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Disclosure: Compensation provided. However, all opinions expressed are mine.

I am happy to announce that Mayor Jean Stothert has announced October 19-25 as the second annual Omaha Family Dining Week. This is a week dedicated to cooking and eating together as a family at home! Keep the electronics turned off at the dinner table and enjoy some old fashioned food and enlightening conversations.

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Top 5 Reasons to Take the Family Dining Pledge & Eat at Home:

1. Save Money – In my experience a solid meal plan that works around your schedule takes much less time and money versus eating out. Live Well Omaha says that on average, eating three meals a week in, versus eating out, saves a family of four $2,000 a year.

2. Great Conversations – Here’s a fun conversation starter: ask your kids to describe the best and worst parts of their day. When I ask this question at dinner, the answers always surprise me. Sometimes, I forget that the little things, like getting a homemade treat in their lunch, are really important to a kid and can become the best part of their day.

3. Teach Kid’s Responsibility – Someday the kids will grow up and move out on their own, which means they are now in charge of their own grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning. Involve them in the kitchen now to teach these valuable life skills young that will benefit them their entire life.

4. Eat Healthier Foods – Cooking your own meals is much healthier than fast food fried alternatives. When you cook at home, you control the ingredients (excellent way to avoid allergens), know how your food was handled and can exercise portion control.

5. Quality Time with Your Family – The most important thing about Taking the Family Dining Pledge is spending quality time with your family. When you work as a team to create a meal plan, prep dinners and clean up you create a cohesive family unit. Sitting down together for meals is a time when you can unwind, unplug and really connect through conversation and good food.

So, let’s get cooking! Here is an easy meal plan based on the Omaha sale items this week and check out more meal planning tips and events from Live Well Omaha.

GIVEAWAY
Ready to take the Live Well Omaha Family Dining Pledge? Simply fill out this quick Family Dining Pledge form and be entered to win a $15 Hy-Vee gift card!

Note: Taking the Pledge does not mean you have to commit to make every meal at home, it justs means you make an effort to make more of those meals at home with your family.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out these other local bloggers also giving away a $15 Hy-Vee gift card during Family Dining Week.
CoolestMommy’s Coolest Thoughts
Liv, Laugh, Love
Making Mine
Midwest Mammas
Oh My Omaha
Sensory Mama Saving Cents

{ 49 comments… add one }
  • Estelle Piskorski October 19, 2014, 5:14 pm

    Even my job is about getting families to eat together at home.

    Reply
    • Nicole October 20, 2014, 10:41 am

      That sounds like an awesome job!

      Reply
  • Desiree October 19, 2014, 5:25 pm

    We pledged to cook at home 7 days a week.

    Reply
  • Cindy October 19, 2014, 5:35 pm

    I much prefer eating at home with our family. Agree 100% that it saves money & is much healthier.

    Reply
    • Nicole October 20, 2014, 10:42 am

      I prefer eating at home too. Eating out with three small kids is more stress than it’s worth for us. 😉

      Reply
  • Kristin October 19, 2014, 5:52 pm

    Love family meals at home

    Reply
  • Angela October 19, 2014, 6:06 pm

    making meal plans helps us eat meals at home on a regular basis.

    Reply
  • Angela October 19, 2014, 6:29 pm

    Now that it’s fall I enjoy crockpot meals which help save time!

    Reply
    • Nicole October 20, 2014, 10:40 am

      I love my crockpot!

      Reply
  • Jennifer October 19, 2014, 7:19 pm

    We eat at home six days a week!

    Reply
  • Karen Basye October 19, 2014, 7:39 pm

    7 days 🙂

    Reply
  • Brandee White October 19, 2014, 8:11 pm

    7 days!!

    Reply
  • nichole palmer October 19, 2014, 8:17 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  • Brandi October 19, 2014, 8:22 pm

    7 days!

    Reply
  • Sheila Gramm October 19, 2014, 8:36 pm

    I could really use this to stretch the food for the company we have regularly (and eat at home with).

    Reply
  • Bonnie Urbanek October 19, 2014, 9:01 pm

    6 days

    Reply
  • Dawn October 19, 2014, 9:25 pm

    Love having family meals at home! The conversations are great.

    Reply
  • Liz mayfield October 19, 2014, 10:27 pm

    We took the pledge over the summer and will keep making meals at home 6 or more days a week

    Reply
  • Stephanie McNerney October 19, 2014, 11:18 pm

    We are so busy running around to get stuff done after work or doing things with our kids that it really has been a challenge to eat at home. We have been successful for 2 weeks now amd are still trying. My kids actually get excited to hear what we are having for dinner each night. It is cute!

    Reply
    • Nicole October 20, 2014, 10:40 am

      That is super cute!

      Reply
  • Sheila Gramm October 20, 2014, 12:11 am

    Pledging to eat at home every night this month.

    Reply
  • Sheridan October 20, 2014, 1:09 am

    6 days!

    Reply
  • Jill October 20, 2014, 7:27 am

    I am a stay at home mom so we usually eat at home 6 days a week. We are going to do 7 this week and no electronics!

    Reply
    • Nicole October 20, 2014, 10:40 am

      Good luck!

      Reply
  • Kathy at kissing the frog October 20, 2014, 8:36 am

    We like to go out to eat and take one of the grandparents with us, so I said 6. 🙂

    Reply
  • Caroline M October 20, 2014, 8:40 am

    I pledged to cook/eat at home 5 days a week! We are always at my parents’ house on Sundays so we don’t eat at home for that day ever and there’s bound to be something going on at least one other day a week, so I didn’t want to overcommit. 🙂

    Reply
  • Christi October 20, 2014, 9:43 am

    Thanks for hosting the giveaway and as always thank you so much for such an awesome useful site!

    Reply
  • Kizzie Wilson October 20, 2014, 10:57 am

    Love family meals because perfect time to catch up on what everyone is doing

    Reply
  • Melissa October 20, 2014, 12:03 pm

    What a neat giveaway. We already eat at home 5-6 days a week, though I am in the middle of morning (all day) sickness and it has been difficult to keep to eating at home. Good encouragement to keep at it.

    Reply
  • KV October 20, 2014, 12:10 pm

    I pledged to cook at home 5 days a week.

    Reply
  • Jennifer Zortman October 20, 2014, 12:22 pm

    I did not know about this but surprising enough i actually went to the store last night and stocked us up for the week so we dont have to eat out 🙂

    Reply
  • Karen Beck October 20, 2014, 12:36 pm

    I pledged to cook at least 5 days a week. It gets hard when we have evening activities to go to and we get busy so it’s easier to stop for fast food. I just need to plan ahead better and have dinner ready to go sooner.

    Reply
  • Shantel October 20, 2014, 1:42 pm

    5-6 days

    Reply
  • Maxine Nunez October 20, 2014, 3:44 pm

    We pledged to eat at home 7 days!

    Reply
  • Shelley Dahlgren October 20, 2014, 5:24 pm

    I love to cook and enjoy when the family appreciates the food!

    Reply
  • Rhonda Duff October 20, 2014, 5:51 pm

    I pledged 6 days. Have the meal plan all ready to go for the week.

    Reply
  • kara October 20, 2014, 11:21 pm

    I pledge 4 days

    Reply
  • Michaela McCauley October 21, 2014, 11:03 am

    We generally eat at home 6 days a week anyway but I pledged to cook at home for all 7.

    Reply
  • Melissa October 21, 2014, 9:06 pm

    Good idea!

    Reply
  • David October 22, 2014, 4:24 pm

    We always cook at home, so I pledged seven days a week. Our favorite meal to have, or at least prepare, is homemade pizza. The main reason is because that is one food that the kids can actually help make. I think that will play a large role in our family dining week.

    Reply
  • Alissa Apel October 22, 2014, 10:06 pm

    I pledged 6. We eat at home a lot. We both work full time, work on art outside of work, and are parents to 2 boys. It’s busy. Some nights I make 2 meals, so I don’t have to cook the next night.

    Reply
  • Stacey E October 23, 2014, 3:29 pm

    I pledged 6 days.

    Reply
  • shawna fernando October 24, 2014, 9:31 am

    We eat at home 7 days a week

    Reply
  • Lesly C October 24, 2014, 11:15 pm

    I pledged to cook 5 days

    Reply
  • Jen October 25, 2014, 7:03 pm

    This is something I want to get in the habit of doing – for our family, health & budget!!

    Reply

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