small Homemaking .. 3 comments .. Link

I really admire you ladies who can plan for three meals a day, several weeks at a time. There is no way it could happen over here as I barely have enough time to do a week's worth of shopping, and certainly don't have the freezer space to store more than ten days worth of ingredients. Small living sometimes means small sacrifices. On the other hand, when I'm in the store and see something on sale (unadvertised!) or spot a fabulous cookbook, with a tasty recipe I'd like to make this weekend on the return cart, it's easy to incorporate some flexibility into our eating schedule.

And I'm tremendously fortunate in another way: My husband doesn't eat breakfast or lunch. It's hard to believe, but other than a glass of juice first thing in the morning, he's just not interested in eating prior to supper. He thinks lunch is a waste of time! Why would he climb down from the bowels of our attic to have a sandwich when he's this close to finishing some wiring job?

"Aren't you hungry?"
"Not really."

I don't get it.

Since I usually bake a couple batches of muffins throughout the week, a muffin and coffee works for me in the morning. A mid-day snack, if I'm not too busy to eat one, can take any fast and easy form. That just leaves supper to worry about, and it has to be a substantial one for the man outside the kitchen window carrying a bag of concrete who won't stop for a snack. Really, I have seen menu plans where someone is serving soup and crusty bread for their big meal, and that's all well and fine for them. But soup with bread is either a supplement or a starter at our house. My husband (who has the metabolism of a thousand caffeinated monkeys and thus, doesn't put on too much weight) likes what I call the mini-buffet approach to our main meals. A salad, maybe some bread, a jar of olives or pickled relish, leftovers from the day before, whatever complete meal I cooked, the neighbor's pig, etc. It really befuddled me when we first got married and I would be serving our meal and there he was, pulling even more food out of the refrigerator. Now it seems hilarious.

Still, I do plan for about a week ahead, and feel extremely fortunate that there are so many delicious options to add variety to our meals. I love to make traditional dishes and also find ways to add some of the interesting ingredients now available that our mothers didn't have. Maybe things really are getting better all of the time?
Leave a Comment

<i>Untitled Comment</i>

06:28, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 .. Posted by Kitty
That is why he doesn't eat breakfast or lunch, he eats it all at supper, LOL. I would faint if I didn't eat all day. I have diabetes and really would faint, lol. I can skip breakfast but come lunch time I hungry. I'm also one who does the menu planning, I sometimes do it for three months at a time. It is sooo handy to know what Im going to be cooking in the morning ahead of time. I love it...........Kitty

***I'm with you, Kitty! I am prone to a condition known as "crankiness" if I do not get to eat on a schedule of some sort!
Monica****

Edited by Mennobrarian on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 11:11

<i>Untitled Comment</i>

08:05, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 .. Posted by gabbie427
It's funny that he saves it all up and eats like a pig at dinner. LOL I would be laughing too!!!

I have the extra freezer and fridge space for a months worth of groceries, but if you don't......do not feel bad. You do what you have to do. I love to plan my menus ahead of time because I don't panic at 5 pm and wonder what will be fore dinner when hubby walks in at 5:30 anymore!!!

BTW, you probably already know this as much as I comment on your blog, but I wanted to tell you anyway....I really enjoy reading your blog hun. Thanks for sharing it with us!

God's Blessings,
Amy Jo

***Thank you so much, Amy Jo. Even though we don't have a lot of cold space for foods, I have found that stocking up on canned goods when there is a sale has helped a lot. Even if my "pantry" is just a bookcase in a storage room. It sure beats storing them in the dryer. :-)
Monica***

Edited by Mennobrarian on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 11:13

Men are funny

12:07, Wednesday, January 16, 2008 .. Posted by Pattisea
I get up every morning and make my DHs lunch before he goes to work. 90% of the time, he eats it on the way home...and then eats dinner an hour later!

He does eat oatmeal for breakfast sometimes, although many breakfasts are homemade veggie juice and a peice of fruit as he runs out the door.

He has a labor intensive job; I don't know how he keeps going!

If I try to serve a soup/sandwich thing..he wants to know where the meat is, and what's for dessert!

***Dessert is a part of our meal, too. My husband enjoys meatless meals once in a while, though. ***

Edited by Mennobrarian on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 11:15