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At the end of the summer, I did something with the kids that I had never done. As a celebration for the end of summer and start of school, I took the kids to the store and let each of them pick out their own flavor of ice cream. That’s right. We headed home with four cartons of ice cream, all different flavors. It was a special treat, not only because it was a rare sweet treat, but also because it was something that, as a large family, the kids do not get to do very often– each choose their own thing instead of sharing.
Typically, I make dinner and, as the saying goes, “You get what you get and don’t pitch a fit.” I’m a busy mom with four kids, and dinner is a not a time for everyone getting what they want. I know that I can’t please all the people all of the time. Yet seeing their delight at each getting to choose what they actually like for a treat set the wheels turning in my mind on how I could recreate this for dinner.
A local restaurant specializes in family style meals where the servers bring out a variety of food dishes, set them in the center of the table, and everyone serves them selves with what they like. It seemed like a neat concept to try to apply at home, but how feasible would that be with our schedule? Cooking one dinner is challenging enough at times, so how could I cook a family style dinner at home while short on time? For us, the key is giving the kids some of the responsibility to help plan and prepare the meal.
Tips for Creating a Family Style Dinner
#1 – Plan ahead. Pulling off a family style dinner takes preparation and doesn’t happen on a whim. Decide on a night and a time to shop for the meal.
#2 – Ask for the kids meal input. This may range from asking the kids what they would like to see at the meal all the way to taking them to the store to help shop for the dinner.
#3 – The kids set the table. This may be typical at your house, but if its not, let the kids set the table. I let the kids set the table while I am preparing the food. They lay out the plates, napkins, and serving ware. This allows them to be a part of the cooking and serving process.
#4 – Make foods easy for kids to serve themselves. This is dependent on the age of the children. One of the purposes of a family style meal is to allow kids to be able to partake in the meal easily. Older children will be able to serve pretty much any food item, while younger kids should steer clear of foods that need sharp knives to cut and serve.
#5 – Giving yourself cooking grace. Use frozen innovative meals to easily enhance a family style dinner.
#6 – Encourage kids to try a bit of everything. Do you have picky eaters? A family style dinner is a great opportunity for kids to try new foods. Be a good example for them by trying a little bit of everything, too!
For those nights when life is busy this would be a nice way to put a meal on the table. Pot pies have been around for years and years.
You were definitely speaking my language! There are days that I am not gonna have time to cook and something like this that is so easy to do and so tasty I will do.
Oh yum, these look so good! We love quick family dinners, so I’ll have to pick these up one night.
Where has this Bacon Mac N Cheese Mega Pot Pie been all my life. This is definitely a dish my kids would love. With our busy schedules this time of year I am all about quick and easy and these are some great tips
Great tips! I have to get these for my family. I know my kiddos would love them.
I am all for some ideas for a quick dinner! I can’t spend long standing up so it’s great to have some quick fire ideas and these sound like they would be absolutely delicious.
We always tried to do dinner as a family when the kids lived at home. Having frozen food on hand for hard days helped.
Yes! I need quick for busy weeknights when we are on the go! Soccer practice keeps us busy but I still love a meal at home versus fast food.
Why haven’t I seen these before? I love a good pot pie!
Such a very helpful tips and I will definitely try to have this delicious dish tonight on my kids plates and I am sure they will love it.
These dished look so good and I love tohave something like that on hand during busy weeknights. I am sure that everyone will love them.
All the feels for this post. ❤️❤️❤️ I love Banquet…
I bet the kids loved their ice cream treat! I’ve never tried those Banquet pot pies but the macaroni and cheese one looks really yummy!
Indeed such a good idea and perfect recipe that I could try for my husband. I’ll try this out and hopefullly he would love this.
All of these looks delicious! This is something I always prepare when I am busy like today.
What an easy and hearty dinner! I haven’t heard of these but they all sound delicious. I haven’t tried the Walmart pickup service, but we go there all the time and it would be neat to check out.
Having the kids set the table and otherwise involved in preparations is a great way to get the family together at mealtime. These are such great tips!
I simply adore chicken pot pie and these look so good that I want to try them as well. Buttery crust with all that yummy filling is making me hungry!
These sound like lifesavers when you are super busy. It’s great that they have a selection of flavours available. Makes it easier to make different ones for different family members without having to make totally different meals.
My kids always set the dinner table! It really helps get everything done in a timely manner since they are helping!