January 2, 2003

Prairie Fare: Gathering Busy Families at the Dinner Table

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

I watched some old TV shows during my vacation. Call it nostalgia. My husband and kids would be surprised if I started wearing flowered dresses, pearls, heels and frilly aprons when gathering them to the dinner table like the fictional TV moms.

Maybe it was easier for TV camera crews to film family interactions around a dinner table. But maybe it really was a sign of simpler, slower times. When fictional families like the Cleavers and, later, the Brady Bunch were dining together, many real-life families were following suit across the United States.

In the mid-1970s, nearly three-fourths of families ate together five or more times a week. By the mid-1990s, only about one-half of families dined together regularly.

There are many benefits to family meals. Children learn valuable social skills, family values and cooking skills if they’re involved in food preparation. Sometimes dinnertime provides the only time to hear about school, jobs and activities. Eating together is also considered a protective factor for teens. They’re less apt to engage in risky behavior with a secure home environment.

Families that eat together also tend to eat more nutritiously. On the budget side, dining at home usually is substantially lower in cost than dining at a restaurant. But eating together at a restaurant also "counts" as a family meal.

Slow cookers are one way to stream-line cooking. While it’s true you have to plan and prepare the food ahead of time, a delicious meal awaits you when you arrive home.

It’s important to follow some food safety recommendations when slow cooking using crock pots. Cut pieces into small chunks. USDA does not recommend slow cookers be used for large pieces of meat such as roasts or whole chickens because the food will spend too much time in the temperature "danger zone," where bacteria can grow quickly.

Foods with high moisture content like chili, soup, stew or spaghetti sauce are the best options for slow cooking. Meat should be completely defrosted before being added. Browning meat before adding it to stews or soups will add flavor; draining the meat will reduce fat content.

Fill the cooker at least half full and no more than two-thirds full. Keep the lid in place, removing it only to stir or check for doneness. Any leftovers should be stored promptly in shallow containers in the refrigerator.

If time is short, here’s a quick and easy slow cooker recipe that eliminates the need to chop and dice.

Winter Vegetable Soup

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can beef broth and 1 can water
1 package frozen, mixed vegetables

Mix all above ingredients together in slow cooker and cook on low 7 to 9 hours.

Makes 10 servings. Each serving contains 208 calories, 10.1 grams of fat, 18.3 grams of carbohydrates, and 4.1 grams of fiber.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu