Compromise

I have been married for over five years now. I am slowly learning to compromise. Actually, that is a flat out lie. I get my way and my husband has learned to cope. I am just better at communicating with him that, in fact, my way will be the path.

When we first moved in together, my poor husband found that white bread was just not bought. And, the meat in the chili and tacos was ground turkey and not ground beef. The pasta was whole grain. Yes, he found my cooking to be strange. But, he saw that I wasn't going to starve him and that my food was still yummy.

When I make substitutions, I try to think what it was about the old item that was so appealing. For instance, my husband's white bread. He loved that softness. The new whole grain bread seems very dry to him. So, his sandwiches needed some dressing or sauce. With the ground turkey, I find that adding some olive oil can add back just a little of the lost richness.

When food companies take out fat, they add in sugar to replace that flavor. In my kitchen, I add in seasonings, herbs, spices, fresh veggies maybe a little olive oil or sesame oil to add something.

No one wants to eat plain grilled chicken and steamed veggies every night. Ok, my family would not eat that even one night. But, learning how to make food fun, pretty and yummy takes away that feeling of sacrifice. Then, no one has to give anything up which is my favorite way to compromise.