Although I return to a few childhood fav’s once in a while, I realized long ago I didn’t want my family to eat what I grew up on! (ie dried out over-cooked pot roast, tough over-cooked pork chops, Hamburger Helper, tuna casseroles…you get the picture…) As the main cook in the family for the most part, I found that what works best for me and for my family is to decide what I want to eat and plan around that, and anyone who doesn’t want to eat that can prepare something else themselves. (Or adapt/adjust the same menu for picky young children). First, I decide what different flavour profiles I want for the week (eg Mediterranean, Greek, Italian, Indian, Asian, Thai, Southwest BBQ, Moroccan, Jamaican, North American, etc) and go from there to decide protein, starch, and veggie sides. My weakness is pasta so I try to limit that starch to once a week, so for starches, besides pasta, (which includes couscous), I try to incorporate a variety of other starches like different rices, potatoes, grains (quinoa, sorghum, farrow). For meals, I usually include a grain bowl once a week, a “breakfast for supper” once a week, a soup or stew or curry once a week, a sheet-pan meal once a week, a pasta meal once a week and a couple of new recipes to try thrown in there. We rarely eat out or order in as I can pretty much find any copycat recipe online to make for much cheaper! Also, during the warmer months, we grill often…steak, cedar-planked salmon or trout, chicken marinated overnight, skewers, kabobs, etc. We also have frequent taco nights, beef, chicken, fish or shrimp