Dear dinnertime cooking: I want to love you again

I’m sharing this post as part of a program with The Mission List. I received a ChopChop cookbook + magazine subscription for culinary inspiration; all opinions are my own.

I believe in family dinners. And I believe in big meals full of healthy foods oozing with flavor. And I really believe in filling little bellies while talking about the day, saying grace, laughing, asking questions and even interviewing each other. Around the table, after the day, in between the rush of the schedules and the hush of a loud-breathing kid, is where the good stuff happens.

But this is also the exact time I've struggled with many evenings for the past six years. I want to put all of these things I believe in into practice most nights. But time and exhaustion and picky eating and single parenting have turned off my love of cooking like a timer. 

My good intentions, all laid out in grocery lists and meal plans and food waiting patiently in the fridge, just get ticking and then DING! - we get home late from Tae Kwon Do or a big project distracted me from turning the crock pot on six hours ago or...or...or. And I hurry to throw together something or grab a salad from the deli or wish I could enjoy pouring more love than guilt into the evening meal. We eat healthy every day, but often in a more rushed, un-fun way than I'd like. 

For the same reasons, adding in homework and phone calls to his dad and stinky-tween baths, I have also faltered at getting my son in the kitchen with me. I believe in kids learning to cook and I love the idea of the two of us making meals together. But other than a batch of brownies or PB&J here and there, I haven't created opportunities to slow down and stir my son into the fold.

It's time for both things to change. I want to love to make dinner again, and I want my son to be more of a part of that, too. 

That's why I got a little giddy when ChopChop Cookbook and the accompanying magazine arrived. ChopChop has a mission that will even get me back at the cutting board -- to inspire and teach kids to cook and eat real food with their families. It's a simple way to reverse the sad trend of childhood obesity and childhood diabetes. No scare tactics, just simple, healthy, affordable recipes to make together. OH! And the photos. ChopChop publications are full of happy kids that look like the children in our home kitchens. I love that part almost as much as the recipes.

I've given ChopChop to E to flip through and he's tagged the pages with meals he's interested in eating. OK, so most of them are desserts and fizzy kid-friendly drinks. But we will start there. 

I think the Not Boyfriend, alas a chef who is wonderfully patient with my lack of cooking mojo, will probably approve that ChopChop was awarded the 2013 Publication of the Year honor by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. That's some serious cred in the chef world. 

And to kick off our new committment to cook well together, we will be joining ChopChop in The Big Picnic tonight, September 22nd! Along with partners like the White House (no biggie), the Big Picnic will be a virtual community event for families to cook and eat together, then share pics of their meals with the hashtag #bigpicnic. All of this is to help prevent childhood obesity, one dinner (or picnic) at a time. 

Want to join in the conversation? Please take part with E and me and you might just win your own ChopChop cookbook or magazine subscription! 

And while you're at it, do share your tips for turning around the dinnertime blahs. I'd love your advice!

Comments

[James]

amazing article about cooking yum I really like it thanks, keep up.
and here is some videos about chickens and cookies
Chicken Stir Fry
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Turkey Breast