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How can I Make Dinner Fun?
When some people think of dinner, they may think it’s just another meal and it’s nothing special. Dinner should be fun and something you look forward to, not just an opportunity to eat because you’re hungry. There are ways you can make dinner fun, not only for yourself but for your loved ones as well.
There is something to be said about eating your food exactly the way you want. One way to make dinner fun is to create a base dish, but make a buffet out of condiments and toppings. For example, you could make a plain hamburger for dinner, then set up an area with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and various other items where everyone can add on what they want. Not only could you enjoy preparing your food in a different way, but your children may also enjoy being able to set up their own dinner as well.
Another way you can make dinner fun is to create an exotic food night. Consider choosing a night where you try a different type of food than what you usually eat. One week you could have Japanese food, the next time you could have Mexican. You would have an opportunity expose yourself to various types of cuisine as well as potentially get your children excited to try new foods.
You may not have played with your food in awhile, but you may want to try it again. Consider having a contest with your family of who can create the best sculpture out of food during dinner. It could be a fun idea, especially for children as most of the time they’re told to not play with their food.
While you usually want to have proper manners and eat with utensils, you may want to consider having a dinner that involves no eating utensils at all. You could consider preparing a dinner such as oven baked fries, kabobs and chicken fingers. Your children may enjoy having an entire dinner where they eat with their hands. It may even be a bit more freeing for you instead of making sure you and your family eat the proper way.
If you’ve never had breakfast for dinner, you may want to give it a try. You can make dinner fun by considering serving some French toast, sausages, fruit and pancakes. Not only could it be fun for adults, but children may enjoy eating a different type of meal as well.
If you want to try to make dinner fun, you shouldn’t look at it like just another meal. Instead, look at it like an opportunity where you could experience food in a different way while you’re surrounded by good company. Also, if you make dinner fun for your children while they’re young, they may decide to carry on the tradition in the future if they have children of their own.
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![Making a range of burger toppings available could help make dinner fun.]()
By: GenaMaking a range of burger toppings available could help make dinner fun. -
![Eating breakfast foods like eggs for dinner can be a fun alternative to the traditional third meal of the day.]()
By: ilolabEating breakfast foods like eggs for dinner can be a fun alternative to the traditional third meal of the day. -
![Having a French-themed dinner, complete with quiche, is a fun way to jazz up the evening meal.]()
By: MIGUEL GARCIA SAAVEDHaving a French-themed dinner, complete with quiche, is a fun way to jazz up the evening meal. -
![Allowing kids to help in the kitchen is a fun way to mix things up.]()
By: Konstantin YuganovAllowing kids to help in the kitchen is a fun way to mix things up. -
![Research shows that people tend to eat more vegetables and healthy foods at family-oriented dinners.]()
By: KurhanResearch shows that people tend to eat more vegetables and healthy foods at family-oriented dinners. -
![Family members may enjoy serving themselves at a buffet-style dinner.]()
By: .shockFamily members may enjoy serving themselves at a buffet-style dinner.
Discussion Comments
For my kids, fun dinner ideas are ideas that bring something different to the table, or ideas that take the table somewhere different. They really enjoy when we cook outside and eat on the patio or on the lawn. They also enjoy when I make fun looking food, like turtle burgers. The key to making them happy is variation, and an even mix of vegetables and desserts.
The French know how to make meals fun. I was in France visiting a girlfriend once, and we stayed with her parents for a couple of days. Dinner was like an event.
First of all, we ate outside on the deck. They had this enormous wood table that looked like it belonged in medieval Europe. The food was great, but as you might expect with the French, the wine was the center piece of the meal. We had a different wine with each course, including dessert. By the end of the meal I was feeling no pain.
In all seriousness, the meal was so relaxed that you couldn't help but enjoy yourself. No one was rushing through the meal because they needed to go do something else. We spent a couple of hours at the table that night. That's not the way her family ate every night, but their meals were generally slow paced. I really enjoyed the evening.
Making dinner fun is more important than you might think. There have actually been studies showing that the way you eat your meals influences the way your body reacts to the food you eat. People who eat on the run and shovel down their meals are more likely to have digestive problems. The same can be said for people who eat in stressful situation.
This is why everyone should strive to make meals fun, especially for kids. When they grow up, family meals will provide some of their favorite childhood memories--if you make the meals fun and stress free.
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