“Remembering What is Most Important” with Stuffed Strawberry Halves
Today SocialMoms and I are wrapping up our partnership with Wolf’s #ReclaimtheKitchen initiative. I’m sharing my experience and things I learned from readers, plus a delightful quick and easy appetizer or dessert, Stuffed Strawberry Halves.
I like to think of investing in our kitchens–planning, cooking, making mealtime a priority–and our families as very important matters. My kids are 19, 21, and 23 this year, and our family experiences around food have been very real and impactful. I can honestly say that mealtime is where our kids learned so much about life. Most heartfelt discussions have been around the dinner table. So has it been worth my years of planning, cooking, and sharing? Yes! It made me think of a Remembering What is Most Important quote that I want to share with you.
Remember what is most important …
It’s not having everything go right; it’s facing whatever goes wrong.
It’s not being without fear; it’s having the determination to go on in spite of it…
Remember that every day ends and brings a new tomorrow full of exiting new things.
Love what you do, do the best you can, and always remember how much you are loved.–Vickie M. Worsham
Good examples for our kids.
Translating this to cooking and feeding my family, I’ve learned a lot from my readers about how to prioritize my kitchen, cook healthy meals, and learn to enjoy life more, putting good thoughts into meal planning and grocery shopping. It’s good to be real, and we all have frustrations. Everything doesn’t always go right, but having the desire to learn and grow, tweaking what works and doesn’t work, being more efficient, being willing to use apps, new recipes, or anything to make cooking easier, learning to ask for help—all with overall good planning and preparation, we can be good examples for our children and others to help make their tomorrows more successful!
What I learned from you.
Here are some thoughts you (my readers) have shared with me over the course of the Reclaim the Kitchen series:
Keeping a well-stocked pantry is a challenge. I am not very good at keeping a well-stocked pantry, and you’re right, it gets frustrating. Mainly because the grocery budget is enough to manage what food is needed for two weeks. It is a goal though to have a well-stocked kitchen.
Cooking isn’t cool for teens? We’re in a time where cooking isn’t “cool” with teens. I also would love to hear tips about getting older kids and teens in the kitchen, as I am finding this to be difficult. It was easy when they were younger, but now sadly they don’t want to help much.
Eating together really is so important. It’s a time to share stories, work out problems, and laugh.
Our time is limited with our kids. Our oldest moved away to get his PhD a couple of years ago. It sure makes you rethink everything, including mealtime. Our daughter is still at home, but joining the army reserves, so we know our time is limited with her. Cooking together and eating together takes high priority in our house now. No more taking any moments for granted. When my son visits, we all cook together like crazy. He calls me a few times a week to ask cooking questions, and I love every minute of those phone calls.
Men like to help with grilling. It’s easy to get men involved in helping with family meals (especially if there is any grilling or smoking to be done)!
Meal planning and cooking at home is so important. I firmly believe what Michael Pollan says about eating whatever you want, so long as you make it yourself – if you’re making pop tarts from scratch you’re not going to be eating them every morning. You’ll eat healthier, even if you don’t purposely focus on health foods (of course planning healthy, nutrient-dense meals is better yet).
You can’t take a home-cooked meal for granted. I love home-cooked meals, and I love being able to give that to others. I didn’t grow up in a home where cooking together and eating together were important (except for during the holidays), but I want to start this tradition in my own family. Your blog is a great resource to help me get started!
What do you love about your kitchen, or cooking at home for your family?
Get the Recipe:
Stuffed Strawberry Halves
Ingredients
- 12 large strawberries
- 1/4 cup hazelnut or chocolate almond spread, such as Nutella
Instructions
- Wash strawberries and slice in half, leaving the stems on.
- Scoop out a very small piece in the center of each half. Fill with chocolate or hazelnut spread.
- Serve!
Thank you for being a part of my #ReclaimtheKitchen journey (last 3 posts):
Cooking with beautiful, seasonal food. {Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon}
5 tips to listen and engage around the table. {Cheesy Salmon Dip}
How to get the family involved with dinner. {Country Sausage Hash with Steamed Eggs}
I’ve partnered with Wolf to share their Reclaim the Kitchen campaign, a project that shares my family’s love for the kitchen and healthy cooking. The video adds perspective –– how our schedules can get interrupted quickly and we resort to eating out, taking us from resorting to eating out to the core of the campaign–encouraging all of us to cook more –– for health, bonding, and better family time. You can view the video, here.
You can visit ReclaimtheKitchen.com for tips on prepping meals, recipes, and more recipe planning resources.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Wolf. All opinions are my own.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I still can’t believe Abby is going to be flying the coop soon. So bittersweet!! I love how you’ve kept them so grounded in life.
These strawberries are so fun!!
My kids are still young, but love to help in any way they can. Easy recipes like these strawberries are key to get them involved! Your strawberries look so decadent and tasty!
I love that quote, I need to remember it! This has such a beautiful presentation, it wouldn’t last long in my house!
I have always loved my kitchen, whether it was a small apartment, or in a house. It’s a place to create, to nurture, to provide nourishment and sustenance. And on the rare occasion I get someone else in there with me, a place to just chat about whatever. Oh boy do those strawberries look amazing
Love the quote from today!!! I am passionate about nutrition & cooking at home for my family. We make family meals a priority and with 4 kids our budget for eating out is very limited. I think this is good though a home cooked meal is so important. It does take time to plan, shop and cook yet its worth it for our health and family connecting. Eating & cooking is a huge part of our lives and I am thankful for the encouragement to keep at it!!!
Right now with 2 of our kids being teens at the table family meals are not always peaceful LOL. Yet we press on and I think in this fast food, microwave culture its sad that the is not the case for many families. Teaching my kids the skills they need for a lifetime hoping to pass on the importance of healthy eating I could go on and on.
My children are in the same age range and I’m still hoping at least one of them will get into cooking! They sure like eating, though :) Love your reflections.