Sunday DinnerI am a huge believer of the importance of sitting down and eating dinner as a family. Please don't mistake the word believer to mean doer. It has been a difficult practice for us over the years with crazy schedules but something I have always felt strong about. I think it is important to do even if everyone in the family can not be there. Children love habits and traditions and dinner as a family can accomplish so many goals as a family.
I decided on Saturday to make an entire meal from the recipe box that my friend Michelle gave me for my birthday. This collection of recipes is unbelievable.
- eating as a family at home is where manners are learned. (I do not believe manners can be taught in a public restaurant the same way as at home)
- praying as a family
- eating dinner usually means cooking it too. This is where my girls are going to learn to cook for their families and my friend Liz H. taught me you can never start too young teaching your children to cook.
- the practice alone of setting the table is an easy task for children that they can feel proud of
- dirty dishes need to be cleaned. even though it is easier to do the work yourself doing the dishes for children is a great way to keep to spend time with them
- dinner conversation - truly priceless
I decided on Saturday to make an entire meal from the recipe box that my friend Michelle gave me for my birthday. This collection of recipes is unbelievable.
Chicken Parmesan
{the best I have ever had and better than our favorite at Semolina's in New Orleans}
{the best I have ever had and better than our favorite at Semolina's in New Orleans}
Ultimate Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce
{so incredible}
Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake
{This became Jeff's birthday cake as we had not celebrate yet}
{so incredible}
Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Denver Chocolate Sheet Cake
{This became Jeff's birthday cake as we had not celebrate yet}
Michelle, this is the gift that will keep on giving.
So we made a great dinner, Jeff and I both agreed the best I have ever made, the table was set with my favorite dishes and placemats and the chaos began. Due to our new church schedule are driving and church time is about 5 1/2 hours in the middle of the day. We didn't get home yesterday until 5:30 pm and had left at noon. So the little girls were a little off on naps schedules and Caroline was still asleep but then woke up right before dinner. We sat and ate our yummy meal with screaming, crying and my 6 above points were rapidly flying out the door. Jeff and I just sat there and laughed. We both grew up in homes that rarely ate out and sat around the table together. (we each grew up in families with 6 kids)
It is something I still think is important, but difficult. I feel like me making dinner and bringing the family together is my job. It is part of the role I play in this family. I look forward to a day without screaming and watching my children actually eat what I make, until then bring on the Chicken Parmesan!
So we made a great dinner, Jeff and I both agreed the best I have ever made, the table was set with my favorite dishes and placemats and the chaos began. Due to our new church schedule are driving and church time is about 5 1/2 hours in the middle of the day. We didn't get home yesterday until 5:30 pm and had left at noon. So the little girls were a little off on naps schedules and Caroline was still asleep but then woke up right before dinner. We sat and ate our yummy meal with screaming, crying and my 6 above points were rapidly flying out the door. Jeff and I just sat there and laughed. We both grew up in homes that rarely ate out and sat around the table together. (we each grew up in families with 6 kids)
It is something I still think is important, but difficult. I feel like me making dinner and bringing the family together is my job. It is part of the role I play in this family. I look forward to a day without screaming and watching my children actually eat what I make, until then bring on the Chicken Parmesan!
28 comments:
Sounds wonderful! I would love to have those recipes, if you are willing to share.
I too believe in a sit down dinner. It is such a good time to talk about the day.
Sunday dinner around the table is the best. Any dinner around the table is the best, as far as I'm concerned. I grew up in a family of 6, and family dinner was a constant, despite piano lessons, dance practice, gymnastics, swimming, working late, part time jobs, and on and on. i firmly believe my sisters and i learned about 80% of what we know from talking about it around the dinner table.
i, too, tend to let it go the wayside. there are only 3 of us in my family, and sometimes it seems *easier* to eat in front of the television. (gasp! i hope my mother doesn't read this!!) thanks for the gentle reminder so that we at least try to make it happen more often.
Great post! I too cherish the days when we can sit down as a family and eat together. You are so right about the values and lessons it teaches our children. I really like it when my children want to help with preparation and setting the table...and especially clean up. The skills they are learning are valuable, and they will be thankful one day.
The dinner you prepared sounds wonderful! We had cereal for dinner last night, sad but true. Thanks for the inspiration!
How nice! Growing up with 7 kids, we sat down to eat every single night. Sundays were the gormet meals. Now we can really appreciate all my parents did! My mom was a "martha stewart" of her time!
One sunday, a few years back, I spent a good 3 hours on my feet making a delicious childhood favorite recipe. I was so excited to make this for the first time for our little family! Well, the kids took one look at it & refused to eat it. I said to just try one bite, and they spit it out!hahaha
We do easy crock pot dinners now on Sundays! Love it -ciao
Yummy dinner! (What a great friend Michelle is!)
I love family dinner time when we have it. Sadly, it happens too little.
I know what you mean about the girls not wanting to eat what you fix. Despite the fact that I am making very kid friendly foods my girls were getting used to me playing short order cook at meals. I finally set a new dinnertime "rule." Eat what we are having or have PB&J. Now this has worked with our 9 yr old and she is trying new things more often but the 4 year old seems to be perfectly happy with PB&J (OFTEN).
Hopefully your girls will enjoy your new meals and cherish family dinners, too.
Can't wait to check out Michelle's recipes. Thanks for sharing! Sundays are hard with the later time schedules. For years, we had to do crock pot dinners because we would get home so late. Now, with our 9-12 - we can relish in a great gourmet dinner! Can't wait to try these! - did you just love your new ward?
The recipes sound fantastic, and I love what you had to say about eating together. My little guy (3) now always asks his dad at dinner, "So how was your day? Did you learn anything new?" It makes my heart jump each time. Yesterday, at the breakfast table, he asked, "Do I have a spirit, Mom?" Great teaching & loving opportunities to be had at the family table.
Thanks for these thoughts!
I totally agree with you. We have dinner together every night, or least try to. It is so important to us. Sunday dinner is our favorite though. Sort of our way of getting ready for the week ahead by being relaxed and enjoying each other's company.
I agree. You are making me hungry.
I have so been there with the children not wanting to eat what you make. But do not quit doing it. Because I didn't stop insisting that they eat, even just a little bit, now they will eat what I make without balking at it (for the most part, anyway!)!!!
Edited to say I insisted they eat what I make even if they only eat a few bites of it.
LOL, I'm not as hard nosed as that first comment sounded!!
I'm so impressed you made an entire meal of Michelle's recipes, that's a lot of work! I love that Denver sheet cake and make that on special occasions, but it's high effort and expensive. I think all your reasons for having dinner together are wonderful. I wish it wasn't such an effort, that's definitely a weakness of mine.
Sister Julie Beck (General YW) came to our stake last week and talked about this. I'll paste from my blog what she said below, and thank you for the reminder!
• Make meals a teaching time – Make it special. It’s an important time of gathering. Change can happen over a meal. Christ demonstrated this many times to get to people and to create miracles. Women underestimate their power. Around your tables you can strengthen the rising generation. Be prepared. That is a great work. Don’t see it as something to just get over with an on with so you can get on to more important things. - Julie Beck
We always ate dinner together. It was the one time of day when we could catch up on each others lives. I have five brothers and sisters and it was always very hectic, but we managed to do it.
I think family time is so important and is something I want to instil with my children.
As I get ready to send Bergen off to college , we were talking about some of her fears, and she said the one thing that she will miss the most will be eating together with the family. I was really touched....Even though most nights are filled with refusal to eat or a few tears and always ends with a mess to clean up, I truley believe it is the best time we spend together all day, most days it is the ONLY time we spend together.
Hi Kristi - great sentiments and all too true where the best laid plans and grouchy children collide! You reminded me of a TV advert over here. Do you have 'Bisto' gravy there? Anyway, Bisto launching this campaign called 'Ahh Night' (because Biston use the tagline 'Ahhh, Bisto!' and I think it also plays on the idea of 'our night' as in 'family'). Anyway, I used to watch this advert and wonder had it really come to this, in our day and age, that ppl were 'pledging' to have a family meal together, all due to a gravy manufacturer? Good intentions, but a bit sad that it was all down to gravy (and NOT even real gravy, even though the advert calls it 'real gravy').
Anyway, have a look at the link and click on the link at the bottom of the page to view the 'Aah Night ad'. It just sprang to mind when you posted this.
http://www.aahnight.co.uk
What's the image you've used on this post, btw? Is that a book you've got/read? I feel like looking on Amazon for it. It looks fabby. xx
Kristi - I just looked up the Russell Kronkhite book on Amazon and no-one's reviewed it yet.
Hint, hint...methinks if you've got this book and you've read it you should be the first reviewer! Especially if you want to underline the importance of a Sunday family meal - and especially as I'm desperate to know what's in this book!
...no pressure..!
Hear, hear--well said. I am a firm believer as well. And its always nice to hear I'm not alone in the chaos department. We'll just keep pluggin away, huh? Sounds like a great dinner.
Hooray! I'm so glad to hear that you tried some of the recipes and liked them! Don't worry, my kids won't eat any of that stuff, either. Well, except the cake...
I am committed to sitting down together as a family for dinner. Marc, however, is not as committed. He can't stand the chaos and the way the kids fight eating what I have prepared, so he just wants to give in and eat in shifts. I have not given up the fight!
We always ate dinner together when I was growing up and I have such fond memories of that. I say keep trying!
i think about this all the time. i want to do better. i usually get the kids eating at the counter and don't always use our dinner table. i should do it more. i am always in search of good dinner recipes (i guess i get bored easily and menu planning is not my fave). michelle's gift sounds wonderful!
those are reasons i have family meals too..we're lucky enough to have them every nite over here, ive realized that my 9 year old REALLY can cook! and my girls REALLY can put their dishes in the sink and they REALLY can do the dishwasher- WHO KNEW?!?! even the 2 and 4 year old manages to put the silverware away..its not always perfect..but who cares..atleast i didnt have to do it! hehe
there are days i make a fabulous meal and in 3 minutes..its gone, girls are cleaning up..what on earth!?
we love to go around the table and ask what was their favorite part of today and what is their worst, or what is their favorite thing about the person to the right of them etc...SO FUN!
oh the shame! I commented to my husband late Sunday afternoon as I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner that maybe I should have thought about it earlier and thrown something into the crockpot. I guess sometimes I feel resentful that dinner is expected of me but not appreciated so I put it off and then it's a chore. I need to get back to the joy of cooking and making dinner a lovely event.
We are at a hard stage in the dinner dept. At least one meal a day someone is whining about it. The fight gets SO old! I'm with Michelle though, I will NOT give up the fight!
Great post Kristi. This is such a time for teaching our families!
I have been to one of your Sunday dinners, and it was amazing! So if you guys think this was the best EVER? Then it must have been pretty tasty! I can't wait to get the recipes!!!!
Kristi (and Michelle!) would you consider sharing the recipes? I am so hungry for chicken parm after reading about it!
I think eating together is so important as well. I have and always will make that a priority for my family.
Michelle's recipes are awesome! I have never tasted anything of hers that has been just ok...always delicious.
I am so glad to hear that my family is not the only was with pure chaos during dinner. ALl you can do is laugh or you just get mad.
I am a total firm beleiver in meals at the table. We really try to find out all the little details about the kids day. It doesn't always go well and half the time they don't like what I have made even though they liked it the last time I made it, some how this time it taste different.
I have to say since the baby has been born sunday dinners have not been the nice meals that I usualy make. I take full advantage of getting a nap in and so we end up having something really easy. I did go to costco to stock up on roast to change my ways. I have to take advantage on the crockpot on these days!
Any chance you want to share the recipe for the chicken parm, pasta sauce, and sheet cake?? It sounds amazing!!!
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