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Family Meals Made Easy for November
By Polly | November 11, 2007
Great Recipes, Helpful Hints, and Fun Ideas
Family Fun Idea
The next couple of months we are going to use dinner time as a way of establishing meaningful opportunities to talk with our kids. Using dinner time to engage in meaningful conversations with each other is an easy way to reconnect, share thoughts, and check the pulse of the family. This isn’t something that should be forced in the family. The ideas for conversation are just thought starters. Feel free to modify them as needed for your family’s tastes and ages. They are meant to be answered by both parents and kids.
Conversation Starter Idea
For the kids - When you become a parent, what things will you do differently and what things will you do the same? Why?
For the parents - Now that you are a parent, how is your parenting style different from your parents? What things are you doing differently and what things are you doing the same?
Why this Question is Important….
Giving kids the opportunity to talk about how they would parent, gives parents some insight into what things are important to their kids and to some possible frustrations. Likewise, by parents sharing how they are different from their parents, gives kids an opportunity to better understand their parents and to reflect on some of the choices their parents make.
Great Recipes
The original recipe for this came from a Cooking Light magazine, but I have modified it further to make it a little more lighter and to better suit my family’s tastes.
Green Beans with Balsamic Browned Butter
Ingredients
4 Cups Fresh Cut Green Beans
3 Tablespoons Light Butter
3 Teaspoons Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
11/2 Teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
Steam the green beans in a covered pan for about 10 minutes. While the green beans are
steaming, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the soy sauce and vinegar. Transfer the green beans to a serving dish and drizzle the balsamic butter over the green beans. Serve.
Helpful Hints
To cut down on the number of pots and pans you use and to make clean up easier, try steaming the green beans in a microwave steamer bag. You can find them in the plastic wrap aisle at your local grocery store. Simply place the green bags in the plastic steamer bag, zip it close and follow the directions printed on the bag.
Make family meal preparation easy and less stressful with either our monthly family meal planner or our new weekly meal planner.
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Weekly Meal Planner
Family Meals Made Easy
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Topics: Conquering the Chaos, Family Communication, Family Fun, Family Meals |