Eat Together, Eat Better Month!

This morning I got an email from HungryGirl.com saying that October is Eat Together, Eat Better Month. So my challenge to you (and to myself!) is to make an intentional effort to sit down with your family and eat together at least 3 times a week the rest of October!

Impossible?  Not really.  It doesn't have to be the traditional "sit-down dinner" where everyone sits down, eats a good home-cooked meal and talks about their day.  Sure, that might work for your family one night a week, but perhaps you can do a sit-down breakfast one morning.  This is what we did growing up.  It may require the kids to get up a few minutes early, or for dad to leave for work a few minutes later, but those sacrifices would be worth it to have the moments together.  Another idea is a "sit-down snack time"!  If everyone doesn't get home from practice or games until well past supper time, have a sit-down snack together before bed.  Or maybe you can find time for lunch after church, or a snack in-between ball games on Saturday.

The main point of "family dinner" really isn't what you are eating, it's about the time spent together.  Even if it's just 10 minutes of focused time, you have connected as a family and that's what is important.  And yes, focused time means turning off the TV and leaving the cell phones on silent in a basket in another room!

Here are a couple of tips for your Eat Together, Eat Better meals!


BREAKFAST
To speed up breakfast, cook a package of bacon the night before in the oven.  Yes, in the oven!  Take a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides), cover the bottom with foil or wax paper, and lay out slices of bacon.  Cook in a 400 degree oven for 12-14 minutes.  I keep my cooked bacon in a large Ziploc bag or a Tupperware container.  Having it cooked up ahead certainly speeds up breakfast prep!


Bagel Sandwiches
Cook an egg in the microwave in a small round dish.  Lightly toast a Bagel Thin or English muffin.  Layer with one slice of lowfat cheese, the cooked egg & bacon.  Toast a little longer until cheese melts and bacon is hot.

SUPPER
To speed up supper, cook up 3-4 lbs. of ground beef at one time an freeze in 1 lb packages.  Then when you do have an unexpected night where everyone is home, you can quickly defrost the beef and make spaghetti in no time.

Spaghetti
Saute 1/2 onion & 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, in 2 tsp olive or grapeseed oil.  Add 1 lb cooked ground beef, 2 tsp each dried basil & italian seasoning; salt & pepper to taste.  Add one can Italian-style tomatoes & 2 cups Newmann's Own marinara sauce. Cook whole grain spaghetti according to package directions (read the label for serving size amounts based on how many people you are cooking for). Serve with a green salad.

*note: I sometimes shred a large zucchini and add to my spaghetti meat to sneak in extra veggies for the kids.

SNACK TIME
To speed up a snack time, have strawberries or other fruit chopped up in advance. Serve fruit with lowfat Greek yogurt (Chobani 100 calorie is great; Simply Gogurt for the kids if they haven't developed a taste for Greek yogurt yet).

Enjoy some time together as a family!