I can take the simplest combination and ruin it.

I now have one recipe and I make it once a week. It is delicious and easy and I see no reason to change it or even add another to my repertoire.

Dinners are just not my thing. I simply have a hard time managing all of the necessary courses, nutritional guidelines and simple preparation in the given time period. Somehow, I can even manage to have one course burned, one not quite done and the third somehow inedible.

But when it comes to my kids’ lunches -- I am a star.

As I am clearing away the dinner mess, I manage to set aside perfect portion sizes of food. I can already picture my six-year-old’s delight as he opens up his dinosaur lunch box to find a plastic baggie of steak with the grill marks cut off. I envision my four-year-old smile upon spotting two meatballs from the night before’s spaghetti dinner.

I know just what they like.

In mini portions I can create the perfect smorgasbord for them. Often their breakfasts consist of frozen waffles, so when I open their lunch boxes at the end of the day and find them virtually empty -- I feel confident that I succeeded in feeding them at least one good meal.

Good job, mommy!

Out of all the tasks on my daily to do list, my favorite thing to cross off is “make lunches.”

If only scrubbing the bathroom was as satisfying.

By Cathy Burke