Where has the family dinner hour gone? There once was a time when we
would all come home from a long day and sit down with our family for a
nice home-cooked meal. In today's fast paced world, we need more
bonding time with the family. One might say that in today's day where
people pile way too much on the plate of life, that it is impossible
to have a family dinner everyday. I disagree. Wouldn't you like to
get back to the way it used to be?

One way to make family dinners easier to prepare is by planning
ahead. Often times I find myself going to the grocery store every
other day to pick up needed items, and this is how family time gets
lost. Spend a little time planning out dinner ideas for the coming
week. Pick meals that are quick and easy for your dinners during the
week and save the more time consuming recipes for the weekend. Did
you know that software has been developed that makes meal planning a
breeze? With a click of the mouse you can organize your recipe
collection into daily meal plans complete with nutrition facts and
shopping lists. With the computer generated shopping list you won't
have to worry about forgetting a needed item when you go grocery
shopping.

Another great way to ensure that your family eats together most nights
of the week is to share the responsibility of preparing dinner. It
can be difficult for one family member to be responsible for cooking
everyday. Each member of the family can take turns cooking each
night. This is also a good way to add some new flavors to your meals
since each member may have a different cooking technique. For those
family members who don't cook often, this can prove to be a great
learning experience. Review each family member's weekly schedule and
delegate the meal preparation tasks such as grocery shopping, cooking,
and clean up. Working as a team is a great way to build strength as a
family.

"Not meatloaf again!" I'm sure everyone has heard the complaints from
that same meal being served week after week. Keep your family dinners
exciting by trying different variations of your favorite recipes. An
even better idea would be to test out some new recipes. Surprise your
family with a delicious new dinner tonight and they will be sure to
come back to the dinner table tomorrow.
Nothing is more important than your family. It's worth the effort to
make sure that your family eats together daily. Besides the needed
nutrition, this time spent together will help open the lines of
communication and make your family bond stronger.

I recently discovered an online service that saves time and money
while providing you with new dinner ideas daily. Get access to
powerful recipe management software, daily meal plans, money saving
coupons and more at SendMeRecipes. http://www.sendmerecipes.com/
1ndex.html

<a href=" http://www.sendmerecipes.com/1ndex.html">SendMeRecipes</a>

On 31 Jan 2007 11:57:37 -0800, wrote:

>Where has the family dinner hour gone?

Better question...what are you trying to sell?

> wrote in message
oups.com...

>
> One way to make family dinners easier to prepare is by planning
> ahead.

Who ever heard of such a thing? I'll need to see cites to prove it.

Ward Abbott wrote:
> On 31 Jan 2007 11:57:37 -0800, wrote:
>
>> Where has the family dinner hour gone?
>
> Better question...what are you trying to sell?

Should be obvious from the "I recently discovered an online service that
saves time and money" and then a link. As if (most) people here don't
already know how to do meal planning.

Jill

wrote:
>
> Where has the family dinner hour gone? There once was a time when we
> would all come home from a long day and sit down with our family for a
> nice home-cooked meal. In today's fast paced world, we need more
> bonding time with the family. One might say that in today's day where
> people pile way too much on the plate of life, that it is impossible
> to have a family dinner everyday. I disagree. Wouldn't you like to
> get back to the way it used to be?


Used to be? Other than the occasional evening when there are evening
activities we have always made time to sit down for a proper dinner. My
wife and I usually sit down and have a drink before dinner, usually with a
game or two of cribbage. That is a luxury that we are able to enjoy now
that we are retired, but even when we were both working we always made time
for dinner. I grew up in a home with three brothers. My mother always
served candle lit dinners.

On Feb 5, 4:15 pm, Dave Smith > wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > Where has the family dinner hour gone? There once was a time when we
> > would all come home from a long day and sit down with our family for a
> > nice home-cooked meal. In today's fast paced world, we need more
> > bonding time with the family. One might say that in today's day where
> > people pile way too much on the plate of life, that it is impossible
> > to have a family dinner everyday. I disagree. Wouldn't you like to
> > get back to the way it used to be?
>
> Used to be? Other than the occasional evening when there are evening
> activities we have always made time to sit down for a proper dinner. My
> wife and I usually sit down and have a drink before dinner, usually with a
> game or two of cribbage. That is a luxury that we are able to enjoy now
> that we are retired, but even when we were both working we always made time
> for dinner. I grew up in a home with three brothers. My mother always
> served candle lit dinners.

We always sat down to dinner, and we still do although it now might be
in front of the TV to watch a film. (That was a special treat when my
daughter was home). However, even though retired I still find it
difficult to plan interesting menus, shop, cook, and sit down to
dinner on a timely basis. Not and do everything else I'd like to do.
I do need shortcuts to menu planning even to this day, not another
website that's for sure, just tested ways to get it all done more
quickly. I use NYC for cooking software, have loads of equipment, use
online shopping when I'm in the city (NY), nevertheless it still all
takes a lot of time, even for two people.

Bliss