Heloise, syndicated columnist

Dear Heloise: My husband complains that our dinners aren’t varied enough, and he wants more variety with fruits, meat and vegetables. I work full-time and take care of the laundry, house cleaning and a hundred other small tasks. Our careers keep us busy, and our two children are grown and gone. Meal planning is not very high on my list of things to do.

Got any hints to help me out here? — Leah S., Los Angeles

Leah, how about both of you share the dinner preparation? You make dinner three days a week, and he makes dinner three days a week. One night a week, you two go out to dinner or order takeout. This way, you both make things you like, and there will probably be more variety in your dinners. You might also want to look into buying cookbooks with recipes from other countries to spice up your dinners. You can also get my pamphlet “Heloise’s Main Dishes and More.” It contains simple, tasty recipes that don’t take long to prepare. To get a copy, just go to: www. Heloise.com or send $3, along with a stamped, self-addressed, long envelope to: Heloise/Main Dishes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. It’s a handy little tool to help you find recipes that taste great, but don’t take up all of your free time. — Heloise