Welcome to dinner!

Here is the beginning of our attempt to post every single dinner we eat for an entire year. This blog is an effort to record a year of our lives through dinnertime - a time when we are usually together as a family and a time we look forward to all day.

Let me begin by way of an introduction. Our family consists of 4 humans and 2 dogs. My name is Shelley, I am 32 years old, the culinary leader of the household, and a woman of varied interests (more on that in future posts). The dad/husband figure in our little unit is Dave, age 38, Alaskan-born graphic artist and hockey enthusiast. Finally, rounding out the human category are our two daughters Eva and Mia, 21-month-old identical twins. Our dogs frequently play a role in our dinner gatherings so you might as well know them, too. Rudy is a 6-year-old Boston Terrier and a shameless beggar despite the fact that neither Dave nor I have ever fed him from the table. Mainly these days he concentrates on the children. Quimby is a 6-year-old "Puggle" (Pug/Beagle mix). Several people have commented lately that she is looking overweight. This is probably true. If Rudy is a shameless beggar then Quimby is a shameless scavenger - frequently leaping onto the table itself via a carelessly placed chair after we've left the room .

At present, Dave and I are both trying to shed some of our pre/post pregnancy weight. We were an impressively youthful and fit pair back in December '04 but much has happened since then including 3 winters and a set of twins. Our diet plan right now most closely resembles the Weight Watchers Core plan. This is our second earnest attempt. We are on day 5 of the new diet and are doing pretty well so far.

On the menu for tonight was meatloaf with rice pilaf and tossed salad. The girls had the same except I substituted watermelon and green beans for the salad. The meatloaf was delicious - a little tough perhaps by some peoples' standards, but I prefer it somewhat firm. I loosely based tonight's meatloaf on Martha Stewart's 'Meatloaf 101' recipe, which I personally find a little fussy and over-the-top (no way am I carmelizing shallots just to make a fancy topping). The rice was from a box - tasty but not newsworthy. The salad consisted of mixed greens, cucumber, red onion, and a small amount of blue cheese. I mixed some white balsamic vinegar with a little honey, mustard, salt, and pepper for a quick no-oil dressing.

Eva's meal was cut short after she started throwing her green beans on the floor. We have a not-very-strict rule about throwing food on the floor. Basically, if it gets too out of control, the offender has to leave the table. After Eva left, Mia dumped her plate on the table (this is a gray area rule-wise) but still continued to eat for 5 or so more minutes. Dave and I both managed to clear our plates before things got too crazy. This is not always the case. I have mixed feelings about eating dinner with the kids. On the one hand I think it's a good habit to establish and it has forced us to actually start using our kitchen table as a place to eat. On the other hand, it isn't always easy to relax and enjoy eating amid their cries for sippy cups and fallen forks. It has gotten easier, however, and I have to think that the social component will continue to improve.