Family Table Tuesdays

If I didn’t have a degree in nutrition, I would be so confused about what to feed my kids.  In the past month, I have read articles on the evils of sugar, the overconsumption of sodium, certain death from read meat, and poisoning kids with school lunch. What’s a parent to believe? What’s left to feed the kids?

Before you resort to drastic measures in changing your eating habits, take a moment to filter out all the sensationalized news.  If you are going to buy into a change in family meals, at least do your research to find out what the evidence is, how strong it might be, and how much it affects you. I’ll write more about that on my Food 4 Thought column this Thursday. Once you have made an educated decision about the validity of the information, next you need to weigh the costs against the benefits. Let’s say you decide that your family really does eat too much sodium. First you will need to make a list of the benefits of eating less sodium and, then, determine the costs. What will it take to cut back to a reasonable amount? Read More

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I pay my respects to the most popular vegetable in Ireland, the potato. In the US, we treat the potato as a criminal, contributing to the degradation of the American diet and, single-handedly, fattening our children.  In Ireland, during the late-1700’s, the potato was lauded for its ability to feed entire communities, saving the poor from famine and doubling the population in sixty years. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Although most wild potatoes are unfit for human consumption, the South American natives learned to cultivate edible varieties over 3,000 years ago. So valued was the tuber that the Incas worshipped it; they also found ways to preserve potatoes for sustenance during drought and scarcity. The potato arrived in Europe with the Spaniard explorers, but Europeans considered them unfit for human consumption, which, of course, led to using them for medicinal purposes. I guess they really believed if it tasted bad, it must be good for what ails you.  Americans were also suspicious of the potato until President Thomas Jefferson served them; most likely he grew them and prepared them himself.  Regardless of what other countries thought of the potato, the Irish found them to be delicious, easy to grow and nourishing. Read More

When I was about 12, my dad and I took a trip and ate at a restaurant in the motel, a rare treat. I perused the menu and was quickly drawn to the seafood. The descriptions of the entrees all sounded so delicious, I could hardly decide. Catfish was familiar and pan-fried, so I played it safe, or so I thought. When my meal came, the fish stared up at me; I had no idea he would still be sporting his head and tail. Try as I might to pick around the bones, the fish glared at me in disgust. Dad had also ordered something familiar with greater success, and being the best father ever, he traded me meals. I know that families dine out far more often than my family did when I was a child, but experience has taught me that dining out as a family still presents many challenges. Read More

I wish we could do what they do in Katroo.

They sure know how to say “Happy Birthday to You!” (Book by Dr Suess)

You may question what Dr. Seuss has to do with Family Table Tuesdays, unless you have really paid close attention to the works of the icon of children’s literature.  Although I was not raised on the wonderful works of Theodore Geisel, he is now and will forever be my hero. So, on March 2, I hope you will celebrate the birth of a most miraculous man at your family table.  Here are a few ways you might consider:

• You might try out a recipe or two inspired by his books. For even more fun, have a scavenger hunt through all the Seuss books you have to see how many different foods are mentioned.
• Pick one book and see how many words you can find that are not in the dictionary. I suggest A Wocket in My Pocket. Just remember, Dr. Seuss was the first to use the word “nerd”, and now it is in the dictionary. What word might your own children coin for future dictionaries? Read More

I hope you get a chance to do something special with your special someone this weekend or on Valentine’s Day. A little time away from the kids can relieve a lot of stress.  For the family, making the day special doesn’t require tons of planning or money. Kids see any effort on your part as a sign of love, and what better day to remind them of that than Valentine’s Day.

When the girls were young, we decorated the table, pulled out the fine china and the crystal goblets, and opened a bottle of sparkling cider.  I usually prepared a heart-shaped dessert, something strawberry most years.  My friend, Peggy, always makes “the traditional heart-shaped meatloaf”, as she calls it, an entrée that might appeal to my husband, but not the girls.  Although, I think that I could have made just about anything into a heart, and they would have relished in my creativity. Thank goodness hearts are so easy to make (especially with cookie cutters or cake pans), because I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler! Read More

“Don’t sing at the table, don’t whistle in bed, the devil will get you before you’re dead,” we would chant at the table when anyone was practicing bad manners, when I was a child. Why? I have absolutely no idea. I think we were taught the rhyme to remind us to behave politely at the table. When I was a child, manners were taught almost everywhere I went: at home, at school, at church, at Girl Scouts, at 4-H. Sad to say, I don’t believe that is the case anymore. Although, I was happy to see Real Simple host Be Nice on the Internet Week. Good manners offer us the opportunity to cultivate respect for ourselves and for others. Civility is not dead and parents have the greatest opportunity to educate their children in etiquette at the family table. The big questions are what to teach and when. Read More