Making dinner time simple: part 1 | Charlotte family photographer

keeping it simple | charlotte family photographer

I know dinner time can be complicated enough.

As our kids have gotten older and had more and more things they are involved in and school gets later and later into the afternoon, dinner time has become harder to keep up with.

when we had a younger family

When everyone was younger and at home most of the day, we hardly ever thought of going out to eat.  We were already home so we just made dinner.  Now, many times a week we find ourselves running someone to the next activity and realize that we’ve not eaten dinner which would lead to grabbing Taco Bell or something else equally unhealthy or unappetizing.

the reality of our dinner time

Having dinner together the majority of nights has become something that we have to be very aware of and intentional about doing. Otherwise, we easily slip into the downward spiral of eating out at fast food that no one loves and doesn’t really nourish us.

Off the rails

By summer’s end we have seriously gone off the rails with routines, eating at a decent hour, and even regular showering.  And by decent hour, with teenagers, I mean eating breakfast at the crack of 11:50am and dinner at the early hour of 11:30 at night has become our usual eating times together.  Even though our dinner schedule is so crazy we still make it a point to gather around the table together.

Even on days when we would end up at the fast food drive up window would often bring it home and eat together around the table.  That gathering together, instead of eating in the car, can make even fast food feel special in the way it brings us to a place where we get to see each other and talk and laugh (if you’ve not downloaded my dinner time/back-to-school questions you can do it HERE).

I’m looking forward to school though, if only for the chance to eat dinner before before bedtime!

Here are a couple of things we do to keep it easy and simple:

*eat at the same time every night, even if everyone isn’t here

*set the table

*eat at the table, even if it’s fast food

*make a plan for what to eat, each night of the week, on Sunday

*create a very simple menu with super simple ingredients

*start making dinner together at the same time every night

Ideally, we would like to eat at the same time every night.  I give this idea as an ideal.  What we have started doing is establishing on Sunday what time we need to eat dinner each night and who needs to start it.  With older kids, this works for our family.

While photographing the Jones family, I got to eat a delicious dinner with them.  I loved how simple Alexas kept dinner.  To help you get started with your own super simple recipe that involves very few ingredients and takes only about 20 minutes to make, Alexas sent me her mom’s recipe for Salmon Patties that she made during her family’s documentary photo session.

Meet Alexas

Alexas (instagram: @itsalexas ) is amazing…she is an advocate for natural child birth, raising her children trusting God, and she lives in a 100+ year old house that she and Bobby have filled with charm, love, warmth, and a sincere welcome to people who visit.

While photographing the Jones family, I got to eat a delicious dinner with them. I loved how simple Alexas kept dinner. To help you get started with your own super simple recipe that involves very few ingredients and takes only about 20 minutes to make, Alexas sent me her mom’s recipe for Salmon Patties that she made during her family’s documentary photo session.

Here it is:

Salmon Patties

1-14oz. can of Salmon drained

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

3 Tbls. milk

1 egg

1 cup cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients and fry in oil.  Turn after 2-3 minutes on each side.

*Alexas said she serves these topped with her homemade honey butter.

Robyn Holland of sweet.ish gave me some great tips for keeping dinner time simple.  (If you’ve not checked out her site, when you go there you’ll immediately feel wrapped up in warm words and delicious food that all feel like love and understanding from a long lost awesome sister/friend who you regularly sit with at her kitchen table while she listens to you and dispenses the most thoughtful and kind wisdom.)

My note from Robyn about simple and delicious food:

Here’s the big secret to making amazing food: salt, sugar and acid.

Amazing food always has these three things.

Robyn’s 10 tips for a simply flavorful dinner time:

1. One of my favorite examples is my favorite salad:
Fresh heirlooms, a touch reduced balsamic with a splash of maple syrup, drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt. Pure gold.

2. I would get yourself some acid (vinegar, lemons juice, lime juice, etc), salt (I love mortons kosher salt) and olive oil or a little butter.

3. You need salt or you’re going to hate your food.

4. I never cook with crockpots. I’m not against them but it’s just not my style.

5. Chicken is most often over done. I usually cook it until it slightly bounces back at the touch of my finger. It’s about 4 mins per inch of cooking time for the meat. 2 inches thick = 8 mins each side for the breast.

6. I don’t like baking chicken breasts. I seer each side after salting in a little olive oil mixed with butter.

7. All meat should rest 5 mins before cutting it to let the juices settle.

8. Always salt your meat and veggies before cooking them.

9. If you can get your hands on salt, do it. If it’s impossible. Find some lemons. But I am telling you, the balance of all three is what you need. You could use balsamic. Olive oil and salt on everything and you’d have magic.

10. Also, fresh garlic on everything too.

What do you do to keep dinner time simple and delicious?

This is the Jones Family

I’ve photographed the Jones family for years so I’m particularly in love with them.  They are such a down-to-earth group of people.  Bobby and Alexas manage to parent in such an effortless way that it almost feels like they were both born to parent with grace and kindness.  This was the first time I got to see them with all three of their kids.  Everyone says how difficult it is to go from 2 kids to three.  It’s more challenging to have three kids and only two parents, two arms…two of most things.  But Bobby and Alexas have created a home where their kids are so safe to be themselves and where they are nourished with love, understanding, and a knowledge that God loves them.  Being with them always makes my day.  To see their full slideshow, CLICK HERE or on the photo below)

What Alexas said:

I asked for an evening session specifically because it is such a busy and chaotic time in our day, and I know how easily I lose sight of the beauty in those little moments….when I am scrambling to get supper made, wrangle my kids who are going crazy waiting for their Daddy to get home, and just being a mama who has spent all day long at home with three wild kids! I got exactly what I had hoped for out of this session. Davina feels like family already, as she’s captured some amazing moments in our lives, but our evening was like any other…loud, crazy, fun, and I’m sure a little frustrating! Life with three kids never fails to be those things! Davina did such an amazing job capturing our real life!

We waited anxiously for our slideshow and images from the shoot, and I was so overcome with the beauty that she had captured in what felt like such a normal day at our house. I was brought to tears at how perfect everything was….even the song choice made me laugh (through tears) at how it seemed like it could have been written for us! When we were able to see our full gallery, I was just so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have had these memories preserved forever…the opportunity to capture the seemingly mundane and trivial parts of our day…not dressed up or perfect, the stuff that we will eventually forget with time. How Macie’s fingers looked on her piano keys, the way Virgil proudly stacked his blocks, and Emery’s fearlessness….little moments like that slip away unnoticed so easily! I am so grateful for these images, and for the pieces of my life during this season that they will forever help me and my family to cherish!

Make sure to get your copy of my free e-book.  CLICK HERE!

Davina Fear is a Charlotte family photographer and Familyness Adventurer. She believes in bed time chats and bike rides down mountains and in families who see that real life doesn’t have to be polished up to be beautiful.

She blogs at davinafear.com, and creates photo documentaries for families who have days where they work from home, while they manage potty time and play time with sending emails to clients and projects across the globe. If you’re like the Jones Family, and don’t want to miss this moment…the real one…that’s happening right now, you’ll want to make your session happen. Get in touch by writing to davina@davinafear.com