Today’s guest blogger is Juliana Leamen BSc, MSc, NWS a Certified Nutrition & Wellness Specialist. What we eat plays a big part in how our brain works so Breakthroughs is excited to team up with Juliana to bring you some healthy brain food ideas. Today’s topic also talks about making dinner a family event. Family dinners offer countless opportunities for social skill development, vocabulary, listening comprehension and more! Check Juliana’s website for more great ideas.

I absolutely love to cook healthy meals for family and friends! I find it a great opportunity to introduce people to new food combinations, showing them the possibilities of a healthy lifestyle. Even if you are pressed for time, you don’t have to rely on frozen boxed finger foods when you entertain. There are endless possibilities that can save you time, money and lots of not needed calories.

One of my go-to ideas is a salad bar. I have picky eaters, vegetarians and gluten-sensitive individuals in my family, so every time we get together I come up with a different salad combination served in a deconstructed manner to allow everyone to make their choices. Last time I served mixed greens with topping options such as fresh grapefruit, avocados, Gouda cheese and rosemary ham with home-made salad dressing (recipe below). It is super easy to do and usually a big hit!

Salad dressing- mix all ingredients and whisk the oil in gradually to allow the vinaigrette to thicken

1/3 small white onion

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I love to use Bragg’s)

1 tbsp honey

½ tsp mustard powder

½ tsp freshly grated ginger

¼ cup organic olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Set the mood

You don’t need a special occasion to make supper a gala event. Pick one day of the week to start and get all family members engaged. Set a nice table, decorate with fresh cut flowers or get everyone to wear their favorite outfit. If you don’t have kids yet, get some nice scented candles and invite your partner to sip on a nice glass of wine while dinner is being prepped.

And remember to turn off the TV! Watching television as you eat not only distracts you from enjoying your meal, but also leads to mindless eating. Some studies say you actually eat more if not paying attention. Some believe you better digest your food if you set the intentions of paying attention to flavours, textures and aromas.

I am particularly a fan of fresh flowers. They add such beauty and you can actually get fairly inexpensive arrangements these days. I usually make my own, and there are lots and lots of inspiration in sites such as Pinterest. Here is one of my special occasion table settings…

Break the ice

Sitting down while enjoying a nice conversation does not come easy to everyone. Some families rely on television to keep everyone entertained, but there is nothing more distracting to some good family time. While doing research, which later became my Master Thesis in Nutrition, I met another researcher that shared with me a very nice tip he implemented with his family. Every day him, his wife and two kids would sit together for dinner. Then they would go around the table and everyone would talk about their day, things they learned, funny stories and interesting events. This brought them closer together and helped get the kids engaged.

If starting a conversation does not come easy to you and your family, there are lots of little cheats you can look for to help you out. One of my favorite ideas is the Table Topics conversation starter cards, which has been featured by several acclaimed celebrities, including Oprah.

“One of the most important things we can do with our children is connect over a family meal. This fun mix of age appropriate questions range from silly to thought-provoking and encourage up-building conversation between parents and kids” – TableTopics

Check their Family themed conversation starter cards at tabletopics.com

Make sure to come back next month for more! See you then!

FeedRight Nutrition

Juliana Leamen BSc, MSc, NWS

Certified Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

As a Nutrition and Wellness Specialist, Juliana dedicates her time to writing for her food blog feedright4people.com and helping people looking for better health and natural weight loss programs. She is passionate about local foods, organic products and supporting farming communities. Juliana is available for workshops and consultations and can be reached at juliana.leamen@gmail.com.

About the Author

From an early age Matthew loved to talk, and now he gets paid to do just that.

Having grown up with Learning Disabilities and overcome them, Breakthroughs is an opportunity for him to give back. Now Matthew is an Educational Therapist with over 20,000 hours of experience working with children and adults with learning challenges.

When not in the office Matthew can be found seeking adventure with his wife and children, preferably on a mountain or in a kayak.

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