Aren’t meal times a hassle?

Wisdom has it that the family meal is extremely important. It is a time to come together and share the days happenings. No one speaks out of turn, respectfulness abounds, and everyone enjoys the food. Once the meal is done, the entire family pitches in to wash and dry the dishes and retires to the family room for a jovial game of Scrabble and a quick snatch of TV. The kids head upstairs with smiles on their faces for a bath and a night of restful sleep.

Oh, sorry, I must have been dreaming. Life is not like that in my house.

The first problem is getting the meal on the table. If dinner isn’t prepared before school lets out, then it is going to be a late night. Activities rule after school (hey, that rhymes!). I become official family chauffeur and the chef’s hat gets left at home. Usually I can nab one of the kids to set the table, which is a big help.

The second problem is shooing the kids away from snacks because dinner will be ready “in just a few minutes”. If I am diverting them then I am not cooking. Yes, they know the rules but that doesn’t stop them from trying. “Mommmmmm, an apple is HEALTHY!”

The third problem is the menu. I can please one, maybe two - but all six of us? Not always possible. So after making the effort to get dinner on the table, it is painful to watch them push broccoli from one side of the plate to the other. Don’t get me wrong - they really do try to like it. “This broccoli,” grimace, grimace, “is delicious, mom.” grimace, grimace. “Do I have to finish both pieces or is one ok? Do I have to finish the whole piece, or will one bite do?”

And all this, of course, is followed by the standard request, “May I have some dessert?” Thankfully, fresh fruit qualifies as dessert so they do get some vitamins somewhere.

Somewhere, in this process, we are able to converse about the day but my crew is loud and rambunctious. On a good day this is entertaining - and I love it. Other days the conversation can become quarrelsome - and I dread it.

Regardless, I am usually exhausted when the day is done.

Genesis has provided an excellent list of Tips for Keeping the Family Fed. These tips are golden and may just make mealtimes a bit easier in our house!

Also, you may want to read about a healthier twist on snacking at Cheerios Snack Mix and Fizzix Fizzy Yogurt

“Mom, what’s for dinner?” is the question that I hate the most.

Probably because it is hard for me to think that far ahead even if it is already 5:30p.m. Add afterschool activities and sports to that and cereal begins to look like the only option.

Recently I purchased a calendar for the SOLE purpose of meal planning. It is a two page per week layout. Every weekend I sit down with this meal planning book and write down what I plan to serve each evening.

Making kids lunches can also be challenging, so I make notes regarding this as well. By laying it all out I can easily see if they plan to buy lunch, if I must make lunch, or if they can take leftovers from the previous evenings dinner.

If I am feeling really organized, I can even grab my coupons, the grocery store circular and my recipes and put together a shopping list at the same time.

I must stress that I use this calendar for meal planning ONLY. I do not clutter up the space with daily activities and appointments. This helps me to stay focused on my task and is also easily referenced throughout the week.

The calendar that I have chosen for meal planning is the Mom’s Plan-It Calendar. The great thing about this one is that it has a bookmark sized grocery list on the left hand side that is perforated. So, you can make your list as you plan and easily rip it out and take it with you when you go shopping.

So, is there always a hot meal on the table in our house? No - but we have definitely seen some improvement!