It is no secret that getting the entire family around the dinner table for a meal every night is hard. It really is. It seems the older kids are the harder this becomes. Even if you don’t work outside of the home, the activities for everyone start to pile up and it seems we can really make our lives busy. Sometimes I wonder if technology has made them busier as much as it was created to simplify things. With that said, I am proud to partner with Smucker’s and help promote their Disconnect to Reconnect initiative.
The goal is to help family mealtime go viral! I couldn’t be more happy about this. Like I said earlier, finding time to have a family meal together every single night each week might seem impossible. If so, why not pledge to at least one meal and make sure it is TECHNOLOGY FREE! That’s right. No cell phones or tablets at the dinner table people! We really don’t need to see what you are eating on Instagram every night. The reality is, what is going to make the longest lasting impact? That tweet or that conversation with your son? I’ll be placing my bets on connecting with my kids.
Take the Pledge (It’s free)
So, will you take the Pledge? I did and here is a challenge straight from our family to yours to take the Pledge as well. Your kids will thank you. Head over to PowerofFamilyMeals.com and pledge now. Just in case you wanted a few simple, go-to meal ideas that are easy on your budget, here are our favorites:
(images from PowerofFamilyMeals.com)
1. Breakfast for Dinner
It only takes a few minutes to scramble up some eggs and throw some bacon in the skillet. Want it even faster? Purchase the pre-cooked microwaveable Turkey Bacon! Our kids love it and it saves you from grease burn. Want our family favorite pancake recipe? Give it a try!
2. Grilled Cheese with Soup
Got bread? Got cheese? Got Grilled Cheese! We also like to use a little butter (ok, a lot). Pop a can of soup on the stove and you have dinner in minutes that didn’t break the bank.
3. Tacos
They are quick, come in a kit if you don’t like scratch, and they provide all food groups. Honestly, depending upon how you top these bad boys, you could come out feeding your kids all kinds of healthy things (don’t let them know… it’s our little secret).
4. Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Eliminate the meat if you are truly tight on money, but you can always use tomato paste, a little water, salt, oregano and basil to create your own spaghetti sauce then add some noodles. Cheap, cheap, cheap! I also like to throw in a few shredded carrots to “trick” the kids into another veggie.
5. Snacks for Dinner
I’m not talking about chips and dip, but break out those leftover carrot sticks, yogurt cups, apple slices and cheese sticks. Sometimes this turns out to be my kids favorite meal for the week.
Amanda says
Our quick meal is usually sandwiches or spaghetti. My son actually asks for sandwiches all the time!
Tonia says
And now I will be having grilled cheese with soup today. Love that idea. Would it be wrong have a banana on the side? lol… great post. I’ll have to pin it. 🙂
krystal says
Tacos are my favorite thing to make! They are so customizable and affordable that any family should start scheduling those into their meal plan more regularly. 🙂
Liz Mays says
At home, I don’t think we’ve ever brought our cell phones to the table. It actually never occurred to me to do that so I guess I’m following the rules. 🙂
Rosey says
Spaghetti is our go-to meal that’s cheap and easy. Everyone loves it too, except hubby but if I put meatballs in there, he’s an instant fan too. 🙂
Ashley M says
I like the idea of (healthy) snacks for dinner! Although it’s important to make sure it contains some sort of fibers/protiens to fill up hungry families.
Sadie B. says
Cheap and simple – scrambled eggs. We have our own chickens and they are laying like crazy right now.
Melissa @ This Girl's Life Blog says
I love that all of these are cheap because they are all our favorite. We love spaghetti, tacos, and breakfast for dinner a lot and have just tomato soup and grilled cheese pretty often.
dina says
I have soup in the crockpot right now. I love soup and grilled cheese.
Tara says
Quesadillas
Erica says
I grew up on this homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. Boil macaroni, drain. Mix in a can of stewed tomatoes and three quarters of a package of sliced American cheese. Mix until cheese is melted. Pour into a baking dish, top with remaining cheese slices. Bake until cheese is melted and edges start to brown. We all love it!
Alissa Apel says
Our quick meal is just hamburger patties. Then I steam some greens to go with them.
deb c says
My favorite go to meal is lasagna. It is so easy now with the no cook noodles.
Jess says
I love cooking hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill 🙂
christine jessamine says
my neighbor showed me how to make louisianna style 3 ingredient sausage chili. Amazing, our favorite and cheap!
Tabathia B says
hot dogs and fries or spaghetti with pasta sauce
Laura J says
Oh I would have to say scrambled eggs and toast!
Dawn K. says
Spaghetti is my go to cheap meal. It’s fast easy and cheap.
Monica Kirkham says
Burritos are usually our quick go to meal that is definitely cheap and simple!!!
Melissa Tippie says
My favorite go to family meal that’s cheap & simple is tomato or chicken noodle soup w/crackers and peanut butter sandwich. Thank-you for a great #giveaway!
Michelle Washburn says
we love Shepherd Pie , we have it once a week.
Heather Hayes Panjon says
Tacos Are A Family Favorite That Is Budget Friendly And Simple.
Jennifer Tilson says
Homemade beans and hot dogs (beanie weanies) are our go-to cheap meal.
Sherrie C. says
Our favorite go to meal is homemade pizza on French Bread. Easy, quick and fun to make 🙂
callawishes(at)hotmail(dot)com
Cori Westphal says
We make homemade potstickers all the time! Just potsticker wrappers, ground turkey and a few other household ingredients you’d already have one hand, like ketchup, mustard, eggs and chives. Then you fry em up and then steam em with some chicken broth. So easy and SO much better than any potstickers you can buy!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Michelle C says
Sometimes we just have a big salad for dinner or even a bowl of cereal. Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com
trixx says
Our go to meal is Chicken Quesadillas. It’s always a hit!
Lisa L says
Our go to meal is spaghetti. It’s so quick to make and everyone loves it.
renee says
Like so many other posters, pasta with marinara or alfredo sauce and garlic bread, made from sandwich bread, butter, and minced garlic if we don’t have frozen Texas toast!
D Schmidt says
My favorite quick and easy meal is tuna noodle casserole.
Audra O'Hara says
We like to make a big batch of homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs and freeze several containers. When we’re in a crunch for dinner, we grab a box of noodles and hit defrost on the microwave for the sauce. Very easy and cheap to make.