Simplifying Sunday

[Erudite]

NG mentioned ideas for simplifying Sunday and I thought that was a good topic, since it sounds like most of us are not into the "big Sunday dinner" thing.

I grew up in a house where we always had a big Sunday dinner. Nice dishes, Mom in the kitchen for an hour, good smell when you come home from Church, yummy meal that you never get during the week, napkins! But in my home, I just have never been able to muster the strength to do it. I said to my Mom once, that frozen pizza was what we usually have...quick, easy, satisfying to little kids...and she said, as we were devouring her delicious Sunday roast and mashed potatoes that we made a special trip to her house for, "but they'll never want to come home for frozen pizza". Now that made me think...when my kids grow up, will they want to come home and visit on Sundays like we do? Well, probably not for the food...

It's a good thought, but it still hasn't created a fantastic Sunday meal. I have a good excuse these days in that church tends to wear me out, but yesterday was GC and we had chicken nuggets and french fries and veggies...all warmed up from frozen. We ate them on the nice dishes...only because they were the only ones clean.

So, I wouldn't mind having a big, nice meal on Sundays (and I instruct the kids to put napkins on the table regularly anyway), but I don't want to be cooking for hours to do it. I think in this day and age that Sabbath rest can include warming foods from frozen! Stouffers makes a mean lasagna and yummy chicken alfredo...

Anyway, what do you to do make your Sunday restful? Do you still do the big dinner thing? Or have you found a way to do both?

[bookworm]

I recently started cooking the roast & mashed potatoes during the week (not every week, though), and usually on Sundays it's leftovers or crock pot beef stew or something very simple. I'm usually completely exhausted by Sunday evening, and it was torturing me to stand and cook for 1-2 hours after church- this is aggravated by the fact that church ends at 4:00 for us, so I'm just plain tired by then. I'm trying to think of other time-saving things, but that's all I've done so far. Maybe we'll start using paper plates. I wouldn't mind not having any dishes to wash that night...

[Dia Minha]

Since I never know what time DH will be around to eat dinner, I usually will plan something that can get on the table within minutes. This might be something as simple as tuna sandwiches, or putting a roast in the crock pot in the morning and then mixing up instant potatoes and putting it with some frozen veggies (heated of course) when he walks in the door. Sometimes I will just say, what the hey, and me and the kids will make pizza or something they really like and we will eat it without him. I don't like doing that, but I get tired of holding dinner when I really don't know what time he will be home. One time I held dinner for him, because he thought he was going to be home around 5:00 and he didn't get home until after 8:00. We did end up eating around 6:30, but we have never waited that long again.

[Meticulous madness]

I like "easy" but I tend to do the easy thing all week long (because I work outside the home).

So, I love Sunday dinners to be a little bigger (not extravagant, by any means, but bigger than our 'norm'). We don't pull out any special dishes and napkins or anything. I'd like to be a little better about that, but it's not a priority right now.

I love anything I can do in the crockpot! The meals are good, without a lot of effort, and the smell permeates all day (so I FEEL like a seasoned chef, even though it doesn't take much skill).

I also love BBQ season, because I can let DH take over the main course, while I just punch out a few easy side dishes.

Anyway, I'm sure if I ate more at home during the week I wouldn't especially crave a nice, hot, homemade meal on Sunday (nor would I find it as relaxing to cook as I do right now). Unfortunately, we eat out a lot during the week or we do super easy meals at home (mostly breakfast foods) - so I really look forward to a nice Sunday meal and a lot of time to enjoy it.

[happy scrapper]

I too love the big Sunday dinners. Maybe it's because I love to cook and don't have much time during the week. My mom always did the roast and potatoes (although her idea of potatoes are the instant kind!) so that is what I did for the first couple of years. Now we do whatever we are in the mood for. A lot of times I am in the mood for something grilled! I make my husband grill even in the snow!! Our Sunday dinner doesn't consist of just me in the kitchen though, everybody helps. That's part of our family time.

[foxyroxy]

I grew up in a home where sunday dinner was a big meal mashed potatoes gravy and roast. I used do do whatever was easiest for sunday like pancakes and eggs. I dont like to wait to eat long after we get home from church. I have found if I do most of the prep work on Saturday we can have a nice sunday meal without alot of time in the kitchen. I also use the crock pot alot on sunday. Also we pretty much just have on meal on Sunday after church and then it is fend for yourself in the evening, ex. cereal, toast, can foods,leftovers. I also have the children clean up the dishes on Sunday especially, that includes loading dishes in the dishwasher, gives me a little break.

[5ft Diva]

It is awesome to know that because the rest of you are normal w/o your big Sunday meals we will be too. On occasion I will do a big Sunday meal and my family does make a big deal of it if I do because those occasions are so rare. I enjoy cooking a big meal for the fam. I just don't necessarily have the room nor the energy and time at this point in my life. As goofy as this sounds, I choose to keep my kitchen "projects" to a minimum due to lack of space. Sounds like it's time to get really organized as our family just got a little bit bigger.

I end up making breakfast for Sunday dinners a lot because they're good, fast, and easy to clean up after. We usually enjoy BBQ's in the warmer months as well. Paper plates are a must on Sundays, although we go through them so fast we end up usually eating on regular plates. We would much rather play games together and just hang out as a family rather than have a big huge meal together. I am sure, though, as the boys get older and much bigger, a big Sunday meal won't hurt on a more regular basis.

[runamyrun]

My mom makes big Sunday dinners too. I remember coming home from church, helping peel potatoes or whatever she needed done, and eating about an hour after we got home. I don't want to wait that long. We usually eat something simple since it is lunch. Plus, our youngest needs a nap right after church, so I just want to feed her something simple and lay her down. For dinner, some Sundays we eat leftovers or something very simple. Lately I have actually been cooking (I figure I will be too tired once the baby is born.), but I have my husband help. My kids also like to help. They are young, so helping is stirring or dumping something into the pan or bowl. I really enjoy cooking with them.

[5ft Diva]

You know, come to think of it, I don't remember big meals on Sunday until all of us were a little older in our house. I believe my youngest brother was about four when bigger meals became a tradition in our home. There's still hope for me to do big meals on Sunday as I really enjoy them! (Although, I still prefer games and walks over the food.)

[Erudite]

I am posting something in this forum and noticed this thread. It's an oldie but a goodie. I'm posting here because it will email (I think) a bunch of people who we'd LOVE to see come back to BnS! Join us!

Also, we just switched to the 1pm - 4pm Church schedule and as much as I'd like to create a big meal for 5pm, I find I'm hungry and my kids are hungry and we all eat quickly, whatever is available, when we come home from Church.

In the years since you all thought about this topic, what has changed? Is anyone doing the big meal yet?

[5ft Diva]

Not even close. For about the last year frozen lasagna has been our tradition. It's easy, my kids can put it in for me when I'm not home, and it's so super easy to clean up!

As of last night though my husband (for me) expressed that I need everybody's help when it comes to dinners. He explained to them that they were going to be assigned an evening where they were going to be in charge of the following: deciding what we'll eat, making sure we have the ingredients on hand, making the meal or helping me make it, setting the table, and cleaning up the kitchen after dinner was over. I told them that they could choose the night they wanted or I would choose it for them. They all chose and my oldest son picked Sunday because he's tired of not having anything to eat that night. I'm so excited!!!! Anyway, that will help with our Sunday's a lot and the best part is I honestly don't care what he picks as long as he's in charge of it!

[Erudite]

I hope this goes well for you! Share with us how/if it's working.