Family dinners are arguably one of the most important times for family bonding and relationship building. It is an opportunity for every member of the family to come together and share their day, whether it be good or bad and get some valuable input from other people they trust more than anyone else. There is nothing better than sitting around with people you know love and care for you after a tough day at school or work.
For some families, like ours, these meal times can also be the most stressful part of the day with different dietary restrictions, food refusal and other behaviours escalating during this time.
In some of our tougher eating periods, we really embraced the platter dinner. For some, a platter dinner can feel like the “lazy” option or a “cheats” dinner but I can assure you that it is a blessing in disguise for families with meal time battles.
A platter dinner is essentially a meal that is served on a large platter or plates and consists of a variety of foods, usually foods that don’t touch each other! You can make your platter anything you like, it can be as simple or complex as your tastebuds require, hot or cold, really, you are in control!
While there are no rules for the platter dinner, here are some loose ones that we adhere to:
- There is always something on the platter that each family member would enjoy.
- We always include some protein.
- We try and include as many coloured fruit and vegetables as possible.
- We include a variety of textures so some items are raw, others streamed etc.
- Often we include some leftover items from other meals and they get tried as they are presented differently, under less pressure and we reduce waste.
- We include some sauces or dips for exploring.
- There is always a safe plate to put foods you don’t like if you decide to try something new.
- There is no pressure or arguments about what you “have” to eat.
With the pressure off food, this opens up a wide range of conversation topics, sometimes food related like:
- What foods are in season at the moment?
- What we can grow in our garden?
- Where did our food come from?
- What benefits to our body do certain foods have?
- Who wants to help prepare the dinner platter tomorrow?
- What foods surprised you the most?
- Are there any of these foods you would like in your lunchbox?
These topics then often drift into things that may have happened during the day.
As you can see, a platter dinner can be a great tool to take the pressure off mealtimes whilst still exposing everyone in the family to a wide range of food options and can still be a balanced dinner. Another great way to save time is to food prep items on the weekend and store them in containers in the fridge ready to pull out when you need them. Perfect for those nights when you have after school activities or appointments.
To get you started, here are some ideas on items you can incorporate into your platter but any safe foods are great:
- Eggs (boiled, whole, sliced, fried, scrambled)
- Salmon (steamed, grilled, smoked)
- Chicken, Beef, or Pork (steamed, grilled, smoked, baked, pulled)
- Rice (boiled, steamed, fried, black, brown, white)
- Potatoes (boiled, roasted, chips, crisps, mashed, scalloped, gems)
- Raw or steamed veg (carrots, broccoli, cucumber, corn, capsicum, tomatoes etc)
- Dips (hummus, beetroot, tzatziki, pesto)
- Avocado
- Pasta
- Bread, wraps, tortillas or crackers
- Cheeses
- Fruits (these are always on our safe list!)
- Yoghurt
So, if dinner times are stressing you out, why not try a platter dinner and enjoy a delicious and fulfilling meal together - without the usual arguments!