Do you dread or love dinner time? I used to find myself panicking before even sitting at the table, obsessing over whether and how much my kids ate and spending my time coercing them to eat what I’d cooked. Then one day I decided to relax, enjoy my dinner and my family’s company. I can sit and enjoy my meal even if the others don’t want to, why should they ruin my dinner?  And they quickly learnt!


From then on I have had a much more enjoyable time (and so have they) and I was able to get more adventurous with my cooking (and my kids are getting more adventurous in their eating too). I encourage them to try but I no longer criticise myself if their eating is less than perfect. It’s a journey, they will learn in time.
Creating a happy family meal time is easier than you think. Here’s how:
Firstly you need to eat with your kids at the table and turn the TV off. Creating a nice supportive environment where you can role model healthy eating is one of the biggest predictors of children’s diet. At least one parent should sit and eat with the kids at least once a day. If you currently feed the kids dinner early and eat later with your partner, it’s time to change (harsh, I know but you can still enjoy your partner’s company while they eat). And if you currently cook different meals for the different dinner sittings, now is the time to give yourself a break and cook one meal (you can combine food kids love with new foods to make it less scary for the kids).
Secondly set some family table rules. Teach your kids to sit at the table and chat, preferably even once they have finished (this may improve with age but start to encourage it). Involve them in the setting the table (they can choose some nice plates, maybe some napkins) and the cleaning up. Most importantly teach them the food politeness rule.
Lastly create a loving and calm environment which encourages kids to try new foods and ultimately enjoy healthy foods. They can learn that healthy food is fun and enjoyable, not about being gruffly told to “eat your veggies”.  Stop the nagging and start talking about your day and the food. Forget bribing but remember marketing. Use descriptive words like crunchy, sweet, colourful and fresh. Encourage kids to not just taste and food but see it and smell it as well. Sell healthy foods to your kids by explaining fish is brain food for tomorrow’s test, that green foods help you jump high and veggies of the traffic light make you a faster swimming.
I often have nights where one of my kids tells me they are not going to eat. We ask them to just sit and wait at the table. Ask them about their day. Talk about how delicious the meal is. Usually within a couple of minutes, they start eating and I smile to myself.
How do you create a fun family meal time?

Now that it's school holidays, I want to take some time to do some activities with my kids that support the things our family value. Here's what's on our "to do" list these school holidays.

1. Gardening

Spring is here so it's time to replant the veggie garden. I have to admit that I don't have a particularly green thumb but I try hard, I'm learning and I believe in having a go at things! Growing veggies is a great way to get kids invested and interested in fruits and veggies. I remember my two year old son rarely ate tomatoes until we planted some cherry tomatoes in a little pot in our tiny unit. They are now one of his favourites! Choosing what to plant can also be a great activity. Funnily enough, my kids favourite part is always measuring out the distance between the seedlings and of course watering! Invest in a little watering can that is appropriately sized to your child. My 4 year old even likes to water the garden with his water pistol!

2. Meal planning and market shopping

My 3 boys LOVE helping to plan the meals. I will often let them choose a meal to go on the fortnightly plan especially on the school holidays. Meal planning together gives me the opportunity to teach them about making sure they include a:
- GROW food (meat, meat alternative including tofu, eggs, beans)
- GO food (whole grains including pasta, flour, polenta, potatoes, rice ect)
-  and of course lots of GLOW foods (colourful veggies. Aiming for half the dish or plate to be different coloured veggies).

I also like to take them shopping to the green grocers or market. They can be involved choosing the colours for the week (both fruit and veggies). This gives them the chance to interact with fresh produce away from the table. It's not about eating or tasting, it's about becoming familiar and comfortable with fresh produce. Learning what a ripe avocado is, smelling the cantaloupe to see if it's ready and checking the bottom of strawberry punnets for the best ones. I usually let them each choose something to eat as a snack after shopping, that's how my son first decided he liked raw mushrooms!

3. Cooking

I'm looking forward to the time when my boys can cook me dinner but in the meantime, it's together cooking for us. From fruity baking (see our super snacks for inspiration) to lazy school holiday breakfasts (berry pancakes anyone?) to helping cook dinner (dinner recipes), cooking together is a lovely way to spend time together, get a 'chore' done, teach valuable life skills and create colourful and adventurous eaters!

Activities kids love in the kitchen:
- wash and scrub veggies 
- cutting, kids just love cutting!!  (try our great kids safety knives)
- mixing and blending
- tear lettuce and make salad
- roll meatballs
- crumb chicken or fish
- sprinkle seeds and herbs
- just helping and spending time with you

Make sure to teach your kids to help clean up afterwards too :)

So enjoy getting fresh and colourful with your kids these school holidays.

What fresh activities do you enjoy doing with your kids? Share in the comments below or join the conversation on our Facebook page.

I'm always looking for ways to make my life easier and less stressful. I find meal planning really helps my week run more smoothly. Sometimes I'm happy to dedicate the time to creating a detailed meal plan but other times I find it is easier and quicker to just plan the protein (meat/fish/bean/egg) part of the meal.  

I had a catch-up with a friend recently who is a maths teacher so I got a bit mathematical when thinking about planning my dinners:

Dinner = ¼ Protein + ¼ Grains + ½ Veggies (a traffic light of colour)

(It can be all mixed together like a stir fry of chicken, noodles and veggies)

Protein = meat, fish, egg, beans (tofu, red kidney beans, baked beans, lentils, chick peas)

Grains/starch =  rice, pasta, cous cous, polenta, potato

 Vegetables =  salad, stir-fry, roasted, steamed, mashed

If I don't plan to rotate my protein then I often find we are having chicken again, oops. 

Rotating protein:
red meat, fish, chicken, vegetarian, red meat, fish, chicken, vegetarian

Once I know the protein I simply choose a grain and a heap of veggies to add to the meal (keeping in mind the maths formula above).

When shopping I make sure I buy enough red meat, fish, chicken and eggs or beans to fit my plan.  Make sure your cupboard is stocked with different grains and the fridge and freezer has lots of veggies. 

Protein ideas: 
Red meat: roast, steak, hamburger, pasta sauce, grilled meat, stir-fry, stew  
Chicken: roast, curry, schnitzel, seasoned and baked, kebab sticks, stir-fry 
Fish: crumbed, grilled, baked, curry, patties, tuna pasta
Vegetarian: eggs, omelette, frittata, lentil pasta sauce, tofu burgers, tofu in stir-fry, baked beans, lentil soup