My husband and I went food shopping today, to stock up on provisions before Hurricane Sandy shuts down the city. (How come food is only called “provisions” before a storm?) What should have been a typical everyday errand turned into a minor dispute, because we couldn’t agree on what food to buy.
I thought it would be good to buy fresh vegetables, so we wouldn’t end up stranded without anything green and crunchy to eat for a few days. James, on the other hand, thought it was more important to buy hard sausage, canned soup, and his favorite cookies (Fig Newmans, don’t ya know. . . ). We did, however, find common ground on crunchy peanut butter and crisp Fuji apples.
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In a way, James was right. Hard sausage, canned soup, and cookies are foods that are ready-to-eat even if the power goes out, and they don’t require refrigeration. But processed foods with lots of sodium, cholesterol, and sugar are not ones I want to eat on regular basis, and keeping them out of our house is an ongoing challenge-that’s why, even with a hurricane approaching, I opted for grabbing a bunch of kale and a big butternut squash.
Typically, I try to make it as easy as possible for both of us to eat well at home. One way to do that is to keep healthy, ready-to-eat snacks around the house, such as nut butters and fresh veggies, because I know that James doesn’t want to have to cook every time he gets hungry. Lately, we’ve been enjoying homemade hummus on everything from sandwiches to cucumber slices. When I’m cooking for the two of us, I also try to make healthy food that is especially tasty, whereas if I were just cooking for myself I would be quite content with something as unsexy and bland as a bowl of lentils and some cooked kale.
Despite my best efforts, though, processed snack food does occasionally finds its way into our home, a reality that underscores my own dirty little secret: a big reason that I don’t want junk food in the house is that in a moment of craving I’m entirely likely to devour it all myself! Sigh. So how do you deal with this dastardly domestic dilemma? Does your partner or your kids have drastically different food instincts than you do? Do you find it challenging to keep your loved ones eating healthy? Please share your thoughts and give this health-nut with a weakness for Fig Newmans a little advice! Thanks!
10.29.12 @ 2:39 pm
Yes I do my hubby loves to eat junk food, and I’m just the opposite, and while he looses weight eating like he does I can look at a cookie and gain 5lbs… How do you deal with this? It is so challenging!!!
10.30.12 @ 2:14 pm
Fig Newmans? I will never watch Seinfeld the same again.
As for your husband, he had it right on. What are you going to do with raw kale and butternut squash when the power is out? Emergency provisions are a) ready to eat b) easy to store and c) easy to open. No one is expecting you to eat like that long term!
10.30.12 @ 3:09 pm
Yes I have his huge dilemma as well and I have five children! I am also a paraplegic so cooking all meals is not an option for me. I try to cook large so there are leftovers. But it only goes so far with a big fam. I try to buy fruit for them to grab they grab chips! I really have noticed how much cheaper the junk food is as well since my accident they have to fend for themselves more and cheaper is better but not healthier. I even can my own jelly so now it’s PB and J vs frozen micro burritos! Aaaahhh! If u find an answer. Plz let me know.
11.01.12 @ 12:23 pm
Fran, I hear you! I encourage my husband to keep junk food out of the house, so I won’t be tempted by it. Ask your hub to kindly enjoy his treats when he’s out and about, not in front of you, and hopefully he will understand!
Sesha, I’m sorry to hear about your accident, it sounds like you have a challenging situation. However, I think you’re going about this exactly the right way, and you’re facing the same challenge that every parent is up against. I firmly believe that if you feed your kids healthy food, and show them a good example with your own eating habits, they will grow up eating healthy. Every kid and teen loves junk food, there’s no getting around it, but the important thing is to give them a healthy foundation that they will return to as adults. Your homemade jelly sounds amazing!