Husbands and Hamburger Helper
by adustyframe ~ June 13th, 2008Hamburger Helper was on sale at our grocery store. I had coupons and it was double coupon day. I got 6 boxes of Hamburger Helper for $2.50 total.
I personally dislike this boxed item very much. We haven’t purchased Hamburger Helper in years, but Lee is eating real food now and he loves the stuff.
As I put it in my cart, I still struggled a bit with the unwholesomeness of it. I’d prefer that my husband eat things that keep his heart healthy and strong.
When I first started dating Lee, he cooked supper for me. He had to stop and buy dishes. He had one very expensive skillet and he cooked in it and ate out of it! He’d make Hamburger Helper and eat it out of the skillet with a wooden spoon. (Bachelors!)
I thought about that with a smile at the grocery store the other day.
I just finished The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura. She shared an example of a woman who hid things in her husband’s food that he didn’t like. Dr. Laura said that was incredibly dishonoring to her husband and she should stop it.
It’s more important for me to honor my husbands wishes than it is for me to cram whole wheat organic food down his throat. So, while I wish he ate more healthily, I am going to purchase what pleases him.
**Read the comments for further discussion. I personally think Hamburger Helper is nasty. I told Lee for years that it’s only for people who don’t know how to make their own noodles and sauce. But I’m not cooking for him now and I was just sharing some thoughts about how I chose to honor his wishes.**
June 13th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Ok, here goes… deep breath… I hate Dr. Laura. Whew. Got that out there.
I’m all about honoring our husbands and providing what they want (we’re gonna have smoked ribs for Father’s Day & I hate ribs but that’s what he wants to do with his day), but I also sneak veggies into the food I cook because it’s good for my family & they don’t notice. If they complain about something, then I won’t do it again. So far, no one has noticed anything but the turkey hot dogs.
So I buy the regular yucky hot dogs & everyone loves them with the secret healthy chips.
Haha! You’re allowed;) I actually don’t listen to her on the radio. The book had a lot of good common sense stuff. I hear women complain about the most ridiculous things about their husbands and she addressed a lot of that in no nonsense terms. I thought it was pretty good. I do intend to cook him real food when he lives with me but I don’t cook for him now so hamburger helper it is.
June 13th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Don’t give up trying to fix healthy dishes! I know it can be a challenge; it is for me too. But one of the best ways we can honor our loved ones is to encourage them to eat well and take care of their bodies. Sadly, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men (and women). But following a healthy lifestyle REALLY works and can prevent most heart disease. There are so many tasty, heart-healthy recipes that you can try. Good luck!
I agree with you! I very much wish he ate better stuff. But I’m not cooking for him right now. So, when he’s home again we will have real food and I always do try new things. I just can’t be his cook at this time and buying him hamburger helper makes him happy. Until he’s home that’s the way it will have to be.
June 13th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
You are so right. I agree with Dr. Laura, that it would be so dishonoring to him. Especially since he has been desiring his freedom for so long – even the freedom to eat what he chooses.
My husband often doesn’t choose what I consider “wholesome” either. I don’t sneak the good stuff in, but I have found that he is much more receptive when it is in a new recipe, rather than changing up an old favorite. Sometimes he will ask, “Can we have this again?” and I know it’s a hit!
And it could be that he has been idealizing Hamburger Helper for so long. After a few weeks of it being readily available, the charm might wear off.
Good info;)
June 13th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I started couponing the past year and love getting good deals like that!
It was definitely a good deal!:)
June 15th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I had completely forgotten that he was cooking for himself! If left to his own devices, my husband and kids would eat nothing but junk. Us mamas gotta look out for everyone, huh?
June 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
What is hamburger helper?
Susanna, basically it’s a box with a pouch of seasoning and pasta (or rice) you add water or milk to your cooked hamburger and then you have this stuff to eat for dinner;).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger_Helper
June 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I really liked that book – the Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage. I thought that a lot of women today need to hear what she had to say.
And I dislike Hamburger Helper too. 
(I think it’s so salty!) It’s hard sometimes to let me husband eat whatever he wants, but I think it’s one way of showing him love.