I don’t know about you, but dinnertime at my house is the absolute best. I never have to beg, plead or coerce my kids and husband to come to the table and eat every bite of the nutritious, organic, GMO– and steroid–free meal I’ve prepared. I cherish the uninterrupted and intimate family conversations we hold (TV off, phones hidden away).
Follow these easy steps for a dinner everyone from the dog to the trash can will love.
- Reactivate your Pinterest account.
- Pour a glass of wine.
- Pin a minimum of 15 recipes.
- Drink the wine as you become overwhelmed.
- Decide to make the taco recipe you’ve made every week for years because it’s safest.
- Begin the food prep and ignore the shouts of “MOMMY!” echoing through the house. They don’t actually need you; that’s just a child’s primal need to interrupt.
- Get fancy and make your own paleo taco seasoning. It doesn’t taste as good, but at least you can put it in a cute mason jar and store it by your dusty spice rack.
- Chop vegetables, even though you’re the only one who will eat them. Repeat “At least I try” in your head.
- Plate tacos with sides of your choice.
- Respond accordingly to the patrons’s complaints: “My taco is smaller than his,” “I don’t like beans,” “I don’t like meat,” “I don’t like tacos,” “These smell gross,” “I just want cheese,” “Can’t you make something else?”
- Plead and bargain for bites to be taken. Be prepared to lose some of your dignity.
- Once a third of each diner’s plate has been consumed, assemble your white flag and release the prisoners from their chairs.
- Eat everyone’s leftovers.
- Clean dishes. (Pro tip: Use paper plates for easy disposal.)
- Pour a large glass of wine.
- Search Pinterest for tomorrow’s dinner.
Carrie Taylor is a freelance writer, editor and mother of two boys.
