Quick and Entertaining Family Dinner Ideas

If back to school wasn’t enough to make things busy, we now only have weekends together as a family. The last thing I want to be is stuck behind a stove on my night off, but I still want a sit down meal with ALL my family.  Fridays in our home are all about reconnecting; family movie and game night are commonplace.

We switched things up this week and brought the fun right to the table.  Have you ever been to an Italian restaurant that covers the table in white butcher paper and encourages their guests to have fun?  These are some of my favorite places to dine, especially with kids.  We created our very own Italian ristorante right in our own kitchen.  We were whisked away to our favorite restaurant without leaving home.

I covered our table in a long sheet of white paper, threw some crayons out on the table and told the kids to have fun. My husband played DJ and piped Italian mood music throughout the house.  Dinner was a set it and forget it kind of deal so I got to enjoy the fun too.

I picked up a STOUFFER’S® Large Family Size Ravioli and NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough at Walmart.  While dinner was baking in the oven (no prep work!), I colored with the kids and played tic tac toe on our giant artist’s sketch pad.  

After dinner was plated I just lowered the temperature on the oven and we had fresh baked cookies for dessert. I look forward to Fridays as an opportunity to put everything else aside and just focus on family.  NESTLÉ® makes it easy for me to get dinner and dessert on the table, leaving more time to enjoy #MyGoodLife. 

I use a simple meal planner to stay organized throughout the week.  It helps let my husband know whats prepped in the fridge for him and the kids the nights I work.  It’s a great way to stay accountable too.  The weeks I don’t plan we end up doing takeout.  With nutritious and wholesome STOUFFER’S® meals we have a better alternative for those busy nights.  

#CollectiveBias