Source: http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/06/01
You just spent the past hour making sure-to-be delicious stuffed peppers from your backyard garden. It’s paired with a fresh fruit from the produce co-op, and bread that you purchased (with a coupon!) at the bakery discount store. It’s a delicious and healthy frugal meal; but, no one in your family seems eager to try it. What’s a mom to do?
Making meals look more enticing can be a great way to perk up the interest of your family members. Frugal meals don’t need to be dull. Here are my ideas for making dinner time more enjoyable, regardless of how much the food cost.
1. Play with Colors and Textures
Cauliflower soup served with corn and white bread is going to look pretty lack luster no matter what you do. Find ways to inject color and texture into your meals. For instance, cauliflower soup with a cheddar cheese garnish, green beans topped with a few slivered almonds, and a slice of whole-grain bread will look a lot more visually appealing. As an added bonus, more color and texture frequently means more fiber and nutrients!
Use some of the ingredients already in the meal to garnish the serving dishes. Simple spaghetti sauce looks fancier when fresh basil leaves are scattered across the surface. Dried parsley can be sprinkled on a multitude of dinner dishes. Nuts and dried fruits are quick salad additions to bring more fun into the meal. Get creative and have fun! If you have an artistic child, have them think of ways to garnish and present the foods while you cook them.
2. Set the Table Properly
Each person gets a table setting with a plate, silverware in the correct locations, a glass, and a napkin (see here for a tutorial on making your own napkins: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/04/20/make-your-own-cloth-napkins/). Use placemats or tablecloths for special dinners (Sundays, holidays, birthdays, etc.). Young children can help set the table as a daily chore (see here for a guide for children http://www.parents.com/fun/printables/other/table-setting-place-mats/).
3. Serve Food in Attractive Dishes
Food typically looks more appealing if it is served in a glass bowl rather than a messy mixing bowl. Pots and pans don’t belong on the dinner table—transfer the food to a serving dish. Rather than just putting a package of bread or tortillas on the table, remove the items from the plastic packaging and set them on a plate. Although this may seem unnecessary and create a few more things to wash, it will make the meal appear more put-together. If there is a soup or salad being served, I like to dish up individual servings and set them out before gathering everyone to eat.
4. Have a Conversation
One of my favorite ideas for dinner-time conversation came from my neighbor, a mother of five children with a wide range of ages. Each night as they are eating, they go around the table and each person shares the best thing that happened that day and the worst thing that happened that day. We’ve tried this idea in my own family as well and it sparks great discussions and is a topic that everyone can participate in.
The environment that the food is served in can be just as important as the food itself. I hope that these ideas help you have more enjoyable frugal meals! If you have a favorite way to garnish food or a fun dinnertime conversation idea, please leave it in the comments.
