Back To School Meal Times

Well school has been back in for a few weeks now, and routines have started to become well established by this time. Meals can be a bit difficult to plan at this time of year. Schedules  can make it difficult to enjoy many family meals together, between school, jobs, sports, extra-curricular activities, homework, and sleep, it isn't easy to find a time where the entire family can sit down and eat together. And that is just supper, which tends to be the primary meal families enjoy together, where one dish is cooked for everyone to sit down and savor. Too often breakfast ends up being a hurried event, because family members need to be out the door at different times to make it to school and work, depending on what time they are expected to be there and how far the journey is. Oversleeping, long showers, and mini morning crisis sometimes leave minimal time for a good, nutritious, sit-down breakfast. Often a grab-and-go breakfast style is preferred. It is also entirely possible that there are no family members at home at lunchtime. Lunch is usually eaten at school or at work either alone or with a group of friends, and usually consists of something quick and easy to pack, or a quick take-out.

What is the best way to manage these busy schedules and still manage to find some time for a family meal? Try to arrange schedules so there is a time everyone has, even if it is just half an hour, for a family meal. Even if you can only manage this for a few nights a week, it is much better than none. This meal should have a homemade cooked dish everyone enjoys, even if it consists of leftovers or food from the freezer. There isn't much you can do about lunches, but try to make the breakfast table a common meeting place for at least five minutes or so, just so everyone is on the same page. And nothing brings the family together like a batch of homemade cookies fresh from the oven, whether it is after school, before bed, or 9:00 am on a Saturday morning. Family and nutritious food should always be high priorities.