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A mom's point of view: Dinner at home means better health, more family time

As a mom, I care about healthy living in an “everything in moderation” sort of way. We get a decent amount of exercise, don't drink soda at home and we order small ice cream treats when we go to Dairy Queen. We seldom snack after dinner, and take a few family bike rides each week, except during the eight months of the year when the weather in Chicago demands we exercise indoors. Then we play tennis and baseball — on the Wii.

Even with increasingly busy schedules, eating dinner together is a priority; it is one of the healthiest things we do as a family. We usually eat out once a week, dining at home the other nights. When my daughters were preschool age, dinnertime was the most stressful part of my day. Hungry children hanging off my leg as I tried to cook at the stove was not pleasant. Now that my kids are older, I enjoy cooking. Even after a hectic day, I find it's a great way to unwind.

The dinners don't have to be fancy. I have a few elaborate recipes I make from time to time, but for the most part, I keep it simple. I am a big fan of store-bought rotisserie chickens. Some nights this is dinner; other nights we use them as a shortcut to prepare chicken enchiladas, fresh salads and barbecue chicken sandwiches. Our current family favorite is pesto pizza, made with fresh mozzarella and basil, roasted garlic, asparagus and roasted chicken.

More than once I have stopped at the store on my way home from running errands, right before dinner, to find a small crowd gathered around an empty rotisserie chicken case. Knowing glances, anxious customers whispering “how long?” confirm that we have no plan B.

When I prepare dinner at home, I control the quality of ingredients, can easily alter recipes to make them less fattening, and I also control portion sizes. We eat smaller portions of meat and more vegetables at home than we do in restaurants. We can all have side salads with our dinner for no extra charge, with free refills on milk and water.

The benefits of eating at home go beyond good nutrition. My oldest daughter enjoys cooking with me, our 10-year-old provides dinner music on the piano, and our 5-year-old helps with setting the table and making the salads. This all translates into more time together.

These moments are sometimes the only time we have during the day to connect with one other. Even when the preparation and conversation are chaotic, we are engaging, building into our relationships. After the meal, we work together to clean up the kitchen.

Some nights, when everyone is going in different directions, it's just not possible to all sit down at the same time for dinner. But this is the exception. We value family dinner, schedule around it, and do our best to make it happen. Whether the menu is spaghetti or scrambled eggs, it's almost always the favorite part of our day.

ŸBecky Baudouin lives in the Northwest suburbs with her husband, Bernie, and their three daughters. She blogs regularly at beckyspen.blogspot.com.

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