3 Weeks of Fun Family Dinners
Dinner time can be such a struggle!! Being a mother of 7 kids, we have tried a lot of different things in our family. Trying to get everybody together at the same time, making it a positive experience when you're all together, and just getting the meal planned and prepped can be the hardest part. We've learned when we make it fun and special, we try a little harder to make family dinner time happen on a regular basis.
Let’s solve some of your meal time madness!!
We have 3 weeks of meals mapped out for you!
One day per week we have a breakfast planned, because we love breakfast for dinner- especially on the weekends.
Sundays I did a fancier menu, because I know some people like to have a formal dinner on that night.
There are a lot of desserts included on this menu. We do not eat dessert every night (though that would be really fun!). I just wanted to give you lots of variety!
Each week we also have a fun family activity for you to do sometime that week during or after dinner.
These traditions have brought our family closer and help our children feel more important and excited about our time together. They're simple and I hope they will be something your family enjoys as well. We'd love to hear how it goes for you!
We try to involve our children in the dinner prep when we can. Here are our 10 Tips for Teaching Kids to Cook, to see what works best for us. Dinner time is a lot more fun for our kids when they’ve been involved in fixing it.
You’ll notice several of these recipes were inspired by dishes we’ve eaten while traveling. I love recreating something delicious at home that I enjoyed on an adventure! For our travel itineraries and tips, head over here!
Now that you don't have to plan dinner, just throw on some fun music while you prep, or listen to our podcast: Helping of Happiness while you mix and chop. It's full of encouragement, tips and fun about family life. You can find our podcast archives here on our website (helpingofhappiness.com), or on your favorite podcast app.
If you have any additional questions or want to let me know how your dinner time is going- please email us! We’re also all over social media. We’d be honored if you’d follow us and catch up with us there!
Love
Hillary Hess
hill@helpingofhappiness.com
Loaded Chicken Enchiladas
Mango Avocado Salad
Rocky Road Fudge
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Streusel Topping
Baked Rigatoni
Week 1 : Activity
Introducing Family Award Night
Family Award Night has been our simple trick for helping our young children get along better by encouraging the positive things they are doing.
Week 1: Meals
Sunday: Mango Avocado Salad, Loaded Chicken Enchiladas, Mango Margarita Mocktails & Andes Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake
Monday: Baked Rigatoni, Roasted Asparagus, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Baked Rigatoni is the first dinner I ever learned to cook, and it happened to also be the first dish I made for my husband when we were dating. Our Chocolate Chip Cookies are slightly modified from a recipe my mom would make when I was a little girl. Both recipes are classics and filled with nostalgia!
Tuesday: Sweet & Mildly Spicy Shrimp Tacos, Cherry Limeade, Rocky Road Fudge
Rocky Road Fudge is a fun one to ship to your loved ones at Christmas and Valentines day! It holds up great in the mail as long as the weather isn’t hot!
Wednesday: Potato Cheese Soup, Simple Salad, Dinner Rolls , Swiftie Sugar Cookies
Potato Cheese Soup has been a long favorite of our friends who have gone down for surgery or post partum recovery.
The Swiftie cookies are a favorite at weddings and freeze amazingly well!
Thursday: Heart Healthy Grain Salad, Pan Fried Chicken Cutlets, & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Streusel Topping
This is a fun one to serve at a luncheon with friends or a brunch!
Friday: Hawaiian Haystacks, Triple Layer Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Hawaiian Haystacks were a staple in my home growing up. My dad has allergies to gluten, so our recipe has 2 ways of making the gravy (one way with flour the other with cornstarch).
Saturday: French Toast Crunch with Strawberries
This copy cat recipe was inspired by a visit we made to Magnolia Table in Waco, Tx! YUM!
Wicked Good Ice Cream Bricks
Casado
Mexican Shrimp Skewers
Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktails
Week 2: Activity
CandleLight Manners Dinner
The Candlelight Manners Dinner isn’t only a time to practice good manners, but it’s also a signal for all screens to have a break so your family can connect with their full attention.
Week 2: Meals
Sunday: Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Garlic Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, & Reese's Oatmeal Fudgies
Bacon Wrapped Chicken has been a life saver when we have hosted our kids and their friends for homecoming & prom dinners at our house. They are super easy to make ahead- and even freeze well! More tips for formal dances here!
Monday: Casado - Costa Rican Cuisine, Wicked Good Ice Cream Bricks
Both of these meals were inspired by trips we took. I love recreating dishes from places we’ve been so we can be transported back by the flavors. We ate a lot of Casado when we went to Costa Rica, and the Ice Cream Bricks are an iconic dessert we had when we visited Historic Nauvoo!
Tuesday: Broccoli Cheese Soup, & Cinnamon Rolls
These are favorites you can see show up on my daughter’s birthday!
Wednesday: Mexican Shrimp Skewers, Mexican Style Corn on the Cob, & Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Mini Bundt Cakes
Mexican foods is one of our very favorites. My husband lived in Mexico for 2 years while he served a church mission and brought his love for all things Mexico into our marriage. If you are planning a trip to Mexico soon, check out this blog post! It’s such a fabulous place to visit!
Thursday: Halal Bowls, Homemade Garlic Naan Bread, Peanut Butter & Rocky Road Pizookies
These are some big Helping of Happiness favorites! Halal Bowls have a few components, but they are worth every bit of time it takes to prepare!
Friday: Pizza Bites, Antipasto Salad, Peppermint Kisses Snaps & Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktails
Saturday: Single Serve German Pancakes- in muffin tins or ramekins
You will find this and lots of other tasty recipes in our cookbook!
Chocolate Chip Pizookies
Veggie Packed Pita
Banana Pancakes with Spiced Apples & Peanut Butter Drizzle
Chicken Pot Pie
Week 3: Activity
Family Game Night- grab your favorite game, or try a new one
We LOOOOVE playing games as a family! We talk about some of our favorites on these two podcasts:
Week 3: Meals
Sunday: Veggie Packed Pitas, Hummus, Tzatziki Sauce, & Chocolate Chip Pizookies
Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup, M&M Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle
Tuesday: Pork Chops, Strawb-Peach-Mint Fruit Cup, Simple Salad
Wednesday: Red Beef Chili, Killer Cornbread, Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake
We love making this chili when we are on vacation, staying in a vacation property. It’s super easy to plop in a crockpot and let cook while you play!
Thursday: Chicken Apple Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner, Pretzel Rolls, Berry Lemonade
This sheet pan dinner is our most requested of our healthy recipes. Everyone who tries it can’t believe the way they love the vegetables in this dish- kids included!