Bridging the Gap

It’s 3 o’clock. What’s for dinner?

It’s 4 in the afternoon. Your work day is drawing to an end. Your thoughts go to dinner time. Hmmm…what to have for dinner tonight? You try to envision the contents of your cupboards and wonder if you have enough things which you can throw together and call a meal.  If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many busy people today relate to the “dinner dilemma” as one of their daily stresses.  

Most people want to feed their families food that is nutritiously balanced and reasonably priced.  Fast food or carryout isn’t their #1 choice but it’s an easy…yet expensive trap to fall into.

Here are some simple guidelines to follow in making sure you get to spend time around the dinner table. For more compressive information on meal planning, check out “What’s for Dinner?”, a DVD and Workbook which I wrote to help people overcome the obstacle of planning meals and grocery shopping more effectively.

Aim to have at least five meals per week with your family. Research shows that families are healthier relationship-wise if they have this opportunity to talk and share what’s going on in life.

1. Keep things simple. One of our favorite dinners is breakfast:  omelets or pancakes, sausage and orange juice!
2. Even if you’re working around hectic sports schedules, keep in mind that everyone still needs to eat. That might mean a late dinner after practice is over or soup and sandwiches shared on-the-go.
3. Plan two week’s worth of meals ahead of time. This will help insure that you’re not eating spaghetti or macaroni & cheese every week.
4. Ask your family what their favorite meals are. They might surprise you! Asking for their input will help to get buy-in from picky eaters.
5. Shop your plan. Once you’ve come up with two week’s worth of meals, go grocery shopping, picking up everything you need for those meals, along with everyday staples such as milk, bread, cereal and lunchmeat.
6. Avoid trying too many new recipes all at once. Change is hard, whether you’re 14 or 40. Only introduce new foods and/or recipes about once a week.
7. Involve the whole family when it comes to making a meal. Even youngsters can help peel carrots or potatoes. Whenever others have had a hand in putting a meal together, they’ll be more apt to eat what’s being served.

Table Conversation Idea: Choose a “topic of discussion” each time you gather at your table. It might be a current event, a favorite Bible verse or something that happened at school with a child. Regardless of what you discuss, your family will build memories of meaningful conversations, knowing that the family table is where they can come together and share.

 © Audrey Thomas