The 5 Steps I Took to Have Family Dinners

I’m kicking off a new series called Food at Home with how I managed to start having Family Dinners.

Family Dinners to me are sitting as a family unit around the same table, at the same time and eating the same thing. This may sound like a simple task or it may sound impossible, but let me give you a little back story to understand where I was and how I got my family to the table.

My boys, who are now 8 and 5, were early risers from the get-go. It didn’t matter when I put them to bed at night, they would both still rise around 5am every day. To make sure they would be well rested and not cranky, bedtime was early, which did not accommodate having a family dinner all together. I fell into a pattern of feeding the children early, then feeding myself and my husband much later.

That’s the nutshell of it, but there were other factors:
:: My oldest is a fussy eater.
:: My youngest was a micro-preemie.
:: My husband’s schedule is different every day, working at night a couple times a week.
:: I went from part-time work to full-time to work-from-home.

So, how did I do it? These are the steps I used…

1 :: Make a commitment
This is a must. Whether you are going to try to eat as a family once a week or every day, you have to commit your mind and your time to this project.

2 :: Make a plan
You’ll need to figure out time to shop, cook and schedule your time to eat as a family. Be realistic. If your daughter has a soccer game at 5pm and your two-year-old needs to eat soon after, you may want to skip that night and feed at will. Your plan should include prepping your family for this change. They need to know that it will be the same table at the same time eating the same thing for one and all. No excuses or alternatives, period.

3 :: Make a menu
Write down what you will eat on each night of your family dinner schedule and create a shopping list from that menu. I have a go-to set of recipes for family dinners. These recipes make it easier to shop without forgetting ingredients and faster to prepare the meals, so we can eat at a set time. A slow cooker or crock pot is a great way to fix a meal that is ready when you are.

4 :: Make one meal
To keep my sanity and to focus a more homemade, healthy approach to meals, this was so important. With a fussy eater and everyone’s preferences to certain foods, this can be difficult. You may need to be strong and take some kid-size criticism (that can feel like a giant’s), but making one meal that eventually everyone will eat, is a victory!

5 :: Make peace with the imperfect
So, you’ve done the first four steps and feel great about your plan. Be ready for resistance. If this is something new for your family, they will protest to different degrees. Rely on step 1 and know that this is a good thing for your family and they WILL get used to it.

Our family started having these dinners about two years ago and it was a great choice for us. I hope that if you’re considering taking on the challenge that my experience helps in a small way. I wish you luck in your journey (you’re going to need a little.)