What is for dinner today?

Most of the households face this issue of what is the dinner menu. As kids we always asked our mums what is for dinner today; and yes we did have our own tantrums. When she asked us what you want to eat our answer was “Kuch Bhi” or “Anything.” However, on dinner table we did get a delicious meal instead of “Kuch Bhi” and we were happy. But Karma plays its role. After being married and taking whole responsibility of kitchen I fall into the same place. If I ask my husband what do you want to eat today? He replied “Kuch Bhi.” Now the toughest task is making “kuch bhi” into a delicious meal. I took help of Google and simply wrote dinner recipes.Then slowly I skipped asking him and started making dishes as per my choice keeping in mind family members likes and dislikes. I realised that is working till you serve a good meal. 

If you ask them and give choices you are into trouble as they might want to eat which requires too much preparation and you have lack of time, sufficient groceries are not there so you run to buy them and then you make things in a hurry and you are stressed. Between this if the meal is not cooked well; other members would not like it as they have built expectations right when they leave the work place. Men are most hungry when they leave their workplace as whole day they just forget to eat.

By not asking what do you want to eat did made my life little simple as my husband did not expectation of his favourite dish; he just knew a good meal is waiting. However, this did not solve my problem of what to make. I was the sole decision maker and I could not think of menu on each day after a tiring day. 

One Sunday afternoon after planning my coming week for things to do; I opened my Facebook and there I saw a random video of a delicious meal on one of the pages I had liked. The pen in my hand; made me note down the name of the item so I can make it in coming days; later I saw few more videos and started writing their names as well. After about 10 minutes I had 10 names of the dishes. Bingo! I had found a solution to my problem. I started to write down a menu for not only a week but for the whole month. Yes, you read it right I made for the whole month. So the first thing; I did was to write down the dates and days. Later beside each day I started noting down the names of the items I would be making.

My menu was as per my kids and my schedule; for example on Mondays and Thursdays we have activity classes and we return late and tired from there. Hence on these days the menu was much simpler like rice and sabzi or pasta. Family member’s food choices were always kept in mind. When I was making this menu; it gave me more options to think, explore, and have better distribution of dishes over a month. Like for example; if there was a rice item on 1^st of the month then next rice item would be on 7^th of the month and so on. You can include combinations of rice, dal, parathas, sandwhiches, vegetable curry and many more things. My menu also had side dishes like Salat or garlic bread on some of the days.

Writing this down not only solved my problem of what to make but it made my grocery shopping easier. I knew well in advance that next day is for pasta and hence I need appropriate vegetables for the same. I also made sure to include atleast one new dish every month which I have never made at home. Of course; atleast one day in a month is dedicated for eating in restaurant. So yippe; now my problem of what is in for dinner is solved.