The Dinner Table

When I was growing up I remember my family sitting around the dinner table each night sharing a meal. It was the only time of the day we were all 5 together and it brought fond memories of just simply talking about our day. Into my high school and college years, those dinners became far and few between. Naturally as we get older our schedules can become exhausting and every night brings a new event or to-do list. Once I got married, my husband and I would often make dinner together but admittedly we would always take it into the living room to eat in front of the TV. It was our time to unwind and unplug from the day. Once we had our little boy Bobby, everything changed about our dinner schedule. Suddenly, we ate at the table every single night. He needed to be in his high chair and the table just made sense. At first, it honestly felt strange but it has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I want to encourage you that whether you are an empty nester with your spouse, a house full of kids with 10 different schedules or just newly married, sitting around the table for a meal really does matter. It’s funny that I have to naturally convince myself of this but in a culture that demands us to be busy, simply sitting down for a dinner can be the hardest thing to do. I have 3 tips to share on how to realistically make dinner time a blessing and intentional for your family.

• Start small. If the thought of making dinner every night and sitting down at the table exhausts you then start with 2x a week. I promise you’ll be surprised how quickly you desire to do it more and more.

• Intentionally plan the week- I am not a meal planner, the thought of cooking all my meals on Sunday really just exhausts me (and good for all of you who do that- I’m really jealous!!). I don’t necessarily have to cook my meals ahead of time to still have a plan for the week. I grocery shop once every 2 weeks, or try my best to limit myself to that. Before I go to the store, I type out my meals for at least 7 days, day by day. This allows me to get the ingredients I need and I’m not left with scrambling an hour before dinner trying to figure out what to make. I already know what I’m making on Tuesday night so there is no surprise. On Sunday night you can make a more strenuous meal because you’ll be home that day, on Tuesday you have an easy crockpot meal because you know you won’t be home until 6. Regardless of the hectic week- you have a plan and your family is ready.

• If you can freeze or store a meal- double it! If you are going to the trouble to cook a  meal when you don’t always enjoy it or have a hectic schedule then go to the trouble of making two meals at once! If I make soup, chicken breasts, enchiladas, etc, I try to double my recipe. This allows me to have dinner that night and then one in the freezer for a night that isn’t so open. It’s been a lifesaver to me.

There might be a dying value to sitting down at the table for dinner but I have experienced firsthand the quality it brings to one another. Throughout the Bible, in celebration or in grief, Jesus always broke bread with his loved ones. This was the ultimate example of just how important eating a meal together is for all of us. At face value, it’s just food on the table but when you peel back the layers, it is family and friends getting a chance to laugh, be vulnerable and have a pause in an otherwise very hectic society.

I hope you can break bread with your loved ones at your dinner table and enjoy all that can come of it.