How many of you made a wonderful healthy dinner tonight for your family?
Whether is was healthy or not…how many of you sat down as a family and ate dinner all together?
Did you know that the number of those who report that their “whole family usually eats dinner together” has declined 33 percent (this was found in a 2007 magazine article…so it very easily could be more today). This is most concerning because the time a family spends together “eating meals at home is the strongest predictor of children’s academic achievement and psychological adjustment.” (Family Relations, Anderson and Doherty)
Family mealtimes have also been shown to be strong protection against children’s smoking, drinking, or using drugs. (The Magic of the Family Meal, Nancy Gibbs).
There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: What your children really want for dinner is you!
Now… the purpose of this fun website that you are reading right now is to teach & inspire others to feed their families whole food plant based meals…but I can’t help but add these words of wisdom.
How often do you sit down as an ENTIRE family and eat a meal together? I have 3 young children who are home most of the time, but I still find it difficult to round up the youngsters and sit and eat a meal together. Whether one child isn’t hungry or whether I am running so late that I don’t get to sit down until everyone else has left the table. These are some of my excuses…but I don’t want to make them anymore.
It’s time to get motivated! Motivated to eat dinner as a FAMILY consistently! I find the first steps to being motivated to make a change are: I must first create a plan, then I need to choose it…then I follow it consistently (daily).
“Sometimes people tell me motivation doesn’t last…I tell them neither does bathing, that’s why I recommend it daily.” -Zig
Make a plan to eat dinner as a family as much as possible. Whether you are already doing this or you need a bit of a fresh start. Set a plan to help you do this…CHOOSE IT- and go!
And if you are like me…I choose to use my time wisely- and that means I need WISE healthy, time-saving dinners. Here are a few from our recipe section. These are fast, filling & fabulous!
Quick Pasta Dinner
Anytime Bean Dip- Dinner
Bean Tacos
Potato Medley
Meal-On-A-Plate Salad
Breakfast Burrito
HAVE A FABULOUS WEEK!
much love!
Veteran Mommy
LIFE IS GOOD!
Source: WFM 1-10