Week 9 Scoreboard

This was the week to get back on track after the holidays, and I think things went pretty well.

The plan:

• Mon:  pork fried rice, peas, pineapple, spinach salad
• Tue:  ham and bean soup, fresh bread, fruit, carrot sticks
• Wed:  angel hair, alfredo or pesto sauce, garlic bread, ricotta cheese, sautéed vegetables, fruit
• Thur:  leftover buffet!
• Fri:  grilled steak, triangle potatoes, salad

Reality:

• Mon:  pork fried rice, peas, pineapple, spinach salad
• Tue:  ham and bean soup, corn muffins, fruit, carrot sticks
• Wed:  angel hair, pesto sauce, spinach salad, raspberries
• Thur:  leftovers and homemade pizza
• Fri:  roast chicken, mac and cheese, cucumber slices, raspberries

With my old scoring system, this would get about a 4 out of 10, with one point for each meal on the plan (they were all pretty good), and zero for everyone eating together at the table (which didn’t happen once).

With my new scoring system I’m calling this a 10 out of 15.  Each day gets three points:

1. one point for following the plan
2. one point for nutritious meal
3. one point for three people eating at the table at the same time

This means each week is 15 points.  Three people at the table is a significant shift from my rule about wanting everyone there for it to count as a point, but it’s certainly more practical.  Family Dinner will continue to be the goal, but for now a 3/5ths Family Dinner is going to have to do, despite racist past government compromises.

Slogging through another meal where everyone eats as fast as possible to get away from the table because we’re all grumpy and tired is just not how any of us like to start the evening.  Eating dinner late because we’re waiting for someone who stopped for chili cheese fries will now be a thing of the past, and I think we can all agree that’s sensible.

Apparently my book will not be titled ‘Family Dinners‘ but ‘At Least Try to Cook Sometimes, for Some People in Your House’.

Have thoughts on my scoring?  Let me know in the comments, or share on the Facebook page, or email me explaining how I’m abandoning my goals like always and never follow through with things, and it’s ruinous parenting that I shouldn’t really be blogging about at all.

Moving on, let’s see what I think will work this week.

Week 10 Plan

Keep in mind that the kids and I have been watching Master Chef Jr., which we adore (still love you, Oona!), and the kids are more interested in helping than usual, so I’m trying to keep things they can help with as part of the meal.

• Mon: pot roast, garden salad, potatoes, blackberries, green beans
• Tue: ham and cheese soufflé, peas, avocado, oranges
• Wed: salmon cakes, pasta, steamed spinach, carrot sticks, apples
• Thur: grilled pot roast sandwiches, carrot soup, and salad
• Fri: BBQ night!

Sale items are the carrots, blackberries, apples, avocado, and potatoes, and all the meat/fish is from the freezer.

Have a great week, everyone, and let me know what you think about the new Family Dinner score plan.

Cheep Cheep!