Anyone here eat the main meal during the day? What about Dad and family meals around

[MomOfOneFunOne]

the table?

 

My husband travels a month of two out of the year usually (though he's home on weekends, thank Goodness!). This year, while he was gone, my daughter and I got in the habit of eating our main meal around 2.00 pm. We find that we like it this way.

 

The only glitch for me is that we are v.e.r.y m.u.c.h. dinner together as a family at the table every night. This is muy importante!

 

So, I'm curious, how do you manage a main meal during the day and still have the family at the table in the evening?

 

At the moment, we are continuing to have an evening meal at the table but with a fruit dessert (fruit salad, cherries and chocolate, strawberry and banana salad, et c).

 

My husband is on board enough to see how it goes and I think we're all pretty much feeling the same. My daughter and I like it but not at the expense of our evening together at the table time.

 

What works for your family?

[dalynnrmc]

My family is really odd in that my hubby works nights. So, yes - our main meal is at 2pm, usually around the dinner table ... and it's our first meal of the day.

 

Then when everyone else is eating dinner - say 6pm or so, we snack. Some kid or other :lol: says he's hungry, and we get out veggie sticks or apples or crackers and cheese. We eat "supper" late - usually around 9pm just before dh heads to work. Sometimes he has to leave before that. Sometimes that last meal of the day is a table meal, sometimes it's pizza in the living room, and sometimes it's leftovers from yesterday's main meal (which we do call lunch even though it's our first meal).

 

Kids go to bed around midnight, and this works for us... but, my hubby is home during the day and that makes a difference! :)

[Milseain]

Our main meal is at 12pm at the dinner table. We eat ether leftovers or lunch stuff at 6pm. Usually at the dinner table but sometimes we watch a movie or play games. My husband works days. We have been doing it this way for almost a year. We all love it this way. Our nights are a lot better now. ;)

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Our main meal is at 12pm at the dinner table. We eat ether leftovers or lunch stuff at 6pm. Usually at the dinner table but sometimes we watch a movie or play games. My husband works days. We have been doing it this way for almost a year. We all love it this way. Our nights are a lot better now. ;)

\

 

Milseain,

 

So how do you fit dad into the equasion if he's at work? Does he just miss the main meal or do you work something else out? It would be great if my husband could come home for lunch but

Distance + Traffic = No way.

Time Constraints

[mcconnellboys]

My sons and I have always tended to eat our largest meal out during the day, at lunchtime. We've gotten into this habit because we really don't like to eat when we first get up and by the time we would be ready, we're generally well into our school work and don't want to stop until lunchtime.

 

My husband doesn't get home from work until 7, and he absolutely wants to eat with his boys and talk to them. Unless we have something outside the house at that time, I do make dinner. They do sit and eat with him, although I certainly don't require them to eat large portions once again after a large lunch meal. The thing is, with boys, as they approach their teen years, they're ready to eat another big meal, anyway! My husband takes any leftovers for his lunch during the next day or two.

 

I do talk to them, too, as I'm doing things around the kitchen, serving the meal, etc., but I don't usually eat again, except to perhaps pick at something.

[Impish]

I'm seriously starting to consider a switch. Wolf is normally home by 3 pm these days, so I'm thinking about moving our 'supper' up to then, and having a lighter 'snack' when we'd normally have supper at 6-7 pm. Problem is, I often have Drs appts in the afternoon. :001_huh: Normally we eat at 6 pm, bed for the Littles is at 730. Our evening meal is our largest of the day, as is pretty typical in Canada. I think that the noon meal being the largest makes more sense though, since you'll burn it off, rather than go to bed.

 

We'll see....

[iwka]

We eat the biggest meal, depending on the day, between 1-3pm (mostly).

 

It is a normal custom in Poland for "breakfast" upon raising, "second breakfast" in school or at work (which would be mostly a sandwich and a fruit), "dinner" to be around early afternoon time ans "supper" at the evening (sort of like a light lunch). Dinner is the biggest meal of the day.

 

Supper is the meal that everybody is gathered together.

 

Sometimes we do "tea time", when I would bake smth to accompany tea. We do "tea time" if we have visitors also (much easier to entertain, quick to make - you can make muffins, coffe cake or scones from scratch in 30-45min including baking).

[Milseain]

\

 

Milseain,

 

So how do you fit dad into the equasion if he's at work? Does he just miss the main meal or do you work something else out? It would be great if my husband could come home for lunch but

Distance + Traffic = No way.

Time Constraints

 

 

If he can make it home, he eats with us. If he can't, he eats out and then has leftovers for supper. We eat at the table both times unless we watch a movie or play a game as a family. He says, that have more family time & not rushing though the night trying to get everything done is worth it. My husband is a Superintendent Carpenter (Commercial Construction). I hope this helps.

[bunnytracks]

we eat lunch as our main meal for the day also. We are fortunate enough to live within minutes of DH work.

Making a big meal for lunch really frees up the the evenings. I can have all of the cleaning done before DH comes home so we can just focus on doing fun things together as a family. It really feels nice to feel like mom has an "off" time too.

 

oh I should mention we eat sandwiches mostly for supper. Those can be made ahead of time and so no mess.

[Dobela]

When my dh had a regular lunch break, I always made lunch our big meal of the day. I would have it ready when he got home at lunch. By eating more then, we all then just didn't desire as much food in the evening and would snack or eat leftovers. Now I cook a larger breakfast, a light lunch, then a light dinner. We still eat together. If he is working late, and I know in advance, I will feed myself and the kids at 4 ish, then when he is eating we have our dessert or snack while we sit at the table and have family time.

[Peela]

Dh is vegetarian but we are not. So what works well here is that the kids and I have a meal with meat in it at midday (we are just munching on home made pizza with turkey on it, amongst other things), and then another meal in the evenings. We don't do dessert and we don't have big meals. Dh goes out to lunch and so eats well then- he is usually happy with a small evening meal anyway.