• Start Here
  • About
    • Companies I Work With
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Let’s Get Social!

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • StumbleUpon
    • Twitter

Juggling Real Food and Real Life

Real Food. Real Life. Real Fun.

  • Home
  • Real Food Recipes and More!
    • Easy Real Food Recipes Index
    • Plan Your Meals
    • Real Food Tips and Tricks
    • Kids In The Kitchen
    • Pantry Essentials
  • The Real Food Experience Challenge
  • Shop
    • Coupons and Special Deals
    • Retail Deals
    • Flirty Aprons
  • Real Life
    • Freedom From Clutter in 40 Days
  • School Lunches
    • Lunch Box Resources
    • Favorite School Lunch Supplies
  • Positive Sports Parenting

Real Life

10 Simple Ways to Make Family Dinner Special

I love to turn ordinary days into celebrations.  I think it goes back to the days where we had absolutely no money.  I had to be creative to make things fun for my family.  I have used each of these simple tricks to turn an ordinary day into something extra special and hopefully create childhood memories to last a lifetime.  I hope your family enjoys these fun dinnertime ideas as much as my family does.

 

10 Ways to Make Family Dinner Special

1.  Light Candles:  I love candles!  From those fancy home party candles to discount store candles.  I love them all.  Set up a simple candle display in the middle of the table and let the ambiance of the candlelight really set the mood for a special dinner.  It works for romance right?  It also works for kids.  They love it too!  Just make sure you use precaution when passing food……..especially with the little ones.

2.  Change of Scenery:  A change of scenery really turns ho-hum into something fun.  Eat outside, in the formal dining room, or have a picnic in the living room.  Your family will really take notice that there is something different and fun about this dinner.

3.  Formal Dinner:  Put your drinks in fancy glasses and get out the good china.  Use a nice tablecloth and fabric napkins.  Even grilled cheese is more fun on fancy dishes.

4.  Theme Night:  Really put your thinking cap on for this one and come up with some ideas on how to turn Taco Tuesday or Chinese Wednesday into a fun theme night.  Fun displays, serving pieces, and decorations can turn your regular dinner into a fun theme night.

5.  Flowers on the Table:  Flowers on the table take things from boring to fun.  You may not think your little ones will notice the flowers, but they will.  A simple arrangement of flowers from your garden will surely get the conversation going at your dinner table.  And if Daddy wants to bring Mommy flowers………well that will certainly earn bonus points from the whole family.

6.  Appetizer Dinner:  My family loves appetizers.  I have plenty of practice making them for our family parties, but sometimes its fun to make a meal out of appetizers.  Make several of your family favorites and make a meal of them.  The kids will love it!

7.  Restaurant Night:  How do you turn “leftover night” into something fun?  Call it restaurant night.  Create a quick menu or let everyone know what is available.  I have 2 pieces of chicken, 1 portion of spaghetti, grilled cheese made to order……….something like that.  Let the kids give and/or take orders and then prepare plates using your leftovers from previous meals.  Everyone eats something different at restaurants, right?

8.  Invite a Friend:  With this generation of highly scheduled children, I think many of us have lost sight of the simple practice of inviting a friend over for dinner. We usually reserve this for birthdays, but think how fun it would be to have a friend over on a random Tuesday.  Just make your regular dinner and notice how the whole family is excited to have the added element of a different face at the table.  Make sure you practice good conversation skills and include your guest in the conversation.  Try one of our favorites…….. “Roses and Thorns.”

9.  Serve Dessert:  We usually don’t have weeknight desserts so if I declare we are having dessert, the anticipation is high at my dinner table.  “Mom must have lost her mind………..we are having dessert! Whoohoo!  Hooray, Mom!”  Just be careful to not overdo this one. It’s not special if you have dessert every night.

10. Dress Up: Formal clothes or costumes……either one can be fun.  Let the kids wear their formal Easter clothes that they only get to wear once a year.  This works really well in combination with a formal dinner night. You can also get out those old Halloween costumes for a special dinner. Imagine the fun you will have with a Ninja or Pirate or Princess at the dinner table.

If your family thinks you are crazy……..you are doing things right.  Take the boredom out of your weeknights and really shake things up with these simple ideas.  When your children look back on their childhood, they will remember how fun their family dinners were and maybe continue these fun traditions with their children………..your grandchildren.

What is your favorite way to shake up weeknight dinners?  Have you ever tried the ideas I have listed here?  Are you already dreaming about grandchildren…….like I am?

If you are looking for help in making the transition to eating more real food, you should check out the Real Food Experience posts. You can get started at the beginning or jump around the challenges. You can find a complete round-up of the program here. Each week’s challenge is full of terrific advice to help you transition from fast and processed food to a real food diet. Changes that will help you to live a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to keep up with your busy schedule. I would also love for you to join me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a regular basis. Leave me a comment and let me know you are there. I love to visit with my readers. Yes, I’m a real person.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related


Leave a Comment

« Family Dinner Conversation Starters: Host a Technology Dinner
Real Food: “the Rules” Part 1 »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome!

Too much to do and too little time? I'm here to help you get real food to the table and keep your sanity.

Let me help you find what you are looking for.

Make a positive change in your life!

 

Change The World!

Kids In The Kitchen

Love With Food

40% off Deluxe - 300x250

SPONSORS

logo
Food Advertising by

Get Your Mighty Fix!

Learn More About the MightyFix One Simple Change Each Month

Get Flirty in the Kitchen

Latest from our Instagram

Instagram post 2119715864805664809_104982592 Dinner in the crockpot and we’re ready for our busy day. These kids are going to be hungry at the end of the day and I’m going to be ready! #crockpotmeals #crockpot #crockpotchicken #busymomlife #workingmom #jugglingrealfoodandreallife #realfood #eatrealfood
Instagram post 2006228450024633090_104982592 It’s always a fun day when my order from @grovecollaborative arrives. I don’t usually buy a ton of items all at once but I do purchase my favorites every month. I’m a big fan of the Grove products. This month I’m trying the organic peppermint blend tea. The mint and argan lip balm is my favorite. I also needed some more flour sack towels for my kitchen. My family loves all of the scents from @mrsmeyerscleanday and my daughter and I love the charcoal wipes from @yesto . Now to get this stuff put away and enjoy my cleaning. (Well as much as you can enjoy cleaning.) 😀 #cleaningmotivation #cleaningtips #beauty #jugglingrealfoodandreallife #saturday #saturdayvibes
Instagram post 1925555211527778921_104982592 Took a trip around our little community looking at Christmas lights with my daughter and husband last night. We think it would be fun to award a blue ribbon prize to our favorite house. The ribbon would say, “You won Christmas!” We are Christian and understand the true meaning of Christmas and want to spread joy to those that work hard to spread joy to others as well. Loving the Christmas season! 🎄♥️ #christmas2018 #merrychristmas #christmaslights #jesusisthereasonfortheseason
Instagram post 1885047231259049265_104982592 What do we think of this new water bottle I got in my Mighty Fix monthly subscription? And why does my hand look so wrinkled in this pic?? 💦😀🌎 #waterbottle #savetheplanet #drinkmorewater #healthy #cleaneating #jugglingrealfoodandreallife
Instagram post 1826385304706351331_104982592 This burger patty press from @cavetools is one of my favorite new tools this summer. I can make perfect burger patties ready to grill using the grass fed organic beef that I like.  Happy grilling! 🍔#realfood #cleaneating #jugglingrealfoodandreallife #grilling #grillingseason #summergrilling #summer2018 #yum #cookityourself #realfoodrealpeople #realfoodforkids #organic #grassfedbeef #grillingtools
Instagram post 1806996814147609018_104982592 Happy 1st day of Summer! This gorgeous salad made with @stemiltfruit Skylar Rae cherries is a perfect way to celebrate this day. Enjoy all of the fresh foods that Summer has to offer!  #salad #fruit #cherryseason #realfood #cleaneating #summer2018 #instayum #instagood
Instagram post 1805972454045598878_104982592 Now that we have survived another dance recital weekend, I am in a little bit of mourning. No ballet class tonight. Free time. What do people do with free time?  I need help!  What should I be doing tonight?  Please don’t tell me cleaning or laundry. 😀There must be something wonderful to do with free time. #dancemoms #dancersofinstagram #dancer #dancerecital #freetime #momlife #mommy #teenlife
Instagram post 1805467984526275282_104982592 Summer means grilling season!  I love how easy it is to cook healthy foods in a hurry. #chicken #peppers #grillingseason #grilling #pineapple #summer2018
Instagram post 1784517083590285530_104982592 These kids had a blast playing at Great Wolf Lodge this weekend. The staff really took care of us and made sure my kids were happy. Happy kids. Happy Mom. My daughter said, “This is the longest I’ve been without my phone and I don’t miss it because I’m having so much fun.” Let me tell you....That was music to my ears. #hosted #greatwolflodge #indoorwaterpark #familyfun #blessed #familyadventures #momlife #girlmom #boymom #family #fun #waterfun #pool #swimming

Don't miss out! Sign up to receive the latest Juggling tips straight into your inbox.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

10 Tips For Eating Healthier in 2019

Easy Last Minute Appetizers for Christmas Eve

3 Favorite Burger Recipes

Cave Tools Inside Out Cheeseburgers

Skylar Rae Cherries Super Summer Salad

Want more? Check out the archives.

Copyright © 2019 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2019 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in