How to Shake Up Family Mealtimes

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It’s easy to get stuck in your ways when you’re busy. Mealtime, in particular, can become a pattern of making and eating the same things again and again. It takes effort to find new recipes to try, especially when you need meals that the whole family will like. You can end up having just a handful of recipes you rely on, that you know are quick and easy to make and liked by everyone. But if you’re getting bored with the same meals all the time, you need a way to occasionally shake things up. You don’t have to change every meal, but some of these ideas can help you make things more exciting and shake up family mealtimes!

Create Interactive Meals

Mealtimes can be a lot more interesting for your children when they can join in. It can also mean less effort for you, and a way to spend more time with your kids. You might consider getting them involved with cooking or preparing food. It’s a good way to get them started with some basic cooking skills. Once they reach a certain age, they can even start to prepare meals with just your supervision and then on their own. Another way to make meals more interactive is to have something where everyone can help themselves or make their own creation.

Make Your Kitchen Cupboards More Interesting

Do you always have the same items on your shopping list every week? If you’re bored of the same ingredients making their way into your kitchen, it could be time to get some new flavours into your meals. You could explore some interesting American groceries, from steak sauce to Old Bay seasoning. Or maybe you’re interested in trying some flavours from Vietnam or West Africa. Branch out and pick up that odd vegetable you’ve never seen before when you’re in the supermarket or check out your nearest Asian shop or “polski sklep”.

Take Suggestions

If you’re stuck for meal ideas, why not open up the floor? Get the rest of the family to make suggestions for things to try. You can often find that your kids are curious about trying new things, perhaps that they have seen on TV or had at a friend’s house. Not all of the suggestions that you receive will be sensible, but some of them can get you thinking. Your children will feel more involved in mealtimes if they can make suggestions on what to make and eat.

Eat Out Now and Then

Eating out as a family might not be something that you do all the time, but it can be a great way to shake up a few of your meals. It’s an opportunity to try new things, not have to cook, and enjoy your food in a different setting. It can give you some ideas for what to cook at home too, and it’s a good time to work on table manners and how to behave in restaurants.

If meals have started to feel boring, do something different to make them interesting again.