Getting dinner on the table and gathering the family to enjoy it together is no simple task for any busy family. Work, traffic, sports, play rehearsal, Cub Scouts, and all the stresses of daily life make cooking seem more challenging than ordering pizza and devouring it while flipping on the television while other family members retreat to homework, video games, exercising or the multitude of activities that keep busy families on the move. If your family is anything like mine, it takes everyone’s efforts to pitch in and get things done around the house. Dinner is no exception.
Kids can share in kitchen duty, and probably would do so happily. Cooking together and eating together promotes more than just family relationships, but health, well being, and even saving money. The statistics on the family meal are fascinating: According to Baylor College of Medicine, meals eaten with family include roughly 50 percent more fruits or vegetables. According to Time Magazine, the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide. Imagine the cost savings when you actually use up the food you buy rather than let it spoil in the crisper drawer, and how many groceries you can get for the cost of a ml for four at a mid-priced, sit-down restaurant.
The responsibility for the family meal often falls on parents, but the whole family can work together to get things done. When it comes to successful completion of kitchen tasks, the key is asking kids to do age appropriate ones:
Ages 5 or younger:
Make great assistants to parents, caregivers or older children.
Ages 6 and 7
Will do a fantastic job setting the table, if the dishes are placed within their reach.
Can make a simple “bag salad” better by adding shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, Bacos and croutons.
Will help make lunches by putting a piece of fruit in each lunch box, putting lunch favorites into small bags or containers, and adding a juice box and napkin.
Can make Warm Delights as a special dessert.
Ages 8 and 9
Can make tomorrow’s dinner with some supervision while parents take charge of clean up.
Can make easy Betty Crocker sides like Cornbread, Potatoes Au Gratin or microwaveable 80 Calorie Pouch Mashed Potatoes.
Ages 10 and 11
Can make delicious casseroles with parental supervision.
Can help make meal plans and shopping lists.
Ages 12 and up
Can help prepare meals in advance during the weekend and package them for storage.
Here are some menu suggestions for easy family dinners:
Menu 1:
“Healthified” Crunchy Asian Salad
Szechuan Chicken and Pasta
Warm Delights
Menu 2:
Pear and Blue Cheese Salad
Lemony Fish over Vegetables and Rice
Menu 3:
Chili Casserole with Corn Bread
Cinnamon “Fried” Ice Cream
What are your favorite family recipes? What are your strategies for getting dinner on the table?