Tea Time Routine with the After School Chefs Challenge

When I got the opportunity to write about my tea time routines with Brit Mums and Birds Eye #afterschoolchefs @http://bit.ly/afterschoolchefs I decided to take the challenge, mainly as I was struggling getting back into a routine after a wonderful long summer.

                                                

I am so lucky to have a job where I am off with the Boys during holiday time. I watch my friends trying to organise childcare and holidays around their families, and thank my lucky stars I do not have to worry about childcare throughout the summer.

However long summer days completely ruin our routine, we are naturally a family that eats later, we like to sit together and chat about our day.  The other issue I have is the boys are quite fussy, and both have completely different tastes in food. So yes I am one of those Mums that cooks different meals for us all. The boys don't like many dishes with sauce on, they like plain food. When Jack was younger we used to insist he ate what we put in front of him, every mealtime was like a war zone. It became so stressful that I used to dread mealtimes.

Then he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and food really did become the enemy, it made me realise that it was more important that they both ate food that they enjoyed and ate a balanced healthy diet, than eating what we ate. Yes I know some people will be reading this rolling their eyes and saying "she is making a rod for her own back" but do you know what? When my little boy started having to do an injection at every mealtime, I decided to ensure he was eating food he enjoyed. When Jack injects for a meal he has to eat all of that meal or his sugar will plummet.

This has had the reverse effect on the boys, they eat healthier, eat all I put in front of them. And are gradually becoming more adventurous as they are getting older and as their pallets are maturing. Food has stopped being the enemy and mealtime is a time that we all enjoy each other’s company. Rather than stressing about them eating a certain dish that they are insisting they don't like.

I don't have a set pattern of hours I finish work at a different time every day of the week. Some days I don't arrive home until 6.30 so we do need to cook convenience food some nights, on these nights I feel it is important to get the right balance, I try to keep in frozen fish, Joe loves Salmon and Jack Cod, they both love rice and I ensure they are getting plenty of fruit and veg. They also love wraps so I tend to serve these with Chicken nuggets, and lots of salad and fruit, I think this is their favorite meal.

I have recently tried to include the boys in helping out cooking tea, this has its pitfalls, and I now know not to trust Joe with a cheese grater as he grated his finger last week. But in general they love helping out and its great to see them work as a team in the kitchen.

It is important to have some convenient, nutritious and tasty options in the freezer for quick meals during the week. This way I can cater for everybody’s tastes and dietary requirements and still have time to sit down to a family meal, and talk about the events of the day. This to me is one of the most important times of the day. Time when my family are all in one spot, focused on talking to each other without the influences of social media, T.V, games and toys.

This post is an entry for #Afterschoolchefs Challenge, sponsored by Birds Eye. Learn more from the Birds Eyes Facebook Page.