I’m not sure if it’s because my kids are picky eaters or because I’m a lazy cook, but our dinner options boil down to about five key meals. Spaghetti, taco salad, potato soup, breakfast burritos (yep, for dinner), and hamburgers. Repeat. Sure, I’ll occasionally shake things up with a pot roast or beef stew but those five meals are the staples. And I get sick of preparing them.
To be fair, my husband is a rock star and pulls his weight in the kitchen but he too tends to fall back on a few familiar recipes. One night a couple of weeks ago we were really having a hard time climbing down into our familiar dinner rut to scrounge up some food for our crew. One of our sons suggested we have a dinner contest. Initially I shot the idea down because it sounded messy but then my wheels started turning. If I played my cards right, my kids would make their own dinner and I wouldn’t have to lift a finger.
We established a few basic rules. Number one: everyone had a set amount of time to prepare their meal, we decided on fifteen minutes. Number two: anything in the refrigerator or pantry was fair game. Number three: you actually had to eat what you created.
Everyone went to work scavenging for the best ingredients and making their meals look pretty. I was impressed by their creativity and their excitement. After everyone was finished, we snapped a quick photo of everyone’s creation and I threw it out to my Facebook friends for a vote. I allowed a couple of hours for folks to vote on their favorite.
In the end everyone ended up with a full tummy, I was able to take the night off, and we all had a genuinely fun time doing it.
Try it tonight!!
Read more of Abbie Mabary’s contributions to allmomdoes here.
