This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Manwich. All opinions are 100% mine.
A few years ago, our family looked like what I thought we would look like in the evenings. I got home from work at 5:30, we had dinner around 6:00 and then we started the nighttime routine (take the dog on a walk, give the kids a bath, making dinner and get everyone into bed.)
Enter 2010 when our son wanted to start playing football and I started working from home. Everything changed. I was able to be home when they came home from school and he had to be at practice every night by 6:00. This left very little time to have a family meal (he would get an upset stomach if we ate after 5:00). So, we started eating dinner earlier.
Now, we have dinner around 4:00 or 4:30. I know that it sounds crazy, because it sounded crazy to us, but it was the only chance that we had to eat as a family. The kids have a snack later in the evening, before bed. If they had practice (football, wrestling, soccer), it’s a pretty hearty snack or leftovers from dinner.
To make these nights flow well, we try to find easy, but great meal solutions to get everyone around the dinner table. A great one is Manwich (or as the kids call it Manwich Mondays since it seems to be every Monday that we have it). We started having Manwich because they were asking me about what I ate on football nights. Of course, my parents made Manwich sandwiches at least once a week and when I told the kids, they said that we had to do the same. It’s funny to think that it’s like a tradition of eating it on Mondays.
We make Manwich Sliders.
My favorite flavor is the Bold or the Thick & Chunky, but the kids like Manwich Original the best, so we usually go with that.
They all have a hearty sauce (it’s sweet & tangy), so they taste good no matter which one you pick. They are best enjoyed with both hands – giving us an easy, quality ingredient to bring the family’s attention back to mealtime. Since it has no meat, we usually serve it with ground meat and put them on sweet rolls to make sliders, but my brother likes it with pasta.
Sometimes, I’ll even put a fried egg on mine. Becky usually tops her with a tomato and the kids just add a little cheese (except Ethan… he’s our picky one and he just eats his plain) If you check out @Manwich on Twitter, you’ll find of recipes and more.
The early dinner gives us a chance to be together throughout the week, without anything else. We don’t allow electronics throughout the week, so that eliminates one distraction, but the business of life happens, so dinner is a must.
Not crazy at all! When my husband gets home from work he likes a meal on the table ready to eat. This way he can go on about his evening without having to be interrupted with dinner.