One of the main reasons I meal plan is to make dinner time smoother and to have a better shot of getting dinner to the table on time (still doesn’t always happen)!!
Family meals are very important to us. I grew up with family meals (nearly) every single night. Even when there were sports/piano practices and other extracurricular activities to do, we knew family dinners were a priority in the house. No one ever thought to ask if they could eat in their room or have something different. We ate at the table and what was served was what was for dinner. Period.
That does not mean my family was super rigid or strict. It just was an understanding that we all had and no one questioned it. It really wasn’t until I was a parent that I realize how very important those meals were and how they shaped how I eat and how we want our kids to be raised.
There are so many statistics and articles on the importance of family dinner time. I am not going to go into a huge discussion, but I’d like to tell you how my family has directly benefited from family dinner time.
No Picky Eaters
Before y’all brandish your pitchforks and come at me, I realize we are very fortunate to have no special needs or dietary issues in our home (at this time- we have experienced dairy allergy/gluten intolerance). I probably still will make some people upset over this but…. whoops.
Having three not picky eaters is not a coincidence in my opinion. They have been raised to know that what is on the table is what is for dinner. Mom will not be making them their own “special” meal because they don’t like what we are eating. They understand that Mom works very hard to make home cooked meals every night and honestly, asking for something else has never happened. Of course, I do take into consideration they don’t like everything. For instance, our oldest isn’t a huge fan of cooked carrots as a side. But he will eat raw ones just fine. If cooked carrots are the vegetable for the evening, I’ll also have some raw ones for him.
It is also important to note that myself and my husband also eat everything at the table. If Mom or Dad refuse to eat something, kids will notice! We make sure our meals always have a vegetable and are well-rounded (although they could always be improved upon).
As babies, when it was time to start introducing solids, vegetables were always first. I do believe this started them off right, they did not get accustomed to the sugar that is in fruits. Although, I still do have a couple sweet toothed kids!! They now eat a great variety of fruits and vegetables with no problem. They are also fortunate to get to help us grow and harvest many of these yummy foods!
Cooking along side Mom is also something that I feel has shaped them into well-rounded eaters. I will admit, I am quite controlling in the kitchen. It sometimes is hard for me to accept help but I have learned to let my guard down when the kids want to cook with me. They are learning the basics of cooking and baking, which will help them a lot in life as well as gives them a little more appreciation for the home cooked meals (almost) every night.
Family Talking Time
This day and age, with the onslaught of technology, talking face to face has become more and more “abnormal”. It truly hurts my heart to think about that. Discussing the days events, learning more about our kids- their likes/dislikes, their joys/fears, etc (YES we learn new things all the time) happens right around the dinner table in our home. TV is never on at dinner time, phones are put away (unless we are dealing with an urgent matter). We try and give our kids our undivided attention and hope this helps them to be open and honest with us as they grow.
That being said, we are no Brady bunch family. Our kids do not thank me every day for the delicious home cooked meal, they do not have perfect table manners, and yes- our kids are sometimes sent to bed before dinner is complete. We are a normal family. We just choose to make dinner time a priority in our home. Occasionally, we will have pizza and a movie or a hodge-podge of random things I can find for dinner but for the most part, we have traditional meals around the table.
Me being open about our dinner time is not to make anyone feel guilty or bad about what may or may not happen in their own home. This is just meant to show you what works in our family and why it’s important to us. Your family may (and most likely does) look a lot different than ours but this is our reality and I hope you embrace your reality as well! If you feel what goes on in your home isn’t exactly how you would like it to be, changing it up won’t hurt. Trying something new is fun and you never know what it may lead to or what you may learn from it!
This doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing. If you can only manage to squeeze one or two family dinners in per week, its a heck of a lot better than none!
Phew, that was a little more long-winded than I intended! Now, here is our meal plan for this week!
Meal Plan 10/1-10/7
Monday October 1, 2018
Tuesday October 2, 2018
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Wednesday October 3, 3018
Chicken Noodle Soup
Thursday October 4, 2018
Friday October 5, 2018
Butternut Squash Enchilada Casserole
Saturday October 6, 2018
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Sunday October 7, 2018
Mississippi Roast
Thank you for stopping by the homestead!
Until next time,
Melissa
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