Do I have to eat this?

At the beginning of every month, I plan out all the meals that we are going to eat. For the whole month. I do this for a few reasons (meal planning, to ensure we aren't getting repetitive with our dinners, and to allow myself a few nights off from cooking each week). And I am painfully aware that as I plan out the meals there will be a number of dinners my son will not want to eat. Chicken tikka masala? No way. Pulled pork sandwiches? Not happening. Chili? No, thank you.

And that is fine by me, because there are a lot of dinners that I know he will enjoy. As his palette changes he will hopefully even enjoy more and more foods. Ideally, what I would like is for him to have happy memories of his Mother's cooking.

This is especially true after reading that about half of all Brits hate their Mother's cooking (but still significantly rate their Father's cooking as lower). They are polite about it - evidently they are suffering in silence - but the truth remains: They don't want a home-cooked meal by Mom. One of the biggest complaints? Mom's meals are too repetitive.

As a working Mom, I can say that it is really easy to fall into a culinary routine. I went through an entire year of 100 new recipes to try and combat that. I've also learned from my own wonderful Mother who regularly devours cookbooks and tries out new recipes - you've gotta keep things fresh in the kitchen.

Yes, my tried-and-true classic recipes have their place. And those are the meals I am secretly hoping my son will request that I make him when he is an adult and visiting me over a holiday. But overall, we should keep in mind that variety is the spice of life.

What's your favorite dish to make for your family? Share it in the comments.