I was at the grocery store, I heard a woman say to the butcher: I’m tired of eating, do you have anything new? what she’s really saying is: I’m bored and unspired… been doing the same old thing for too long…
Here’s the problem.. in our busy lives, we tend to make the same meals over and over again until finally, we get into a rut. The family is bored, we’re uninspired, the same old battles with the children…
to keep my family engaged at meal times, this is how we do it, BEFORE I make my weekly menu:
1 – get everyone to contribute just one new idea (assuming they are old enough to have an opinion) – make the rules clear i.e. what you want to see on the plate, veggies for example… it might just be what they had at Suzie’s house last week…
2 -Â ask a friend for a meal idea that she has had success with at home
3 – ask your butcher for new ideas on how to prepare meats, they really are a strong resource we never seem to tap into… butchers love food and they love to share their knowledge
4 – look up just one new recipe a week (try google, or one of your favorite cook books)
5 – take one of your usual meals and kick it up with new spices, new side dish… even a small change can go a long way to a new meal
6 – if you have teenagers, it’s their turn once a week to make a meal, be sure to have all the ingredients in the house…
ok, now you’re ready… make your menu, make a grocery list, enlist help to prepare your fridge for the week and just run with it. Remember that if you are prepared, meals are easy and mealtime is stress free. Do the work once then forget about it until next week.
Change is great, but little ones like the usual. At my table, when the boys were very small, the usual always came back in the middle of the table. Fresh raw veggies in a platter, new veggies on the plate. I have do admit that most times, the veggies on the plate were not touched, but at least they were presented. My goal was to have them NOT lift their nose by offering the usual anyway. If the alternative was having to eat the veggie on the plate, they would choose the platter of fresh stuff… Meal time should be a family catch up, social time, leave the stress for another battle. If you’re bored with food, so is the family, enlist their help you may just be surprised at what they come up with…
How do you change it up when you’re family is bored? I am always looking for new ideas, leave me a comment, would love to hear from you…
Tags: butcher, change it up menu, inspired foods, kids and nutrition, menu planning
