When I was a child, eating dinner together as a family was very important to us. My parents would come home from work and we would eat dinner together and talk about our day. My Dad would then help us with our homework while my Mom did the dishes.
When my brothers and I got older and our schedules did not coincide. Both my brothers played baseball, so practices and games took up a lot of their time. My Dad was their baseball coach and because of everyone’s hectic schedules, we all ate at different times. There were even times when a quick bite to eat in front of the TV would be something that wasn’t even frowned upon.
I vowed that when I had my own children, we would always have dinner together as a family.
Why the importance of eating dinner as a family?
I married a beef farmer and when I’m not working on the farm with him, I do not see him until dark. He needs to maximize all the daylight hours he can. During haying season, he’s out until sometimes 10pm, farming until the sun goes down.
When Little One was an infant, it would be just Little One and I having dinner together. We couldn’t be in the field all day and night with Hubby, so we’d come in, I’d nurse Little One, put her to bed, and then eat dinner. I remember feeling really alone and isolated. Eating alone isn’t something I enjoy.
Hubby and I both understand that when you’re in the tractor, and working steadily and have found your groove, it’s hard to stop farming and come in for dinner. We also understand that our daughter is growing up quickly. She’s already seven years old. Time really does fly, and before we know it, she’ll be a teenager! She’s already told us she wants to become a NICU nurse, so that means she’ll be going off-Island and away from the farm when it’s time to pursue her post-secondary studies.
Amazing things happen at the dinner table. The art of conversation is revived. Memories are created. You get to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal with the people you love most.
When everyone’s schedules are busy and we’re all caught up in work, school, and Little One’s activities, there isn’t much time for quality family time. Dinner is really the only chance we get to sit and talk, and enjoy a meal together. I think we should have at least one meal in the day together.
I want our daughter to remember pot roast dinners on Sundays or enjoying perfectly grilled steak fresh off the grill while enjoying time together as a family.
There’s no shortage when it comes to dinner requests here! I have an arsenal of recipes of all kinds up my sleeve. These are just some of the dishes Little One loves:
Canadian Beef has a collection of wonderful recipes that are perfect for family dinners!
- Beer & Garlic Beef Pot Roast
- Sunny Day Shepherd’s Pie
- Sirloin Beef Gratin
- Beef Cheeseburger Mini Meatloaves
- So Simple Meaty Minestrone
Speaking of Canadian Beef, I have to tell you some interesting facts! Our family is very familiar with Canadian Beef, since they represent beef farmers and ranchers across the nation. As a beef farming family, we are thankful for that!
Some interesting stats & facts about Canada Beef:
Team approach
– Canada Beef heads up a league of farmers and ranchers from each and every province that work together. They are greater than the sum of the parts as they continue to work towards a common goal.
Economy
– The beef industry contributes almost $25 billion to the Canadian economy annually.
– Canada is the 8th largest exporter of beef in the world.
– 35% of Canada’s beef is exported.
Sustainable Farming
– In Canada, 1 in 3 acres of agricultural land is not suitable for growing crops but is suitable for grazing cattle.
– Canadians enjoy around 930K tonnes of beef a year
– Feeding high energy grains lowers the environmental footprint of finishing cattle.
We can attest to the stats mentioned above– especially the first point mentioned under the sustainable farming title. 1 in 3 acres of agricultural land is not suitable for growing crops, but is suitable for grazing cattle. This is something we know about! Our farm is not as large scale as some of our fellow cattlemen in other parts of Canada. We have 750 acres of farmland, but not all of that land is suitable for growing crops. Many people do not realize that there is a good portion of farmland that we cannot grow crops on because some of our land is hardwood forest and some of it is swampland. Though we cannot grow crops in the bush, our cattle Winter in there and are protected by the elements. They also graze in there (but we do put down a couple of bales of hay for them to eat as well).
Check out this video with Canadian Country Music star, Paul Brandt.
I love that Canada Beef is inviting families back to the dinner table by putting the best of Canada into its beef.
Connect with Canada Beef here:
Twitter – @loveCDNbeef and #makeitCDNbeef
Facebook – facebook.com/ILoveCanadianBeef
Youtube – youtube.com/user/LoveCDNBeef
Instagram – instagram.com/lovecdnbeef/
You may also enjoy these:
- Beef Bulgogi
- Harvest Vegetable, Beef & Rice Soup
- Beef Farmer’s Borscht
- Filipino Bistek
- Bacon-Wrapped Mac & Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf
- Filipino Misua Soup
Disclosure – Posted in participation with the #makeitCDNbeef influencer program. All thoughts and opinions on this blog are honest and my own. Statistics supplied by Canadian Beef.
It’s difficult for just the 3 of us to sit down to dinner together. I’m not usually hungry.. or the hubby isn’t… but if we don’t eat we still sit w/our daughter at the table.
My family stopped eating dinner together when I was in my teens, and I really wish we hadn’t, looking back now. Definitely is something I want to keep doing in my own family.
When I was a kid we only at dinner together on holidays and special occasions. I raised my kids the same way which is a bummer but now that we have a grandson living with us, we all eat dinner together as often as possible.
Ooohhh… your Hawaiian meatballs look delish! I’m going to try those for sure! I love this post because I’ve always been a big believer in eating together at the table every night. In fact, we eat almost all of our meals together – breakfast, lunch (when they’re not at school!) and dinner! It’s so important to stay connected as a family.
I agree, Lisa! To me, eating together as a family is super important! It really does help keep connected as a family.
We also make a strong effort to sit together each night and eat together. Although it takes a bit of scheduling to make sure we can all be there at the same time it is so worth it. Thanks for the yummy looking recipes. Something I will definitely be giving a try at home
Thanks, Amy!!! So true. It really is hard to get our family to have meals together since Hubby needs to make use of daylight when he can on the farm. I used to get depressed and lonely eating dinner by myself. When Little One was born, it would be her and I eating together. I told Hubby that she is growing up fast and if there’s one thing I would really love…just ONE thing, it would be for us to at least have supper together every night. I GET that farmers are busy and there’s always so much that needs to get done,, but this is important to me. 🙂
Having said this, I know LOTS of farming families who don’t miss suppers together 🙂 I’m determined — this CAN be done 🙂
Great post. Lots of I threshing facts about Canadian Beef. Thank you to farmers like you for providing great food to our country.
Thanks so much, Eva!