Family Meals

• Quick Weekday Meals
  How many times do you come home from a busy workday, briefcase in one hand diaper bag in the other, and rush into the kitchen to stare blankly at a shelf or freezer? There is little energy left to even give a thought to what to prepare for dinner. You're not alone. Studies show that at 4 p.m. each day over 75 percent of us don't have a clue as to what to make for dinner that evening. The solution is to have a pantry stocked with ingredients that you can use to cook dinners in under 20 minutes. With the right shelf-stable ingredients like pasta noodles, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and tuna you can create a quick pasta dinner that even your kids will love. More ideas

• Cook Once, Eat Twice
We're not talking about those unidentifiable leftovers from last week. You can cut your cooking time in half by cooking a little extra of the main ingredient to be incorporated later in the week. Friday night's simply grilled lime marinated chicken breasts become next week's easy grilled lime chicken lunch salad. Saturday's broiled flank steak becomes the kid's Monday fun fajita supper. Click here for a few easy recipes that incorporate the cook once, eat twice concept.
• Make good nutrition a family affair.
  Give your pantry and refrigerator the cleaning of a lifetime, donating any non-perishables you don't need and throwing out all expired and/or less healthy food items. Place a copy of the USDA Food Pyramid in a visible location for all family members and discuss the benefits of good nutrition, such healthy bodies equal healthy minds. Start a snack campaign based on the 5 fruits and vegetables a day rule. Place them in re-sealable clear plastic containers in the front on your lowest refrigerator shelves for all family members to easily reach. Stock your pantry with the basics needed to pull together meals in a minute. Visit Kraft.com for ideas on how you can make your pantry work for you. Place copies of your Menu Minder Worksheets and Grocery/Bulk Shopping List on the pantry or cabinet door and every time you run out of staple items, note them on the list. You'll find that by simply clearing out and starting fresh with a well organized and well stocked kitchen will encourage you not only to offer healthy meals for your family but to role model healthy habits for yourself.

• Family Dinners Together
  Sometimes it can be hard to get the entire family together and dinner on the table at the same time. Jorj Morgan, author of "At Home in the Kitchen," offer the following advice:
  • Have young children help set the table. Bring the stack of plates and silverware to the table and let them sort out just the right place for plates, knives and napkins.
  • Bring all the food to the table at once. Serve from dishes and platters rather than doling out each plate of food from the pans on the stove top.
  • Don't get up for refills. Pour a pitcher of ice tea or bring a carton of milk to the table to refill glasses while you sit at your seat.
  • Turn off the kitchen TV. It may take or minute or two, but conversation will occur.

• Help on the Web
  Here are some quick links to give your MEALTIME planning and homemaking sweet and easy!
  Marketday.com - Recipes
  USDA.gov - This site includes information on food and nutrition services, food safety, and food education.