Easy

Parenting is hard. Getting rave reviews from Ellis about your cooking is not.

Here's the secret: Four or five days out of every seven, Ellis will ask for macaroni and cheese for lunch (the remaining days he requests a sandwich from Jimmy John's). I whip some up, serve it to him, and he scarfs it down, all the while saying things like, "Mmmm, Mommy, this is the best mac and cheese I've EVER had," or "Thank you for this tasty meal!" What mother doesn't want to hear that?

So easy.

(If you're worried about a steady diet of mac and cheese, fear not. I subsisted on it and PB & J sandwiches for approximately 12 years. Also, it's organic pasta, cheese, milk, and butter. Plus, I add in a veggie or fruit, like the lima beans he's pushing away in the photo below.)