Benching the Quarterback

There is one question I face each and every day that I absolutely dread. I would bet that is true of most moms, employed or not. I'm sure you know where I am going with this.

What's for dinner?

 Typically followed by:

I'm stttaaaaarrrrrvvvving!

And that is coming from Pete. But I really can't blame him. By the time I get home, I am pretty ravenous myself. It's typically 6:00, maybe 6:30 and while, sure, I guess I could plan out a meal schedule for the week...  but... I mean really people? I am lucky I know:

• what day it is
• who has what activity
• most importantly, what guilty-pleasure reality tv show I will be watching (which, let's be honest, is the ONLY reason I know what day of the week it is anyway).

You combine all of that with the fact that my kids are "picky" eaters. I use picky because I haven't come up with a good word for their dietary preferences. I am lucky in that they will eat a wide variety of foods. They like more fruits and vegetables than most kids, but they are more particular in the way the dish is prepared.

For example: they like broccoli, cheese, chicken and noodles but the thought of putting them all together in a casserole would be a catastrophe of epic proportions. Sauces and condiments in general, with the exception of ketchup and mustard, would send them into a tail-spin. Don't even think about mayo–God forbid it cross our threshold.

So here I am each and every night trying to think of something quick, simple, Alex/Anna approved, ideally balanced or somewhat healthy and that Pete and I might enjoy as well. (Please note they are listed in priority here.)

I end up relying on a few staples (I do try to avoid take-out when possible, so these are made at home): pizza, tacos, spaghetti, chicken, pork tenderloin, fish, burgers, scrambled eggs all typically with at least one fresh fruit or vegetable as a side item or two.

But the star of my line-up, my quarterback if you will, is the chicken nugget. Always available in the freezer. Pop um in the oven while I prep the side dishes or feed Ella. It is a no-brain-er. 

That is until IT happened.

Apparently there is some film out there, some mom-hating-being, created a video showing how these life saving, golden nuggets from heaven are made. Who wants to know that? Can't we just leave a good thing alone?

I guess not. This fine piece of footage was shown to my children. My already picky eaters. I am hoping this is a phase and it too shall pass, but for now they have both sworn off the nugget. My star player has been benched. And of course I have a colossal bag of them in the freezer from Sam's just waiting for the next game.

Hhhhhhhh.

The only joy I have in this, is that at least they haven't figured out that a chicken patty is basically a giant nugget.