It is nearing the end of October:
Eat Better, Eat Together Month. We’ve already talked about:
- Finding the time and prioritizing the meal
- Why mealtime is important
- Cooking together with your kids
- Having good conversations
Another way to encourage the family to sit down and eat together is to make it fun. Holidays help inspire us to prepare certain foods and to decorate the table in a festive manner. During the week of Halloween I like prepare fun foods. My simple favorites include:
- Prepare a bunch of orange colored foods and serve on black plastic plates
- Prepare your favorite spaghetti. Put a green stuffed olive halfway into a raw meatball. After cooking, the meatball looks like an eyeball
- Cut sandwiches or toast into pumpkin shapes
An article in today’s (Oct. 25) Star Tribune,
Parents make evening meal a priority, offers more mealtime advice.
Posted by Susan at 10/25/2004 02:57:56 PM | Link
We’ve been making pancakes together on weekends ever since the kids could stand on a chair to reach the griddle. One of my son’s first culinary creations was scrambled eggs, which then evolved to “Special Eggs”. Cooking with your kids has its’ benefits, but just as important, is eating with your kids.
Some families struggle with meal times. They find everyone is hungry at a different time, or not everyone is at home at the same time. If you can’t wait for your spouse to come home, feed the kids part of the meal early, but sit down to eat with them. Later, when you are all together, complete the meal. When my kids couldn’t wait for Dad to come home, I’d open up a can of peas or corn and feed it to them as an “appetizer”. Sometimes we’d eat without Dad, but save the fruit so we would have something to eat while we were all at the dinner table together. The objective is to provide nutritious meals and take the time to eat together.
Other families simply can’t arrange evening meals. Any meal of the day works but Breakfast can be a wonderful opportunity. Studies at Harvard and Tufts universities have shown that kids who eat breakfast behave and perform better in school, than kids who don't eat breakfast. When parents join their children for a meal, you’re showing them that you value eating breakfast, too. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and you should do what you can to encourage your child to eat something in the morning, even if it's only a piece of fruit.
Is it hectic getting the kids off, and you can't seem to find the time to put anything together? It's easy to settle for Pop Tarts or doughnuts for the kids, but the whole family will benefit from a better breakfast with a little planning. Plan your family's breakfasts the night before so you’re free to concentrate on the tasks of your morning schedule. I make the kids lunches the night before, and even set out the cereal bowls or plates for the breakfast meal. Some dinner foods can become nutritious breakfast foods such as left over pizza or pasta. How about a bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold morning?
Mealtime is my families’ centerpiece to staying connected and balanced in this over-scheduled world. For inspiration on breakfast or cooking with the kids, visit
Aunt Jemima’s site. You will find recipes and testimonials from families of why eating together is special.
Posted by Susan at 10/18/2004 04:56:41 PM | Link
Barbara Carlson, co-founder of Putting Family First, has been kept busy this Fall. She has been speaking to schools, churches, businesses, and civic organizations about over-scheduled families and how to put balance back into our lives. Visit
Speaking Engagements to find out where she will be next.
Posted by Susan at 10/11/2004 09:05:07 AM | Link
Check out
“Cook With Your Kids” on Food Network. Programs are catering to this topic all week long. You’ll find topics such as kid friendly recipes, cooking demos, educational baking, pleasing picky eaters, and avoiding obesity.
As you remember,
October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month.
What better way to encourage your family to eat together more often, than to enlist in their help. Here are some reasons why you should Cook With Your Kids:
- Quality time; you talk, you teach, you talk . . . and you enjoy a meal
- It gives children responsibility and a role in the family's well-being
- The kitchen is a great classroom. Kids can practice their math, reading and motor skills
- Research shows that children are more open to tasting new foods when they help prepare them.
- It’s a wonderful opportunity to show them how to prepare treasured family recipes
"When you cook with your kids, you’re giving them more than a good meal – you’re giving them lessons that last a lifetime." Food Network and Emeril Lagasse are sponsoring
“Cook With Your Kids Contest” Show how you cook with your kids and you could win $10,000, A family trip to New York City, or a new family car.
Whether learning math skills, nutrition basics, or building self-esteem, kids can learn a lot from cooking, especially when it’s directly from their parents.
Posted by Susan at 10/07/2004 01:34:54 PM | Link
Bonnie Blair is a five time Olympic gold medal winner and now a Mom. She says that dinner isn't a feeding opportunity, it is the MAIN EVENT!
Much research is showing us the impact that family meals can have on children academically, socially, psychologically and behaviorally. If I could do only ONE thing for my children, it would be to have a family meal at least five times a week. We know how difficult it can be to gather the entire family, but the good news is that these positive results happen when a child eats with at least one parent.
Family mealtime is a chance to discuss and debate, to talk about the highs and lows of the day, to share ideas and values. It is a time to laugh together and enjoy each others company.
A wonderful tool was developed by two Moms from St. Paul, Mareen Lahr and Julie Pfitzinger. It is titled "Keep Talking" and offers all kinds of fun questions to ponder at the dinner table.
- Would you rather spend a week in an igloo or in the rain forest? Why?
- Describe in detail your "dream job".
- How important is family time to you? To your parents? Name 3 of your favorite family activities. Name one that you would like to try.
This great little book can be ordered at:
www.keeptalkingpublications.com
Posted by Barbara at 10/01/2004 02:15:46 PM | Link
