Fries, pancakes, pizza, poffertjes; in the past these treats were all treats for when there was something special, or when there was something to celebrate. For example, I remember well that at the arrival of Sinterklaas we got fries as standard. Pizza? We mainly got that when it was someone's birthday. What to eat on Saturday was not a question I had to ask my mother. My mother, as far as I can remember, was always good with varied food. Like it or not, there was often something else on the table and the snacks were saved for parties or other special occasions.
When I got into a relationship with Henk, my eating pattern also changed. Henk had been living on his own for a while and had made Saturday a standard snack day. What do you want for a man who lives alone and uses Saturdays to do odd jobs. He really won't be cooking extensively on Saturday evening. Because I worked a lot on Saturdays, I took over that habit. Fair is fair; it made me gain a lot of weight. Am I sad about that? One moment I do, then I'm bummed that I'm not as slim as I used to be. The next moment I don't care, then I think back to the cozy snack evenings and I realize that those extra kilos really don't just come from the fries or the frikandellen, but that my pregnancy also caused the necessary extra kilos . And I am at peace with that.
Extensive cooking is not always convenient with a baby at home. Our 'Saturday fries day' is therefore still in effect. I've come up with a plan to slowly break this habit. I have very good memories of the times we ate chips at home or, exceptionally, got a pizza. I think it would be so nice for our daughter that this will be something special for her too. That when it is her birthday she can decide for herself what we are going to eat, and that this is really a feast for her.
I have noticed that it is difficult to break a pattern. If there's one thing I don't feel like doing on a Saturday afternoon, it's cooking. So I'm also a bit looking for easy recipes that are ready quickly, and that are healthier than snacks. I'm curious how this goes for other families. Do you have a standard snack day or do you eat pancakes every Wednesday, for example? Can your children decide what they want to eat on their birthday and what do they choose? And do you have any handy tips for that Saturday afternoon that you really don't want to spend in the kitchen? I would like to hear about it so that I can shape the 'what do we eat on Saturday' question in a different way than with standard snacks.
