Skydancer When I was a child mothers stayed at home. They had hours in which to prepare a nutritious meal which, in our case, was on the table at 6pm when Dad got home. These days, with 2 parents having to work, who has the energy or inclination to start a meal from scratch?
Mum stayed home with all of us, she cooked delicious nutritious food from scratch, hob did much of the work, she wasn't tied to in all day.
I do/did the same as mum - no more than 3-5 hours in the kitchen prepping, cooking, laying tables, washing up daily. Whilst making 3 meals, I get ready for the day, walk dogs, do laundry, hoover, do the books, etc.
My time has always been used by driving because we live a long distance from anywhere (school run, shops, etc).