Good Reasons to Keep Cooking!

By Janet Peterson

"I told my husband that when the children went out the door, I was through cooking,” says one empty nester. “And now that the kids are gone, I am done." Her husband grimaces and acknowledges, "That's all too true." 

Another husband found that even though he and his wife had built a new home with a pricey, designer kitchen, food doesn’t get cooked in it. His wife states, "The kitchen is for resale value. I don't cook." 

A man recently told me his wife didn’t cook anymore, wistfully adding, "I don't think I'm a very high priority." Later, I received a phone call from his wife. She thanked me for my message about eating dinner at home, admitting she had let cooking slide. She definitely resolved to cook for her diabetic husband.

Are you an empty nester who has given up cooking? Do you think it’s not worth the bother for just the two of you? Or, if you live alone, do you avoid cooking just for yourself? If so, read on. Periodically eating dinner at a restaurant as a couple or with friends and family can be a delightful social experience. However, eating out the majority of the time is simply not a healthy lifestyle at any age. In the empty nest era, when health concerns become more prominent, consistent restaurant and fast food meals can be just plain dangerous. They are notorious for their high calorie, fat, and salt content and can contribute to weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other maladies.

One of my prized wedding gifts 40 years ago was the Betty Crocker cookbook Dinner for Two. Newly married and still on a tight budget, I nevertheless wanted to prepare gourmet (or at least edible!) meals for my husband. Thanks to this helpful cookbook, I learned a great deal about cooking tasty, nutritious food in small quantities. Larry was a good sport, eating his way through much experimentation, my limited skills, and some downright dinner flops.

Then, I went through a few years when I was raising six children. During that time, quantity of food was my focus, maybe because five of our children were boys! But, as children do, our daughter and sons grew up. Larry and I are now empty nesters, and I'm back to cooking dinner for just two most of the time. While I still have that original cookbook, I don't consult its yellowing pages very often, but I do cook from numerous other cookbooks, Internet sites, and collected recipes, and I still enjoy cooking for my husband. I've found that he gets just as hungry at 6:00 p.m. each night as when the table was surrounded by our young and active children.

Cooking dinner at home as empty nesters has many attractions. The two of you can eat just what you want; you can cook all those vegetables and fancy dishes your kids spurned. You can try out new dishes and cuisine without someone loudly wishing you were serving macaroni and cheese. You can say goodbye to spilled milk and disputes over who got the biggest serving. Conversations can be enjoyed without interruption—especially if I let the answering machine or voicemail take messages.

If you are cooking for one, the biggest advantage is choice. You can cook just what you want when you want it. You can choose the ingredients according to your individual health concerns and palate. Plus, with a little simple planning, you can make regular-sized recipes and freeze many of the leftovers for labor-free meals later on. 

There’s no doubt that homemade meals are still the healthiest and best dinnertime option. If you have put away your favorite recipes, get them out and start using them again. You’ll be glad you did!