How To Add A Homely Touch To Your Family Meals Without Any Special Effort?

 

And here we are again at Sweet Blog, the sweetest blog online.

The place to be for all fans of the 'home concept.'

 

Today, Following several requests from our sweet community, we'll be exploring a few solutions for a rather challenging topic that is quite relevant for some of us - Parents trying to combine a meaningful career with better family life/meals.

 

There is a great quote attributed to British author Allison Pearson:

 

"It's not wrong to be passionate about your career. When you love what you do, you bring that stimulation back to your family."

 

Many of us, as careerist parents, have experienced the inevitable tug of guilt that arises from our ambitions to fully realize our career potential. This often comes at the cost of quality family time, a sacrifice we make with a heavy heart.

The plan to move up on the career ladder usually consumes a lot of time and energy, which some parents are sure could have been better invested in their home/family, which makes them wonder about their decision-making and ultimately leads to an excessive desire for compensation and winning "Parent of the Year" title in a way that ends up in complete exhaustion.

Since we are not a blog that deals with parenting, we will not directly expand on this issue but only on the aspects that interface with 'Home affairs,' and in our case - on your ability to provide a more homely touch to your family meals even if you are careerists without free time.

 

In this article, we will equip you with practical tips and tricks to add a homely touch to your family meals. These strategies will help your child feel like their dinner was lovingly prepared by a sweet housewife grandmother, even if you're a busy careerist parent. This will undoubtedly strengthen the sense of family bonding within your home.

 

Rest assured, as always, we will provide a refreshing infographic presentation and a video summarizing the content of this article. This will make it easier for you to digest and implement the tips we share.

 

'The four ways to effortlessly add a homey touch to your family meals.'

 

Hop on!

 

 

1. Make Time!

 

 

English writer William Penn once said:

 

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."

 

Time is the number one challenge for careerist parents who want to hold more homey family meals.

It is also quite intuitively understandable. After all, a good family meal will necessarily require an investment of time and effort. And what is the number one resource that careerist parents lack?

Well, you got that right - Time.

So, suppose you are careerist parents who, on the one hand, are trying to juggle a severe lack of free time due to a demanding career and, ‏on the other hand, insistence on having an active family life in the form of home-cooked meals - in that case, the first thing you must do is to create more time.

"And how do I do that?" you must be asking.

Well, you must first identify the factors that waste most of your free time and directly approach them.

For example, A meaningful family meal usually involves preliminary planning, such as choosing a menu, figuring out preparation methods, buying groceries, and more.

As a careerist, you obviously don't have enough free time to carry out all these tasks. Therefore, try to think outside the box and assign some chores to your household members.

'Delegation of powers,' that's what fancy social sciences might call it:

One will be in charge of choosing the menu, while the other will be responsible for buying groceries. No doubt it will save you a lot of time. It is also highly recommended that you get updated briefly during the day (in the family WhatsApp group, for example) regarding the progress of the assignments.

By doing so, you will be able to manage your time better and create more free time, which inevitably helps with your efforts to produce much higher quality family meals, thus granting them a more homely touch.

 

Create free time and be efficient!

 

The examples are countless, but the guiding principle is still valid - try to understand those time-wasting factors that give you the hardest time concerning efficiency aspects and face them directly and wisely.

Unfortunately, many careerist parents are so overwhelmed in advance by the scope of the required tasks that they wave a white flag from the very beginning.

Once you implement the above recommendations, you will be surprised to see how much "free time" you suddenly have.

By the way, You can read more about better time management at home right here.

 

 

 

2. Natural Ingredients And Interesting Recipes.

 

So now that you've figured out how to free up more time for preparing your family meals, it's time to find out how and what they're made of.

 

Orson Welles once said:

 

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch.

 

A refreshing recipe may be the difference between a good, solidifying, homely family meal and a casual gathering around food whose whole purpose is to make you feel full.

One of the powerful tools that will help you in your efforts to provide a more homely touch to your family meals is a refreshing menu that consists of - wait for it - Mainly non-processed ingredients.

Imagine a joyful/unifying family meal in a small village in the middle of nowhere. Do you believe processed food is part of the menu?!

Hell no!

The motto that stands at the foundation of the culinary concept most of us consider 'Homely' is: "Natural ingredients - IN. Processed food - OUT"!

 

Processed food - OUT!

 

We are fully aware that processed food is the one that fits precisely the lifestyle of the timeless careerist parent who barely has fifteen minutes to engineer a bullshit Microwave dinner - this is exactly the sad reality we're facing.

And it goes without saying that, given the circumstances, we completely understand the reason behind this lack of time - The reality of modern life, which forces us to spend a lot of time in order to earn a living with dignity - We are not judging anyone - Our sole purpose is to help you create more 'Homey meals' with this fact in mind. The tip about creating more free time mentioned above is just the first tool you will be exposed to in this article.

 

Back to the 'Natural ingredients' - Besides the significant health benefits - A meal consisting of only natural ingredients will provide everything a processed meal cannot offer - warmth, coziness, home bonding, and closeness. 

You can read more here about the health benefits of eating organic foods over processed foods.

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So now that we've established the considerable contribution of a natural ingredient meal to your sense of homeliness, it's time to discuss our next tip: Refreshing and exciting recipes.

Look, We have nothing against mac and cheese. In fact, it's pretty delicious, and both meatloaf/baked/grilled/fried chicken and even mashed potatoes/baked or grilled fish - are genuinely tasteful. But, and it's a big 'But' - they're rather dull and generic, and you can find them at most dinners in American homes.

Therefore, for you to be able to grant your meals a more homely touch, you must try and overcome the "culinary boredom" prevalent in most homes/families. And one of the tools that can help you is an exciting recipe.

No need to panic. We're not asking you to become Gordon Ramsay overnight (it's also a bit far-fetched since you'll have to dye your hair blonde). All we are saying is you should invest some time and effort in finding an interesting recipe that will possibly excite a bit your family members dining with you.

Doing so will give your family meal a unique touch, undoubtedly leading to the desired feeling of homeliness.

Sources of information for such recipes?

Don't sweat. We've got you covered:

Check here and here.

And for the advanced ones among you - here.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Zero Distractions.

 

Tom Kite once said:

 

"You can always find a distraction if you're looking for one."

 

After discussing how to create time for proper meal preparation and describing the ingredients that will grant the desired homely touch to your family meals, it's time to talk about the actual time frame in which it will take place - It must be completely free of distractions!

To truly foster a sense of homeliness during your family meals, it's vital to steer clear of any potential distractions.

During mealtime, it's crucial to set work matters aside. Phones should be switched to 'silent' mode, and the TV should remain off. These actions are essential to create a distraction-free environment.

Distracting technology must not affect family closeness and bonding during meals.

Significant evidence suggests that media present during the ritual of family mealtime could have detrimental effects on the development of a well-functioning family system. This includes reduced communication, decreased bonding, and even potential health issues due to mindless eating.

Media devices used during a family meal may distract family members from engaging in healthy conversations that ultimately form strong relationships.

 

Distractions - Out!

 

Take our word for it - the world won't crumble if you disconnect from your WhatsApp/social media/email for just an hour. Unless you're Elon Musk, constantly tweeting or launching rockets, you're good to go!

Seize mealtime as a chance to engage in leisurely, meaningful conversations about topics that matter to you and your family. This simple act can transform a home-cooked meal into a deeply intimate and unifying experience, strengthening the bonds within your family.

Discover more about the communication benefits of mealtimes and how they can enhance your family's bond. This knowledge can serve as a powerful motivator to make mealtime a priority in your family's routine.

 

 

 

4. Social Activity.

 

Another great way to increase home bonding in your shared homemade meals is through a shared social activity. 

Besides the well-obvious importance of joint family activity for strengthening family bonding - something more important nowadays than ever - It's also super relevant for providing your family meals with the much-needed homely touch. These activities can foster a sense of togetherness and unity, making your family bond stronger than ever.

Creating a social family activity around your dinner table (usually after eating, when everyone is full and relaxed) is an infinitely great tool to help you give your meal a homey touch. Imagine the joy and laughter that can fill the room as you engage in a lively board game or share amusing anecdotes.

Anything goes, starting with family board/social games, through entertaining quizzes, and ending with a shared and exciting conversation around a specific topic. The variety and flexibility of these activities allow you to cater to everyone's interests and make each mealtime a unique and enjoyable experience.

 

Board games as a unifying family tool

 

There are countless examples, but the underlying principle remains the same - a family meal is more than just a collection of flavors in the form of food. It's an atmosphere, a source of joy and warmth. By creating a social activity around your family dinner table, you can strengthen your social connections, enhance bonding, and foster intimacy and family closeness. This simple act can add a more intimate touch to your family meals, making them even more special.

Remember, there's no need to strive for perfection or invest excessive time in finding the perfect family activity. A little creativity (even just fifteen minutes or a bit more), and you're there. The most important thing is the effort and the intention to create a social activity around your family meals, not the outcome.

 

 

In conclusion, these were the four tips to effortlessly add a homey touch to your family meals. We hope you found them helpful. 

 

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