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Food and Your Family: New Year's Resolutions
We've all made New Year's resolutions surrounding our health, weight, personal goals, and business goals, but what about putting a different spin on your resolutions and make some regarding your
family time? Instead of the same resolutions and goals each year, why not come up with some resolutions for your family with regards to meals? After all, family time is here and now. You don't get
it back after the children are grown and gone.
There are so many benefits to family time in the kitchen, and it's not all about the food. Where else can you teach your son how to mash potatoes and learn if he has
a different girlfriend this week? Where else can you laugh because your daughter forgot to put the top on the blender and giggle because you sprinkled cinnamon on the eggs instead of
pepper? Where else can you make soul-satisfying memories while making gut-satisfying soup?
Take Back the Family Meal
As the kids get older and everyone is running 100 miles per hour in different directions, it's not
as easy to sit down together for a meal as it was when they were little tikes. But at least now that they're older you have the option of eating a meal at any time in the evening, not just
between 5:15 and 6:00 before little kiddies have a melt down. Dinner can be eaten at 8:00, with an earlier snack, if that works for your family. It may be impossible to eat together every
night, but shoot for as many nights as you can. Sometimes it might not even be a true meal but a snack. Try homemade cookies and milk around the table, not the TV, at the end of the evening.
Sunday Night Meal Tradition
If you don't already have a special Sunday night (or whichever night works for you) meal
tradition, start one now. Sunday usually works best because that's the night most families tend to be home. It doesn't matter what you have to eat, it just matters that you make it special.
Ideally, a meal that can be served in courses works best because it causes everyone to slow down. Try a salad first, then the main meal, then dessert. Get out the good dishes and some
cloth napkins. Invite friends or extended family for some lively dinner conversation. By all means, let the kids invite their friends too. The more the merrier as long as you can all fit
around the table or two tables pushed together. This is not about having a separate kid table, you all want to eat together. You'll find that some of the liveliest dinners will be the ones with
a lot of teenagers at them. They can have such a great sense of humor! Oh, did I mention the TV is off?
More Healthy Food Choices
Another good goal for the year is to stock your refrigerator and pantry with more healthy food
choices. For the child who insists on prepackaged food, he can have unsweetened apple sauce, little fruit juices, yogurt, cheese sticks, etc. Have the ingredients on hand to make granola or
smoothies, both are easy and quick. Fill your fridge with fruits and veggies, and don't let them stay there. In order to get the kids to eat them, you may still need to be the one to wash them,
cut them up, and put them out. A bowl of pea pods or carrots left out on the table will get eaten, just as long as you don't say something like, "Here's some healthy vegetables for you to
eat." This is the kiss of death and you may as well just eat them yourself. This is the one time I say yes, they can eat veggies in front of the TV.
Everyone Cooks
Invite everyone in your family into the kitchen to cook. No matter how old they are, kids can
help a little or make the whole meal. When they're hunched over the cutting board, you can find out what's going on in their lives. They are more likely to spill their guts while they're
spilling the salt all over your counter, than they are if they're glued to the TV. You're also setting them up with an important life skill -- cooking. You don't want to go over to their place
for dinner someday and be served a Hot Pocket and canned fruit. Don't forget, men are excellent cooks when given the chance. Encourage yours to show off his expertise as often as
possible. My dad liked to make hash and eggs and did so proudly every weekend.
The Cookie Jar
The cookie jar always needs filling, especially if you have teenagers. This year, make it your
children's responsibility to keep it filled with homemade goodies. Kids would rather make cookies than dinner, and can you blame them? Capitalize on this interest and help them to find
easy recipes and perhaps show them how to cut down the sugar or substitute applesauce in place of the oil and still have a great-tasting cookie. Let them experiment and gain confidence!
New Year's resolutions can sometimes be overwhelming and intimidating, so start small. This
is not all or nothing. As long as you're moving in the right direction, it's a good thing. You might even find that an idea picks up steam and has supporters when the family is enjoying it.
I propose a New Year's toast to making many family memories in the kitchen and around the table this year!
Cookin' Kids is a website with easy kid friendly recipes, kids cookbooks, kids jokes, cooking
definitions, safety tips, kids cooking articles, Cookin' Kids ebook and more! Visit http://cookinkids.com with your kids.
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