Sharing Dinner-Making Chores- Stress-lessly, Really?

I have a mental block when it comes to meal planning.  I have a grocery list that is largely staples for our household.  I have a full-size freezer, that I keep stocked with various meats and prepared quickie meals, but rarely do I plan a week’s worth of meals.  Every school year I resolve I will plan ahead, and inevitable by the end of the first week, assuming we are not on the run to after-school activities, we are back to the 5 pm question, “mom, what’s for dinner,” and my panicked, slightly irritated response, “ah, food!”

This school year we are trying something new.  With the advent of 2 teenagers and 1 almost- teenager in the house, more people are contributing to making meals- my 15, 13 and 12 year olds.  Every Sunday night, during family meeting, we look over the coming week’s schedule and each of the teenagers/ almost teenager and I commit to making dinner at least, 1 night during the week.  The idea of covering only 4 nights, being the odd night will be leftover night. In the event that there are no leftovers, my husband or I step in and  make a dinner.  We’ve only been at it a week, but so far, it’s a raving success!

Benefits include:

1. Forces advance planning.  When asked to make a commitment, kids and parents have to look at school work loads, commitments to extra-cirricular activities and plan- something that is not our strength, but needs to become a habit around our household!  This week my 13 year old knowing she had a lot of work, made a crock pot meal, the night before!  Brilliant!
2. Forces planned grocery shopping trips.  (Really part of advanced planning,) upon thinking about what they are going to make, kids are searching for ingredients and keeping me on my toes about properly stocking the pantry.  We have developed a system in which we keep a running grocery list on the counter- and they add need ingredients for recipes and items they use up while cooking.  For odd ingredients they need, the kids text me, so I can pick the item up, on my way home.
3. Encourages meals to be eaten together.  Eating dinner together at least once a week, helps protect kids from negative peer-pressure by creating a family as a place of bonding and warmth.  Sharing meal allows time to share events from the day, plan, and connect emotionally.  Research shows that frequent family dinners (five or more a week), are associated with lower rates of smoking, drinking, and illegal drug use in pre-teens and teenagers when compared to families that eat together two or fewer times per week.
4. Pride, builds resiliency.  Successfully providing for your  entire family, including your parents, is powerful.  It can’t but make you feel confident and good about yourself!  The kids are finding it an adventure to look through cook books, and love having some control over what’s for dinner.  As a mom, it’s been wonderful listening to the kids give accolades to their chef-siblings, as well as watch their skills and creativity grow.
5. Meal variety.  When the same person always cooks, they burn out.  Cooking becomes a chore, something to do to survive not enjoy.  Breaking up this cooking-chore, has created excitement among all of us.  We are trying to out cook each other, which has lead to some fantastic meals- not made by me-( the best part!)  Now, for you skeptics, I know what you’re thinking… “will they be this excited in a month?”  …Probably not.  I am enjoying the now, and will see how we need to tweak things as the school year gets in full swing! (I will update you when we get there.)
6. Encourages healthy eating.  As part of prepping the kids to make meals, we have made 2 rules:  meals have to be low-carb, high in veggie content, and have at least one protein; and meals cannot come from a box in the freezer. This has forced, kids to research what constitutes a protein, as well as what spices or cooking technique can make zucchini taste better.  we have had some good laughs.
7. Reinforces the need for a family meeting.  My husband works in the corporate world, and detests meaningless, just “rah-rah” meetings.  On occasion when busy, he has been less than enthusiastic about another meeting.  Meal planning and reviewing schedule early in the week, has been so helpful for us all, the meeting has become really necessary- and in the process has built fantastic community, within our house!
8. Fun.  Sharing cooking techniques and recipes, challenging each other to learn about different spices has just upped the fun factor in our house, in so doing upped the happiness factor!  It’s been really good stuff… If you have a few older kids in the house, I hope you’ll give this idea a try!