Dissecting Dinner

Dinner is tricky one.  And seems to only get trickier as my children get older. 

I'm a firm believer in the family meal.  I enjoy sitting down my husband and children and chatting about our day over dinner.  However it hardly ever works out June Cleaver style around here. 

3 nights a week my husband isn't even home from work until 7:30 - too late for the kiddos. 

4 nights a week we have "after school" activities that start at 5:15. 

Yet 7 nights a week I am expected to cook. 

And 7 nights a week we all sit down as a family, 3 nights minus Daddy, and eat dinner together.

That's why I'm always so amazed, if we can make dinner work and eat something homemade and healthy for us, why is it so hard for other families?

So here's what I've learned works and doesn't work for making family dinner a priority.

1. PLAN.  If I sat down at 4 p.m. every day and went "huh, I wonder what's for dinner" this would never work.  I plan out meals for at least two weeks, sometimes a month.  I know some people that actually write down on each day what they're having, that doesn't work for me because I like to pick what I'm in the mood for, but I do plan two-weeks worth of menus.

2. SHOP. And then I shop for those two weeks.  So that way on Tuesday morning I can get up, see chili on my menu list, think it sounds good and know that I have all the ingredients to make it for that night.

3. PREPARE.  Notice in number 2 I said "morning" not mid-afternoon, not evening, but morning.  That's right, I do the majority of my cooking in the morning.  Because I have time to do it then, I have the energy to do and then it is ready at dinner time.  I don't know about your house but 4 - 5 p.m. is insane in our home.  Not to mention the fact that I then have to have children somewhere at 5:15 four nights a week.  So by making it at 10 a.m. all I have to do is reheat or finish cooking the item when we get home at 6.  And let me tell you, I much less inclined to want to grab fast food for my family when dinner is already done.  Does this work for every dish?  No.  But do as much prep ahead of time as you can.

4. SLOW.  This ties in to number 3.  I love my crockpot.  I really do.  It makes life so. much. easier.  I suggest picking up a good quality crockpot recipe book and use it often.  My favorite is "How to Make Love and Dinner At the Same Time" which was recently put back in print.   She breaks the recipes up in to three types so you know how long they'll take you to make and her anecdotal humor is fun. 

5. FORGIVE.  I am not perfect.  You are not perfect.  Having dinner as a family is not perfect.  Are there days when we eat out?  Of course.  Are there days when my kids have happy meals in the car?  You betcha?  Are there days when I feed my kids mac-n-cheese and then send my husband out after food once they're asleep?  Yup.

My goal is not to be 100%, that is impossible and besides it would mean I was cooking every day of my life!  No thank you!  My goal is to have quality time as a family.  To eat a meal together and enjoy each other's company.  My goal is to feed my children good food most of the time. 

And it can be done, with a little planning and preparation and a sense of humor doesn't hurt either.