Last week I promised to share the story of my friend, Deb, who was a very practical parent and I learned a lot from her before I ever had kids. 

My friend and her husband had 4 young children, all under the age of 5, and her husband often traveled for work, leaving her to hold the fort down on her own.  

Dinner was always served family style and consisted of the main course (chicken/lasagna/chili/burgers etc), a large salad, a stack of bread with butter, and a small pitcher of milk (so kids could serve themselves). 

Deb knew that each of her kids would pick out of the salad (carrots or tomatoes etc), have a cup of milk, and a slice of bread & butter.  If they ate the main meal, great.  If not, they had plenty of other foods that they could fill up on. 

Like I said: Master at considerate without catering!

Have you found a strategy that has made feeding your family easier?  If so, share it. I love to learn from my families.

Snack idea: strawberry milkshake (In a blender, whiz strawberries & milk until frothy)