Sometimes it is a picky eater, other times it is simply the effort of cooking. But, not every meal will go as planned, even for the best planners among us.  It can also get to the point that mealtimes become a dreaded stand-off between you and the kids.

Or maybe you don’t have kiddos, but you have a fussy partner – or perhaps you’re both utterly bored with cooking the same old thing!  Whatever the issue, here are a few tips to put some pep in step when it comes to prepping, cooking and enjoying mealtimes.

PREP

If you are stretched for time and find yourself reaching for the take-out menu, or grabbing fast food on the way home, the best thing you can do is start prepping better. You could use your spare time to write a meal plan, and make sure that you have all the ingredients in ready to go.  I typically do all my meal prepping the night before I go back to work, because I know after working 13-hours, I won’t feel like coming home and making dinner.

Batch cooking is also really useful too. You can cook big batches of your favorite meals, and freeze a large selection off.  So you will always have something home cooked and convenient, and yet easy to grab when you get in.  In our house we can make soup into a complete meal and my Stovetop Chicken Noodle Soup is hearty enough to have for dinner and also freezes well!  

Another great tip is to check out something like Everyplate. Easy-to-cook meals that require little prep and are delivered to your door.

COOKING

Get hands on deck!  If you have people coming over to eat, or slightly older kids, then get them involved in making the food. Have one person clean veggies, another one chop and prep ingredients.  The littles can even help by setting the table and all of those simple things.

Spreading out the main tasks will mean no single person will feel the weight of cooking, cleaning, prepping, setting and clearing the table etc. on their own.  And, this is a great way to introduce kids to what it takes to make great meals happen!

Cracking eggs, grating cheese, slicing veggies, mashing potatoes and even cleaning the sides down are all good fun and exceptional skills to learn.  Use those cracked eggs and sliced veggies to make easy egg muffin cups.

MEALTIME

As soon as the food is ready and everyone is seated at the table, get talking!  Especially with those picky eaters.  What you say really matters so instead of using negative language like “you will eat all of it” try something like “you don’t have to finish it all, but it might be nice if you did!” Suddenly the pressure is off.  Explain what everything is on the plate and why veggies are important to eat and why getting enough protein and calcium is important for our health.

As soon as people start eating, spark up a conversation. Talk about your day, what you have going on tomorrow, sports results – whatever it is to engage them. When people are talking, they are paying less attention to how much they are eating or even what they are eating.  This is a great way to get kiddos to eat much more than they thought they wanted and without any of the usual battles.

By treating meal prepping and cooking as a more communal thing, the tensions that arise around mealtimes can dissipate pretty quickly. Once that tension is gone, you will find that everyone, including you, has a wonderful time every time you sit at the table.  There truly is nothing like a home cooked, family meal shared with your loved ones!

XOXO,

Kelly

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