D is for Dinner

The struggle is real, people. Sometimes, I have an absolute craving and as I cook on week nights, it’s easy to come up with ideas…and sometimes by the time I get off of work, I’m still interested in eating that thing and cooking it even. And sometimes, not. If it weren’t for Ted and Maya, it would be much easier, I would just have nibbles for dinner, which is what I would prefer anyway. Actually, I think Maya would be OK with that too, but it’s hard to do with Ted’s dietary restrictions. Sometimes I think of something I want, and it either doesn’t fit with Ted’s restrictions or Maya’s. Ted is low carb, though he misses the carbs. Maya is vegetarian, though she doesn’t miss meat (except salami). Here are some of the combos we have come up with:

Ted and I had steak and I had a baked potato and Ted had a baked sweet potato and Maya had frozen pizza.

Ted and I had chicken sausage, Maya had fake sausage, Ted had a baked sweet potato, Maya and I had hashed browns, and we all had salad, though our toppings were different, as Maya and I like candied walnuts and goat cheese, and while Ted would enjoy these things, his body would protest.

Maya and I had pasta with olives and feta cheese, and I made Ted a chicken dish he likes with chicken thighs, mushrooms, diced canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, and artichoke hearts.

Maya and I had take out pizza, though 2 separate kinds, and Ted had chicken Marsala. This was a take out night, so shouldn’t really count, since we rarely have the same thing on take out night.

Ted and I had salmon piccata, and I used the sauce to make some ficken (fake chicken) piccata for Maya.

Sometimes I make a big salad bar with different items and let everyone put what they want on it. I’ll add roast chicken breast for Ted, and sometimes some kind of protein for Maya. I can go either way on this one.

Sometimes I make ‘Mediterranean Feast’, which is Greek lemon chicken cooked on the grill, and a bunch of items I purchase pre-made, like hummus and pita bread, olives, dolmas, falafel, tabouli, and spanakopita. This one still takes time to put together, but it’s not difficult per say, and it’s pretty popular.

Have you ever had to deal with this situation? Where the needs/desires of your family mean cooking various things? I never did it when Maya was little, she ate what we ate. But with Ted’s health requiring one thing, and Maya’s love for animals requiring another, we kind of have to make due. I am lucky in that I can go both ways. I’m ambidextrous around here.