I love to make dinner for my family. Cooking dinner is my "downtime"and I use the time to be creative in what I am making for my crew. I try my best to cook at least 5 nights (guaranteeing a healthy home cooked meal for all) and 2 nights the kids get to order in (gotta love NYC and the many delivery options available!).
This is a time that is very therapeutic as I prepare dinner. I reflect on the day that I had and look forward to hearing about how the day was for my teenage kids and my husband. I think this sounds like I am living in a Norman Rockwell painting while really there is a part of this planning that I want to tear my hair out! Here's what I mean- my son doesn't want anything that looks like chicken as that's all he eats at school for lunch. My daughter is easy exceptshe has boycotted salmon, burgers and pork (this is because she prefers the way I make it on the grill and since we live in NYC there is only the stove with a grill pan, and it's not the same!). So, really she's not easy! And my husband, well he is happy to have a meal made for him when he arrives home late from work (except he is trying to lose weight so I have to nail down the treats that are for my kids!). Figuring out what's for dinner isn't a piece of cake (I bet if I served cake for dinner, they would love it! Lol!).
I know that I am not alone in my distress of what to make for dinner! Cooking dinner after a long day is something a lot of people don't look forward to, so they end up eating unhealthy take out food or they throw something in the microwave just to get dinner over and done with.
Recently I spoke to a group of women and shared some secrets for getting through "what to make for dinner time". Here are some tips:
1) KEEP IT SIMPLE
I try to keep the total prep and cook time to 45 min or less. It's ok to buy veggies already pre-cut as it cuts down on time (no pun intended!). As well, another time saver is if you are using chicken or meat and you want it to be cut into smaller pieces, I would ask the butcher to cut it for you. One pot meals are great ideas. A great slow cooker recipes stash and a crockpot will solve the dinner dilemma. Try a vegetarian lasagna. It's healthy and easy.
2) OPPOSITE DAY
I love this! Having breakfast for dinner. Kids think this is the ultimate treat! Bagels and lox and scrambled eggs, a healthy baked french toast or a healthy veggie casserole.
3) ASK YOUR FAMILY WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE
I am not saying to leave dinner entirely up to your kids, but sometimes they have good ideas. When your child gets to have a certain night to pick the meal (or a part of the meal) they are more likely to be excited about dinner and eat their food. It can be especially helpful to allow your child to pick a vegetable and/or the fruit dish. Give them a choice from the selection you currently have - ask them if they would like to have grapes, a banana or apple slices with dinner. By involving them in the meal choices, they are learning about picking a healthy option, making a decision, and they will be more interested in sitting down to enjoy their big kid choice. BBQ chicken and tacos are meals that my family asks for (and they are easy meals to make!).
I would love to hear from you about what your having for dinner and I would love to give you healthy ideas.
For more information contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com