Dinner’s on the Table

We were recently inspired (well, blown away really) by a book we read that claimed one simple trick can improve the quality of our family life, our children’s chance of success in the world and our values as a society. And amazingly, it’s really simple too.

According to Miriam Weinstein, author of The Surprising Power of Family Meals (Steerforth Press, $21), eating an everyday dinner with your family is a way to connect with loved ones and improve many aspects of family life. Recognizing that the pressures of today’s 24/7 world, the complications of single-parent and dual-income family households, extracurricular activities and peer pressure have threatened what used to be a universal ritual, she offers inspirational examples and strategies on how to bring family dinners back to our lives.

That’s why we’re now committed to bringing the family together as often as possible, so we set out to find some tools to help us:

Solution: We’re definitely not whining about Whining & Dining – Mealtime Survival for Picky Eaters and the Families Who Love Them by Emma Waverman and Eshun Mott, food professionals and moms to three children each. The first few chapters are full of invaluable tips on eating, appropriate rules for the table, nutrition and managing the picky eater power struggle (check out their blog for more too) and the latter part of the book is full of over 100 kid-tested recipes for every meal (including family dinners and parties). Parmesan chicken cutlets were as easy to make as opening up a box of frozen nuggets and the Fusilli with Roasted Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes was dinner-party ready (yet devoured by the kids too).
Best For: Any parent who wants to eat with their kids. (Don’t be put off by ‘picky’.) (Available at the Parenting section at Indigo.ca, $29.95)

Solution: The yummy creation of three registered nutritional consultants and moms, Feed Me…I’m Hungry! by Irene Swedak, Sunita Mohan and Christine Sachse is a great guide for family eating. Proponents of the use of organic, seasonal and locally-grown foods, they’ve created an easy to use cookbook with handy recipe/meal reference at the beginning of the book that makes it a snap to plan wholesome family dinners.
Best For: the health-conscious parents (or those trying to become more health-conscious) who are looking for delicious, nutritious and energizing recipes that will feed the whole family, from infants starting solids to the ravenous teenager. ($24.99, for availability, click here.)

Solution: If, as they say, cooking is 90% organization and 10% inspiration, then the inventors of the Wovenfare online meal planning service are onto something. Meal planning ensures you will be serving healthy home-cooked options more often (and therefore fewer convenience foods and fast food deliveries). You can try their free weekly meal plans or sign up with the subscription-based meal planning service, provide details on your family’s food needs and receive customized healthy meal plans complete with shopping lists. Starting at $5 per weekly meal plan credit, we think it’s an investment worth making. And with their feedback and referral reward system and bulk pricing packages, there’s even more value on the table.
Best For: The planning-challenged who need an organizing system to get dinner on the table or those who are bored with their usual menus.

So check out these resources and let everyone in your family know that from now on [insert day of your choice] is family dinner night.

And you’re done like dinner.

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