Quick question; how many times a week do you eat dinner around the table as a family?
Studies have shown that eating together does so much more than just supply us with food. It gets us off of our computers and away from our tv’s, it causes us to eat healthier foods because we know what we’re putting into our bodies, and most importantly it helps us to reconnect, listen, and talk with one another as a family unit; a concept that seems to be falling by the wayside in today’s society with our busy, over-scheduled lifestyles.
Did you know…
- On average kids spend almost 7.5 hours a day using some form of electronic media
- 1 in 5 meals are eaten in a car
- 1 in 3 American children are overweight or obese
- 67% of Teens in America want more quality time with their parents
Statistics sourced from The Family Dinner.
I don’t know about you, but for me, those are some sobering statistics. The only way we’re going to change them is by taking back the responsibility for our food and our families. This is one of those topics that I feel really passionate about. Our family has already begun to make changes that have benefited us as a family. We make it a point to always have dinner together at the same time every night, we limit ourselves to eating fast food no more than a few times a year, and we make a concerted effort to talk to each other at dinner and learn more about the people around our table. The rewards are so worth the effort, I promise you!
If this topic sounds as interesting to you as it does to me, then hop on over to The Motherhood today at 1pm Eastern where myself and a handful of other talented food bloggers will be co-hosting a talk with Laurie David, author of The Family Dinner.
Laurie has put together an amazing book detailing;
- Why family dinner is so important
- Suggestions for getting everyone back to the table and keeping them engaged for more than the time it takes to throw down a meal
- Delicious recipes to share once you’re there
I can truly say that I was riveted from the minute I opened it and I’m sure you will be too. I hope you’ll join us!
On to sweet potato yum. So named because my kids took one bite of this and the first words out of their mouth were “Yum!” Even Nicholas, my oldest, who doesn’t care for sweet potatoes gave this a thumbs up. Now that’s saying something. Here’s what you need to grab to make up a quick batch of this sweet potato goodness.
Ingredients Needed:
5 Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Roughly Chopped
11/2 Cups of Cranberries
1/2 Cup of Orange Juice
1 tsp of Vanilla
1/2 tsp of Nutmeg
1/8 tsp of Salt
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup of Vanilla Granola
Start out by boiling your sweet potatoes until tender; about 10 to 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are boiling mix up in separate bowl the cranberries, OJ, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.
When your potatoes are soft, put them into a 9×9 baking dish and pour your cranberry mixture over the top.
Throw your potatoes into the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull them out, add on the granola and let them cook for an additional 5 minutes.
And when you pull them out and serve them up, listen for that one word that will make your ears sing. Yum!
I am linking this up to Hearth and Soul and Tasty Tuesdays.
Sweet Potato Yum
Ingredients:
5 Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Roughly Chopped
11/2 Cups of Cranberries
1/2 Cup of Orange Juice
1 tsp of Vanilla
1/2 tsp of Nutmeg
1/8 tsp of Salt
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup of Vanilla Granola
Directions:
Start out by boiling your sweet potatoes until tender; about 10 to 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are boiling mix up in separate bowl the cranberries, OJ, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.
When your potatoes are soft, put them into a 9x9 baking dish and pour your cranberry mixture over the top.
Throw your potatoes into the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull them out, add on the granola and let them cook for an additional 5 minutes.
You Might Also Like:
Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
That does look yummy! Unfortunately, I work retail and that mean working during dinner 2 to 4 nights a week. I really look forward to the evenings that I am off and can cook for and eat with my family and catch up on what’s going on.
your topic? so very important. and your recipe? so very divine! thanks so much for both! 🙂
Yum! This definitely look like something my son would love.
What an interesting post Julie and so important. I will send this to my daughter in law. Love this recipe. fun and tasty ingredients.
I will definitely try to join the discussion today at The Motherhood. Such a great topic! BTW, this recipe looks SO perfect to add to my Thanksgiving menu… wanted to add a sweet potato option. Have a great start to your week!
Hey Julie! This dish looks so vibrant and flavorful…I want some yum!
Yes the family table is so very important. We eat together at least 5 nights a week. It is truly a sacred time!
Julie,
Your dish looks so yummy and flavourful. I love all the combonation. I’ve been trying to convince hubby to eat sweet potatoes forever and he won’t. I am sure with your recipe it won’t be a problem.
That is exactly what I was talking about with another fellow blogger. Families need to start sitting at the same table at least once a week to reinforce their bonds. It is very important not only in a personal level but in a society level as well. This is such a beautiful little treat.
I love sweet potato casserole and can’t wait to make some soon. Your version with the cranberries sound really yummy!
Yes, eating together as a family is very important. We do that at breakfast and dinner 🙂
my mil is coming to town next week and i am SO making this!
This really looks yummy!
We eat dinner (actually over here, lunch is like dinner) we eat almost everyday together. It has been one of the best habit we have as a family. understand that it is hard to keep up with all the busy schedules and activities, but I highly recommend it.
My husband LOVES sweet potatoes – and this looks totally YUM! We will be having this this weekend!!!!Nutritionally Decadent!
The colors in this dish are just stunning. I love throwing cranberries into all of my dishes…they’ve been everywhere this past week. And I try to eat dinner with Ryan every night of the week. It is something I truly treasure! Thank you for sharing, love. May peace and beauty shower down this week!
We eat together every night. I’m so excited for Thanksgiving & sweet potatoes. Yummy!
I’m not crazy about sweet potato. I usually find it too sweet.
Since the baby’s been eating food, we try to eat dinner each night at the table.
I’m sorry I miss the chat! We eat together 6-7 nights a week, and that includes our 6 month old (if he’s awake!) who joins us in his high chair, even though he can’t eat on his own yet. We make a point to turn off the tv and we try not to answer the phone. Dinner time is for the family in our house–I was lucky enough to learn this from my parents, and I hope to pass it on to my kids. 🙂
Love your post…they are very important statements…and the sweet potato sure looks yummie, what a lovely treat for this Fall 🙂
Looks yummy 🙂
Jorge usually doesn’t get home until 9 or 10, but once a week when he’s home earlier I’ll make something quick and we’ll have dinner out on the front patio. It’s a great way to practice my cooking skills, and to prevent him from having cereal for dinner.
In my family, we always turned off the TV and had dinner together at 6 pm. It was amazing.
1 in 5 meals eaten in the car?? I NEVER eat in the car! Gross haha
The colours are beautiful in this one, love it. The statistics are sobering alright aren’t they & if I did a survey of all the chefs in the world, you wouldn’t believe the bad eating habits they have. Sitting down to dinner daily is a great way to connect with the food we eat and the people we break bread with for sure.
Sounds like a great recipe and looks very tasty! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
I think sweet potato yum is an apt title. The flavors in this look comforting, yet unbelievably rich! We try to eat dinner together often, though our dog (kid) dislikes not sharing our plates 🙂
Hope you’ll swing by the CSN Giveaway that I’m hosting this week 🙂
I am passionate about family dinners too, I know how important they are! It is super hard to get 5 teenagers to the same meal at the same time but we certainly try! I am not a huge sweet potato fan but I think I would say YUM too! I think I might take this to thanksgiving at my mom’s because I really don’t care much for the marshmellow stuff! Thanks for sharing this with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop!
My husband and I are at work all day, my oldest is at kindergarden and my youngest at day care and dinner is really the one time of the day during the week that we spend together. I guess I am lucky to live in a country where we are not an exception: it is normal for families to eat together, sitting down and savoring pretty much unprocessed food. I do agree however that is really important time, when we talk and laugh and share things. A bad habit people tend to have here, however, is eating with the TV on. No TV near our dinner table!
Yum! This looks awesome Julie! It’s The Hubble I have to convince to try this dish. Me and Little Butt love sweet potatoes (I had one last night) but I married a picky eater…can you believe it?? The worst thing for a foodie is to be involved with a picky eater!
great post we all need to make more effort to sit and have meals together
I’d say yum too! Maybe I could get my non sweet potato loving husband to like them with something like this. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, eating together at the table is such an important thing that people seem to forget easily. But here in this house…it’s a must!
1 in 5 meals are eaten in a car…
This makes me sad. If I ever have a family, we will try to eat at the table as much as possible.
I am going to try this for our Thanksgiving dinner, and very excited to! But my budget ran out and so Im gonna try dried cranberries since thats what I have on hand, not sure what 5 sweet potatoes normally looks like cuz the 4 I bought look huuuuge! Thanks for the insparation 🙂