Fish Sticks, Ranch Style Beans, and Mac n' Cheese

Now that's what I call good eating!! (Hey - don't judge me!)

Yes, I realize it's certainly not the most sophisticated taste pallet, but it works for me and I consider it a comforting meal when the stresses of life get to me or just when I'm lazy and don't have the desire to think about cooking and couldn't care less if anyone else in the house eats or not!!

While I have several other comfort meals that I can whip out of the pantry and freezer, with a moment's notice, and as any of my girls will tell you I am the queen of ground meat and noodles (the homemade version of hamburger helper); I do occasionally reserve for myself a hardy helping of fish sticks. :) ((For the record, I don't care if they are minced fish or whole fish.... just crispy fish sticks cooked in the oven on a cookie sheet will work fine for me.))


With that said, I wasn't raised on quickie freezer foods or processed and packaged meals, but occasionally we would have fish sticks and out of the cabinet would come the blue box of mac n'cheese and a can of Ranch Style beans. I'm sure this was a quickie meal that my mother prepared in desperation and boredom from cooking each evening or it was a quick fix option for the nights when we were rushing out of the house to some after school activity. The fish stick meal was most definitely long before the idea of drive through fast food and I never remember having a happy meal on the way to anything!

If you were to ask my kids what quick fix meal option they would prefer, one will always want McDonald's and one will beg for Taco Bell (the smell of either of these makes me gag), while the other daughter will turn her nose up and say with the most defiant look, "NEITHER"! UGH - it's never easy in my world! NOT ONE TIME can they all three agree.

I can assure you that NONE of them will go for the fish stick idea!! I don't care how many times I've tried to encourage them (i.e...forced it on their plates), each has turned their nose up at me. Not only do they detest fish sticks, but a Ranch Style Bean isn't going to cross their lips? Where did these children come from? They are such food snobs? Why don't they appreciate the thin orange greasy film on the top of the beans in the can? Why???? Where did I go wrong???

Oddly enough I can slice up weenies and fry them in a pan and throw out some blue box mac n'cheese and all three of them use to gobble that stuff up! (another gagging moment for me, but hey - whatever floats your boat?)

Anyway, where was I going with this .... OH yes.... comfort foods, quick easy fix comfort foods. What are yours? You can tell me... no judging here! I promise not to call Child Protective Services, or think any less of you if you tell me that you secretly indulge on a can of Vienna sausages?