Family Dinner

Growing up, we ate dinner as a family every single night.  Because it happened so often I have countless memories of being around the dinner table together.  Friday nights were almost always homemade pizza night.  My mom would spend all afternoon making pizza dough, mixing together her homemade pizza sauce and chopping a wide-variety of toppings so that when dinner time rolled around we'd each get to top our pizza with exactly what we wanted.  Wednesday nights consisted of a casserole or something from the slow cooker.  We attended AWANA at our church on those nights so my mom made sure that whatever we ate for dinner was well-timed and ready to be consumed before we headed to church.  Birthdays always felt extra special because we would set the table using the placemats and cloth napkins usually reserved for company and the birthday girl or boy got to pick the meal.  On special nights my mom would hand-bread cheese curds and onion rings to accompany the hamburgers she grilled.  Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo and Chicken Parmesan frequently made an appearance on the dinner table for celebrations, company or just because.  One persons favorite meal was another persons least favorite meal which meant that my mom regularly cooked dinner to the sound of excitement from one kid and complaining from the other three.

 I know now that feeding a family of six healthy, budget-friendly meals day in and day out was a sacrificial act of love on my moms part.  She prepared food to nourish our growing bodies as well as created a space for us to spend time together.  Family dinner was rarely convenient and my siblings and I spoiled it more often than not by bickering with one another or selfishly complaining.  Despite our chronic ungratefulness my parents never changed their commitment to make sure we ate together every single night.  I called on my math-minded sister Anna to help me understand the magnitude of this commitment.  By the time I graduated high school, my mom had cooked me 6,570 dinners.  If we factor in the 936 Saturday morning breakfasts she woke up to cook us every single weekend, or the 90 separate cakes she baked over the years just to celebrate each of our birthdays, my mom spent thousands of hours in the kitchen so that she could love us well though food.

Life seems to be faster-paced than ever before, which makes it logistically challenging for most people to take the time to sit down together around their dinner table each night.  Despite the pressures of evening engagements or events, Shawn and I are committed to following the example my parents set for us.  Nicole is only 10 months old so at this point in time it's actually pretty easy to fulfill that commitment.  She's not old enough to have soccer practice or homework or playdates that go late.  She's an eager little eater and loves it when we pull her high chair next to us at the table.   I am thankful for every opportunity I have to create a family culture where dinners together are part of who we are and what we do.

I hope you are well!
With love,
Erica


P.S. If you feel compelled to share a meal with your family or friends on a more regular basis, but need some help with your menu, I've provided a few links to some of the dinners that you'll find on my table on a regular basis.

12-Minute Chicken and Broccoli
Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake
Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers 
Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
Garlic Roasted Sausage with Winter Vegetables 
Pot Roast
Szechuan Green Beans and Ground Turkey