ABOUT PARTY IN MY KITCHEN
In our world today, the family meal has been over run by activities, dual working parents, fast food restaraunts, etc. Statistics say that the average American family dines out an average of 4-5 times a week.
That has a huge impact not only on a family food budget, but on the overall health of the individuals in the family. It can also have an impact on choices kids make in their lives.
"One of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens' lives is by having frequent family dinners," says Joseph Califano Jr., chairman and president of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).
According to the WebMD, 10 Benefits of Family Dinners are:
*Everyone eats healthier meals.
* Kids are less likely to become overweight or obese.
* Kids are more likely to stay away from cigarettes.
*They're less likely to drink alcohol.
* They won't likely try marijuana.
* They're less likely to use illicit drugs.
* School grades will be better.
* You and your kids will talk more.
* You'll be more likely to hear about a serious problem.
* Kids will feel like you're proud of them.
* There will be less stress and tension at home.
These are all great reason for us all to do better about having frequent family dinners. I know I want my children to fit into each of those categories. If having frequent family dinners can help, I am all for it.
I have been using the method called Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) for about 9 years now. Over those
years I have collected, revised, and created many great recipes. One day I was talking with a friend who hates to cook and came up with a way to help her provide home cooked meals for her family and have fun doing it. My Group OAMC idea was born.
It took a little bit of work, but I invited 4 friends to join me. I created the shopping list, went shopping, divided out some prep jobs and we got together and assembed our meals. Not only did we have a great time
working together and visiting, but we left with a bunch of meals to feed our family.
Over time I have organized and perfected the whole process. I have created meal plans that include shopping lists, order of assembly sheets, easy to read recipes, and meal labels that include preparation instructions on
them for when the meal is used. Now as a group we can assemble 100 meals in just over 3 hours.
That's 20 meals each for 5 families.
In an effort to expand outside my circle of friends, I have developed Party In My Kitchen. It is home party based group once a month cooking program. I hope that others can benefit from what I have learned and from my experience.
In our world today, the family meal has been over run by activities, dual working parents, fast food restaraunts, etc. Statistics say that the average American family dines out an average of 4-5 times a week.
That has a huge impact not only on a family food budget, but on the overall health of the individuals in the family. It can also have an impact on choices kids make in their lives.
"One of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens' lives is by having frequent family dinners," says Joseph Califano Jr., chairman and president of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).
According to the WebMD, 10 Benefits of Family Dinners are:
*Everyone eats healthier meals.
* Kids are less likely to become overweight or obese.
* Kids are more likely to stay away from cigarettes.
*They're less likely to drink alcohol.
* They won't likely try marijuana.
* They're less likely to use illicit drugs.
* School grades will be better.
* You and your kids will talk more.
* You'll be more likely to hear about a serious problem.
* Kids will feel like you're proud of them.
* There will be less stress and tension at home.
These are all great reason for us all to do better about having frequent family dinners. I know I want my children to fit into each of those categories. If having frequent family dinners can help, I am all for it.
I have been using the method called Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) for about 9 years now. Over those
years I have collected, revised, and created many great recipes. One day I was talking with a friend who hates to cook and came up with a way to help her provide home cooked meals for her family and have fun doing it. My Group OAMC idea was born.
It took a little bit of work, but I invited 4 friends to join me. I created the shopping list, went shopping, divided out some prep jobs and we got together and assembed our meals. Not only did we have a great time
working together and visiting, but we left with a bunch of meals to feed our family.
Over time I have organized and perfected the whole process. I have created meal plans that include shopping lists, order of assembly sheets, easy to read recipes, and meal labels that include preparation instructions on
them for when the meal is used. Now as a group we can assemble 100 meals in just over 3 hours.
That's 20 meals each for 5 families.
In an effort to expand outside my circle of friends, I have developed Party In My Kitchen. It is home party based group once a month cooking program. I hope that others can benefit from what I have learned and from my experience.
ABOUT ME
I am a wife and stay at home mother of five children ages 7-15. With the craziness of maintaining a home and the busy schedules of children who are involved in all sorts of activities, I have found it necessary to find ways to decrease the amount of time I spend on daily meal preparation, thus allowing me more time to help with homework and for shuttling kids back and forth to their many activities. I learned to cook at my mother’s side. She catered many big events and was an excellent cook. She taught me lots and helped me to develop a love for cooking as well. In my spare time I love digital photography, digital scrapbooking and scrapbook design,
T-Shirt design, blogging, reading, and hanging out with my family.
I am excited to share my experience with others and help them to put home cooked meals on their tables with minimal daily time involvement.
T-Shirt design, blogging, reading, and hanging out with my family.
I am excited to share my experience with others and help them to put home cooked meals on their tables with minimal daily time involvement.
