| Turn
off the television. |
If
you family watches TV during dinner, wean them of this habit
slowly. Start with one or two TV free meals a week and gradually
increase the number. |
| Plan
each day of the week for a certain meal. |
Monday:
Pasta
Tuesday:
Meat alternative
Wednesday:
Fish
Thursday:
Soup, salad or sandwich
Friday:
Leftovers, new recipes or eating out
The
above is just a sample; you may have other planning ideas. Make
sure whatever theme you use that you include all components
needed to be creditable. |
| Simplify. |
You
don't need to prepare elaborate meals to have quality family
time. Serve your families favorite meals one day of the week or
once a month. Plan & use leftovers. |
| Make
lists. |
A
Price List helps show trends in sales items: during naptime go
through store ads to find the best sales & coupons. Make a
list of stores that have the best prices & the items you
purchase regularly. Recheck the list weekly to see trends.
A Grocery
List helps keep you on track & not over spend: use coupons
for additional savings on items on your grocer list only. Beware
of using coupons just because you have one. |
| Never
get too busy for a family meal. |
Plan
ahead and be creative; make adjustments to fit your family's
schedule. For example you may want to change the time of day you
eat together or plan a picnic meal time before a ball game, not
during it. |
| Buy
in bulk whenever possible. |
Stock
up on items like pastas, breads & meats. Meats can be broken
down into smaller sizes & frozen. Wrap breads securely in
freezer bags & freeze. By having these types of items handy
you won't be scrambling for last minute meal ingredients. Some
produce can be purchased this way too. |
| Serve
family members the same food at the same time. |
Provide
a variety of food choices & refrain from forcing children to
eat certain foods. If children are not hungry at mealtime, cut
back on snacks between meals. |
| Make
a day of cooking to prepare meals for a week. |
When
you know the meals you will be planning each day,
you can "make them ahead" and save time and money.
Some examples are: salmon patties can be made ahead & frozen for leftover
or fish
day. Baked chicken made one day can be used in a casserole another day. When making spaghetti
and meatballs the leftover meatballs can be used in home-made soup or as meatball
sandwiches. Left over vegetables can be added
to home-made soup. |
| Discuss
agreeable topics. |
Focus
on positive discussions by asking questions such as "Tell
me something good that happened today". Be a good listener
and make sure the speaker feels respected. Mealtime should not
be the place for negative comments, criticism or rude behavior. |
| Try
new things. |
On meat alternative day use your
imagination by using yogurt & fruits, refried beans in
tortillas, cheese pizza or scrambled eggs. Potatoes are a
great meal starter when you add cheese, pizza sauce, meats,
yogurt or vegetables. Pastas can be dressed up by adding
cheese, many types of sauces, tuna, hamburger, chicken or
turkey. English muffins are a great foundation for toppings
such as
eggs, cheese, sauces, hamburger or
sausage. |
| Let
children help plan & prepare meals. |
Listen
to children's food suggestions and try to make eating together
fun. Invite them to help create memorable holiday foods &
decorations. |
| Read. |
Cookbooks offer
ideas you can use to help in your planning or to come up with new ways
to prepare a meal. You could also subscribe to one of the many
online e-mail recipe sites. Network with other providers
or friends for new and
different recipe ideas. |
| Create
a pleasant atmosphere. |
Make
your eating area a pleasant place to sit in by using flowers or
decorations that can be talked about at meal time. As a special
treat have a family dinner in a nice restaurant, where children
can observe the behavior of others in this type of environment.
Limit fast food places where there is very little tradition,
loud noises & rude behavior. |
| Teach
by show, not by tell. |
When
you make pleasant family mealtimes a priority, your child or
children will more likely be healthy, well-mannered and
well-adjusted. |
