Eat Better, Eat Together Month 2022

 

Now that the weather is changing, it is the perfect time to eat together as a family. October was chosen as the month to eat better and to eat together as a family. Eat Better and Eat Together Month is celebrated every year in October. Your family can spend less time using their cell phones and other electronic devices by helping you to make a family dinner together. Keep in mind the age of your children and how they can help you prepare a meal.

If they are too young to use a knife and other sharp kitchen tools, they can help set up the table and fold the napkins. Also, one can be a music DJ and play music while the others are helping to set up the dinner table. Another way is by having them watch you cook, and they can write down the ingredients on a piece of paper. Then, they can write down the instructions on how to prepare the meal and make their handmade recipe book. Be creative when having your children together in a kitchen and spend time with them by asking them questions.

Make sure you do not ask them too many questions and have a conversation about the importance of healthy eating. After you and your children are done making your meal, you can have them wash and dry the plates. The mother or father can wash the pots and pans while the children go and play in the backyard. Depending on their age level, your children can make a simple chicken meal with vegetables and with plantains. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

One packet of chicken tenderloins

Extra virgin olive oil

Chicken broth or chicken bouillon

One bell pepper (any color)

Spices:

Paprika

Tajin chili and lime mild classic seasoning

Rosemary crushed leaves

Oregano leaves

Lemon and Pepper

Vegetables:

2 Chayote squash

1 Yellow squash

1 to 2 Carrots

1 Dark Plantain

½ onions

Cilantro leaves

Preparation and Cooking Time:

Begin by peeling the green chayote squash and slice it in half. Then slice the half pieces into smaller pieces. In one big pot throw the sliced chayote squash into the pot. After that peel, the carrots and slice them. Peel half of an onion, slice it and add to the pot. Add the carrots inside the pot with the chayote squash. Next, wash and peel the yellow squash and slice it into several pieces. Also, add the yellow squash inside the same pot with the carrots, chayote, and sliced onions.

Cook the vegetables with chicken broth or with chicken bouillon. Wash and remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. Add the cilantro leaves on top of the vegetables and let everything cook. While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the chicken with the spices. Add lemon and pepper, paprika, rosemary, and oregano to the chicken. Wash and slice one bell pepper. In this example, one red bell pepper was used to make this basic chicken meal. Add the bell pepper to the skillet with the chicken.

You can cook the chicken in water or in cooking oil. In this recipe, the chicken was cooked in extra virgin olive oil after the bell peppers were cooked in water with the chicken. Once the chicken is golden brown, remove the olive oil from the skillet. After that, peel one dark plantain. The darker the plantain the sweeter it gets.

Plantains can be sliced in diverse ways, but I decided to slice the plantains in a round shape. In another skillet with extra olive virgin oil, add the sliced plantains and cook each side. Once the chicken, vegetables, and plantains are ready; You can serve them on several plates. I used a small bowl for the vegetables and a little bit of chicken broth at the bottom of the bowl to give the flavor to the vegetables. Next, Serve the chicken with bell peppers and plantains.

Next, you can turn off the music or play softer music in the background while you have your dinner as a family. Put everyone’s cell phones on silent mode for one hour while you are having dinner together. Tell your children that they will eat together at the dinner table and not in front of the television set. Have a variety of topics that you can discuss with your children while you are together eating at the dinner table. Below are websites for ideas on how to make kid-friendly meals and about Eat Better, Eat Together Month. 

 

Eat Better, Eat Together Making Mealtime Family Time-Eat Wheat:

Eat Better, Eat Together. Making Mealtime Family Time | Eatwheat

60 Easy, Awesome Kid-Friendly Dinner Ideas-The Spruce Eats:

60 Easy, Awesome Kid-Friendly Dinner Ideas (thespruceeats.com)

100 Plus Easy Kid Friendly Recipes-Cooking & Meal Ideas for Kids to Make:

100+ Easy Kid Friendly Recipes - Cooking & Meal Ideas for Kids to Make (delish.com)

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