[CLOSED] Make Mealtime Fun: Tapas For Dinner And Zak Giveaway
Thank you for participating! A winner has been chosen .
Recently I was asked by Zak Designs to contribute to their blog by offering some ideas on how to make mealtime more fun. This request couldn’t have come at a better time for me because I have been working hard to find ways to spice up our own mealtime routine.
You see, my oldest son is three and he’s a bit of a toughie when it comes to dinnertime. Despite me making all of his baby food from scratch, trying my hardest to foster good eating habits and blah, blah, blah, he’s three and he’s a hard sell on some foods. He’s fidgety and picky at times and on many night’s it can be a real challenge to get him to eat dinner. I realize that his behavior is age appropriate and I do everything I can to encourage him to eat well and sit down with the family because, after all, that’s how we roll. Still, I cannot lie, his unwillingness to sit still and eat an entire meal frustrates me to no end and I find myself feeling exhausted and helpless at times. I know he’ll grow out of it and can only hope he will one day become the ravenous teenager that my friends warm me about, eating me out of house and home. But for now it’s my job to find ways to make dinner more fun and exciting so I keep his interest and minimize my stress.
Yup! That’s my picky eaters hand reaching for the manchego. He proclaimed that this meal was the best he ever had and I even got a “thanks mommy” for it! Yeah, buddy!
One of my new favorite ways to serve a meal is tapas style. My three year old went bonkers for this idea and I think your family will too. It’s fun and festive and takes some of the pressure off a more structured meal. Everyone has something to choose from and you can all feel a little more at ease. Plus, it’s fun! Using leftovers and some easy store bought goodies, you can turn a regular meal into a passport meal of adventure. Check out my blog on the Zak Design website and try some of my ideas at home.
CONTEST
PRIZE PACKAGE:
Zak was so cool to work with and wanted to offer one lucky winner not one, but two sets from their Table Art Collection—the Bloom 7 piece White and Yellow set and the Petals 7 piece Table Art Assorted Rainbow set. They’re BPA, PVC, Phthalate and lead free and oh-so-adorable. I have a set and just love it for al kinds of entertaining but especially for outdoor entertaining.
TO ENTER:
To be eligible to win, leave a comment below telling me what you do to make Mealtime More Fun in your house?
THE RULES:
- Contest begins on Wednesday, June 20th @- 10pm EST and closes on Friday, June 22nd @ 10pm EST. One entry per participant, please.
- Contest is open to all US residents but prize cannot be shipped to PO Boxes (sorry!).
- Winner will need to provide email address and physical address so that prize may be shipped out.
- A winner will be selected by the Randomizer tool on Random.org and contacted via email. If winner does not respond within one week of being contacted, a second winner will be chosen.
- Prize will be shipped directly to winner by Zak.
*This will be shipped directly to the winner by Zak. I was paid for my participation in this program (recipe writing) and given some product samples for recipe development purposes, however, all opinions are strictly my own. I was not asked to review the products at all. If I didn’t like this product, I would not be writing about it. Trust.
Tags: contest, giveaway, kid dinner ideas, picky eater ideas, tapas recipes, toddler dinner ideas
I love making mealtime fun by trying to experiment in the kitchen! Sometimes my experiments are complete failures (like when I made my own pesto sauce and there was way too much garlic and not enough basil!), but it’s always such a blast!
I like to add use ingredients that are season to add variety to my table. Makes meals change with the year!
My 3 yr old is so picky! I use variety, and try to make meals fun so he will enjoy them.
I like to have theme nights, Taco Tuesday is our favorite! Some music & mexican food is perfect for a little fiesta!
I let the kids help me with mixing, pouring, adding ingrediants. I will also use cookie cutters to make sandwiches into shapes they think are fun
My daughter, husband and I always make sure to eat together at dinner. She has always eaten the same food that we are eating. We talk about the day and our future plan. No tv. It is a great time for all.
I try to make dinner fun by having theme nights on the weekend like taco night or Chinese stir fry and decorating the table accordingly with colorful plates and table cloths. Also I try to play music to match the theme as well and we all cook the meal together
I try to make all my food look like animals. I have a 3 year-old daughter. It works for both of us. Whatever makes her happy!
We love to have theme nights as well. its so fun to get involved with dinner as a family and choose a different theme each week.
We love to serve meals on fun plates with wacky patterns and also use funny table cloths, like halloween, christmas, etc… the kids get a kick out of it
we eat outside whenever we can to make it fun. the beach is our favorite spot to have dinner, picnic style!
I like to put out topping to make my dinners fun when I’m watching my niece and nephew. Whether it is pizza or posole toppings make your dinner interactive and gives kids a sense of independence and choice. Serving all the toppings in these cute bowls would make it even more exciting!
Meal time is a time for our family to be together and honestly that makes it fun! We also try to cook together in a kitchen so small we can’t open the oven and fridge at the same time, but we enjoy being so close and preparing meals together!
When the kids help decide what’s for dinner and help make it, that’s more fun, especially when we make homemade pizza!
In my house to make meal time more fun, and for my 3 year old to actually eat, i get him involved in the making of it all. I set him up with his own cutting board, apron & knife( one i have from his play doh set). He helps me chop veggies, bread chicken cutlets or whatever it is i am making. Then he is excited to see the finished meal, and actually looks forward to eating it.