It seems like our food industries have developed more and mroe around the concept of convenience… specifically, of paying for convenience. While this has certainly been an advantage and frees up time for busy parents in many ways, it’s had its downsides too. Moms have become convinced that actually cooking food for their families has to be inconvenient. Thus, a society raised on take out, restaurant meals, fast food, and so called convenience foods that are detrimental to their health and their budgets. In part, this idea has gained a foothold because of the marketing efforts of the convenience food industry. Moms have become accustomed to extremes when it comes to thinking about how to feed their families. Many parents consider the options to be either quick, painless fast food pickup, or slaving over a hot stove all afternoon. The truth of the matter lies somewhere in between. Many dishes can be prepared ahead of time, whenever it fits your schedule. Preparation for a simple stew finished in a slow cooker, for example, can happen days before. We’ve also come to think of our freezers as little more than repositories for microwave snacks and ice cream. But prepared dinner foods can also go in the freezer. In fact, Moms can double a dinner recipe purposefully, serve half, and freeze half for the following week. It takes very little planning ahead to make having home cooked meals a few times a week a simple, fun, money saving reality. Don’t be fooled by industries that try to trick you into thinking it’s an all or nothing endeavor.