On a Tuesday night I came home from school feeling spent. I had forgotten my lunch and was forced to sacrifice a dollar to the vending machines because I had no money in my account. It was then that I realized; where did my amazing home cooked meals go?

The last time I had a homemade meal was a week ago. It seemed the dark part of America has crawled into my house like a shadow, drowning even the most simplest tradition into a black hole.

Americans back then would sit down with their whole family and enjoy a warm homemade meal. There were no cell phones present to lure people into texting, listening to music, or Tweeting. Now, some 30 years later, Americans eat 75 percent of their meals outside their homes.

The third that are able to eat at the table as a family, only gather a few times each week. Valuable meals are replaced with “value meals,” and, although, the meals are inexpensive, the numbers soar when it comes to fats, sugars, and calories.

I can already see readers shaking their heads. Another health activist, right? Maybe, but just think about what you are missing out on when you choose a “fast” meal rather than a homemade meal.  You miss the real nutrients your body yearns for like vitamin C, calcium, and iron. With a healthy home-cooked meal you get more bang for your buck.

You can grill up a tasty homemade burger for 25 cents per ounce versus a fattening, fast food burger that costs 29 cents per ounce. You also have control over your portions when eating at home, instead of ordering a meal  from a place like The Cheesecake Factory, where the plates are as big as a hub cap.

It’s understandable that whipping up supper can be difficult because schedules create busy lives and it can be time consuming, but trust me, the benefits of a healthy, fresh, homemade breakfast, lunch, or dinner far outweigh the negatives of time issues.

Benefits can include a healthy relationship between children and parents, children who will tend to make better life decisions, and weight control. Not only will good cooking skills come in handy later in life, but it would be handy to not be the American that can’t distinguish broccoli from cauliflower.