Dinner From a Box - Not!

I was thinking of doing a food article to help busy moms prepare fast dinners from a box based on a survey of what teenagers themselves said was good stuff. But, there's good news on the home front. When I asked my students to list five of their favorite meals prepared from a box, including frozen foods, they stared at me. Encouraging them, I gave some examples. "You know," I said, "macaroni and cheese, Hamburger Helper?" They still stared at me. Then they started chiming in, "My mom always cooks real food."

I was kind of incredulous. "You mean no frozen food or macaroni and cheese?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't know why my mom would do that when she can prepare just as easy a meal using good, fresh, healthy food," said one sensible young man. Gotta love that, I thought. Still, hard pressed to appease my request, they did come up with a consensus.

Number one agreement with everyone was Stouffer's Lasagna. Having attended a football dinner - and those football moms really know how to cook - I can also add Sam's Club lasagna to the list as being very edible. And, my family's personal preference, Prego Vegetable Lasagna. Add a tossed salad with Italian dressing and some good garlic bread, and you're in business.

Beyond that, it gets kinda hazy. One young man said hands down it's Cheesburger Hamburger Helper - two boxes all to himself on his birthday, even if his family takes him out to dinner earlier. No sharing that with his siblings. There was a general concurrence, too, that Rice a Roni is verging on stupendous.

Frozen pizza was also on the list, as well as chicken wings, and of course, macaroni and cheese still seemed to be a fave. Then came mention of things no self-respecting mom would consider - Ramen noodles, for instance. Even the kids said too much MSG.

So, from what started out as a simple survey, I now had a sociological dilemma on my hands. Are moms are really cooking more, or are people going out to eat more, or are teens just not home to eat that often? I did some research. If my students are any indication, according to a report in American Demographics from buzzback.com, today's teens are truly more health conscious than those of the past. They want to eat well to feel good about themselves, and even though they may not achieve their goal completely, they are trying. That's encouraging.

One thing is for sure, that technological wonder of previous generations that helped working moms feed a hungry family, the boxed dinner, is not quite so appealing to this generation. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have seen so much as a Shake and Bake or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercial in awhile. But I do see a line of people standing in front of the deli counter all the time. Hmmm...sandwiches, anyone?