Balancing Healthy Food and Happy Families

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

An old college friend of mine is a young mother of four children, all below the age of seven. It goes without saying that, among our group of friends from the old days, we hardly see her. Such is the life of balancing the domestic duties of raising four very young and active children, managing the household, making dinner, and ensuring that, each week, she and her businessman husband have time for themselves.

We got to catch up a few weeks ago and I inquired how she manages it all: the children, children’s sports, dinnertime, and marriage time. She had some great strategies that I see work with other busy couples managing the stress of life while keeping time for the kids and her husband, all while making sure the family eats healthy, balanced meals.

Bedtime and adult dinnertime rarely seem to jive in a modern marriage. Young kids need to go to bed early and working parents are lucky if they are home in time to tuck the little ones into bed, forget about sitting down together. My friend doesn’t want to cook two separate meals. She doesn’t have time. Instead, she cooks extra of whatever she makes for her and her husband for when he comes home from work. The leftovers--perhaps fish, chicken, or pasta--are saved to reheat for the kids the next day.

I read in the latest census report, just released, that half of all Americans did not go out to eat even once last year. It is a shame. Busy modern couples that I know, even the ones with kids, make time for the relationship and that often means date night out. This does not have to mean ordering pizza for the babysitter to feed the kids. My friend will make sure there is always extra of something tucked away in the freezer for the babysitter to easily reheat on the nights she and her husband get to sneak out and reconnect one-on-one. The kids are taken care of with a healthy meal and the happy couple gets an evening of uninterrupted together time.

Creating a health conscious new generation is difficult when advertisements for fast food and sugary cereals blatantly pander to the ten-and-under set. My friend does her best by always stocking healthy snacks, buying organic produce when possible, and making sure there is always plenty of fruit around, the ideal sweet finish for dessert.

I was recently staying with other friends who employed the same tactic with their seven-year old son. Every night he got to choose which fruit he wanted--plums on one night, green grapes on another--to finish off his meal. Never once did he seem “forced” to finish his food. He gobbled down grapes like they were M&M’s, never once turning up his nose and asking for ice cream instead.

I may not have children but I can surely appreciate the hard work it takes to balance busy lives and healthy eating in today’s world. My boyfriend and I travel so much that for us, eating in is more often our idea of “date night.” Recently, I dressed up some roasted chicken breast with a smeared on layer of whole grain mustard, honey, and tarragon. To go with it I wanted something just a little special. I stumbled upon some fregola, which is a sort of large toasted couscous from Sardinia, that I enhanced with some diced pancetta and sautéed late season corn. My boyfriend opened the wine and lit some candles and we relished a rare quiet night at home with a healthy homemade dinner.

Going out or staying in, keeping the family happy, healthy, and well-fed can be difficult. If it is one-on-one time you are lacking, keeping a weekly date night but leaving behind a healthy dinner for the kids can help keep a marriage going and kids healthy. Or, for those of us constantly on the move, a night at home, a slightly special dinner with an unusual ingredient might serve as a much needed respite from hectic schedules and heavy meals. In a world of trying to do it all, making time, for food and the people we love, is a choice well worth making.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• 6 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup fregola (can substitute Israeli couscous, just cook according to package directions then continue with recipe)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ounces pancetta, diced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 ears corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese