Popcorn and ice cream for dinner…
“We had popcorn and ice cream for dinner this weekend…
And it was magical.”
This post was supposed to be about meal planning. Last week I started my early spring recipe rotation and wanted to share meal planning strategies while they were fresh in my mind.
But then life happened.
Flexibility - an important skill when implementing a good meal plan. Or trying to be a good parent. Or living your best life.
We had popcorn and ice cream for dinner this weekend.
But first some context. We are halfway through my husband’s second round of semester exams. We are simultaneously battling baby teething, potty training, and sleep problems. Somehow, somewhere I got behind on dishes last week. Even with running dishwasher at least twice a day.
I had a great meal plan and was excited to start cooking some of my favorite spring recipes. I started off trying a new recipe that ended up a horrible failure. And then the next night I forgot to thaw the chicken. This resulted in two more nights without the previously planned upon leftovers for dinner.
We went though most of my quick-and-easy back-up meal ideas in just five days.
And then I forgot to thaw the chicken. Again.
It’s rough being a full-time parent.
So somewhere between a crying, teething baby and sleepless afternoon naptime for my older two, I made an executive decision.
Popcorn and ice cream for dinner.
This decision was instantly a game-changer. We had a great afternoon. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous spring afternoon. The kids were so excited about this special meal. They were even more excited about the extra 30 minutes I could spend playing with them outside.
I was excited about not having extra cooking dishes to clean. And it was so special repurposing that usual dinner prep time into quality time where I was fully engaged with my kids.
The kids asked for seconds of everything that night, including their veggies. There were no epic potty-time battles after dinner. No bedtime meltdowns either.
We had popcorn and ice cream for dinner last weekend…
And it was magical. A night I’ll remember for years to come.
A quick note from Lisa:
The photo that accompanies this blog post was recreated a few days after our magical popcorn and ice cream dinner. I didn’t get the idea for the blog post until the following day. That night I was only focused on feeding my family a somewhat balanced dinner and enjoying quality time with my kids.
Yes - I consider this popcorn and ice cream meal to be a “balanced dinner.” But that is a story for another post.
