I came up with a plan and have to say that it is BRILLIANT!!!! Okay, raise your hands if.....your kids complain about what you make? or they sit down and say eeww/ick/gross? or if they are unappreciative of your general list making/shopping/cooking/setting the table/cleaning up efforts? I may be able to help!!!!
In complete desperation and frustration I decided that for the summer my children would each be assigned to one day of making dinner. They are responsible for the following: attending a family meeting where the weekly meals are discussed (no meal can be repeated during the week-hey, they would all be picking mac and cheese or chicken nuggets-and each child must pick a different meal than the one they picked the week before..i.e. no picking homemade pizza for their assigned night for the entire summer), picking a main meal/veggie/fruit/bread/dessert, helping to make a list for their items (and we are on a budget so they must adhere to that as well), and going to the store to shop for their own items. On their given night they are responsible for preparing/cooking/plating the food while another sibling sets the table.
I know it sounds too good to be true, right? IT IS!!!! Now for those of you genius Moms doing this already bear with me!!!!!!
Last week was our first week on the new plan and it was fantastic!! We had one night of complaining, but some wonderful things happened on the other 5 nights we had our dinner together!! There were compliments, "Oh this is delicious", moments of grace, "Fiona I picked green beans because I wanted you to be able to have dessert", and the best part? Getting to spend one on one time with each child while we are cooking.
Here's our menu for the week:
MONDAY (Emmy-5)
Homemade Pizza (light on the sauce)
Corn on the Cob
Strawberries/cantaloupe/grapes
Homemade cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles
TUESDAY (Peris-9)
Taco night
Green beans
Pineapple/mandarin oranges
Homemade white cake w/icing and sprinkles
WEDNESDAY( Michael-7)
Chicken on the grill
Fries
Blueberries
S'Mores
THURSDAY - Cookout to celebrate Uncle Tim's birthday at their house
FRIDAY - Secret Field Trip to see Uncle Dave and Carrie in Chicago
SATURDAY (Ella-7)
Turkey with gravy
Homemade mashed potatoes w/gravy
Watermelon
Homemade Oreo balls
SUNDAY/FATHER'S DAY ( Fiona-6)
Steak/hot dogs on the grill
Green beans
Mandarin oranges
Sundaes
So that's it. I'll check in next week to let you know if this is still working in my favor. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!!!!
For more fantastic recipes check out orgjunkie.com!!
3 comments:
Great menu and love all the chefs! What a great idea, getting the kids to cook!
Most nights my 14 year old would happily cook, as long as someone else clears up after him!
He's quite a good cook.
My mom used to sit my brother and I down with the cookbooks every few weeks and tell us that we were in charge of certain dinners during the week, and it definitely worked! And it's even more helpful in planning ahead for your week and meal planning in general. You should check out springpad's weekly meal planner, it's a great way to organize all of your menus and recipes (like this one, yum! http://bit.ly/3D6top) and I think you'd really like it.
Rachel @ springpad
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