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Today I am talking about parenting – the job I love and the job I feel like I fail at so often. I would never consider myself the perfect mom, EVER. I have my faults and but I also believe I have my triumphs however, so often I get caught up in the everyday busy life and forget to stop, reconnect and make memories with my kids.
Jude is just months away from turning 7, yes I know, that is shocking to me as well. And over the last year he has really grown into such a mature, thoughtful, smart boy. As those months passed us by are family has been on the go non stop. Seriously, when I look at our planner I get overwhelmed with it all – LIFE! We have also had our share of sickies this season which always seems to kick us into high stress mode. Looking back at these last few months I could tell why Jude was feeling so needy for some one-on-one time. We both needed it.
Date nights are important for all types of relationships and friendships, include the parent/child relationship. Think about it – we try to make time for date nights with our best friends, parents and partners so we should also make time for one-on-one dates with our kids.
Because life is well…busy, I decided to set a special Jude and Mommy date night dinner in our living room last week. This gave us time to just enjoy one another and have a fun “coffee table” picnic in the living room. Free of distractions and electronics! Love that!
To create the perfect meal for 2 I picked up one of our favorite frozen pasta meals, some fresh produce to make a yummy side salad and a festive dessert from our local King Soopers store. Jude calls the Bertolli® Chicken Parmigiana & Penne – soft chicken and pasta. So silly but he loves it. I love the Bertolli Frozen Meals because you can find so many different varieties and flavors to make an easy dinner with almost no planning! Hey, I need that every once in a while!
I decided to pick up some fresh broccoli and grapes to create a tangy side salad to enjoy with our Bertolli Chicken Parmigiana & Penne. This salad is a family favorite and super easy to throw together for dinner on a weeknight.
Broccoli and Grape Salad
Free printable recipe here.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 cups red grapes, halved
3 cups broccoli florets, sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mayo
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Prepare all fresh produce.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine mayo, balsamic vinegar, sugar and pepper creating a nice dressing.
3. Add broccoli, grapes and onions to the dressing and mix well making sure to cover the produce with the dressing.
4. Add pecans and mix well.
5. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve cold! Enjoy!
The Bertolli Meal for Two contains the perfect amount of food for a date night in. Bertolli does also have family size options that we love to enjoy as a family too. Great flavors and options for every picky eater in my house!
Once our meal was prepared we sat down together and started digging in. It was such a fun experience for both Jude and me. He really felt special to have mommy all to himself. Jude loves to talk, especially about Pokemon, so our Mommy and Son Date Night was filled with stories from school and his Pokemon captures for the day.
Sometimes, when you take time to just sit and leave the busy world out of your date night, you find joy in the memories being made. Bertolli Frozen Meals for Two have opened my eyes to how important these dates are for me as a mother.
This boy! I adore him. Funny how much fun we had in our living room, a space we are in every day, just enjoying a nice plate of pasta. It truly is the small things in life that matter.
One way that I found made our dinner date even more special for Jude was the addition of some fun napkins and replacing his kid plate with a grown up plate. Like I said, it is the small things. He felt very special and grown up with these simple notions.
Once we finished our salad and Bertolli Chicken Parmigiana & Penne we dug into our heart shaped cake. What a great end to a perfect Mommy and Son Date Night In. Bertolli Frozen meals helped me create more than just a dinner for Jude, they let me create memories and moments with him as well.
As a parent we need to remember that our kids need our one-on-one attention, something that I know I really need to work on. I hope to incorporate these mommy and kiddo date nights even more now. I know Teagan is so ready for her date night with mommy and she has already requested the Bertolli Chicken Alfredo & Penne Meal for Two! YUM!!
Make sure you start planning your next Date Night In by heading to your local Kroger Banner store and pick up some of the yummy Bertolli Frozen meals. Lucky for you, during the month of February at all Kroger banner stores, Bertolli Meals for Two will be the lowest price of the year. Perfect time to stock up on these great meal options!
Who will you enjoy your Bertolli Meal for Two with?
Bertolli® is a registered trademark of R&B Foods, Inc., used under license.
So funny, my oldest (7) has started requesting the "grown up" plates for dinner. Makes him feel special when we remember to do it on our own. #client
Too sweet! I love mommy/son date night! Super important! To have a great meal with them just tops off the night
Ahh your date night idea is so sweet for connecting with kids and mine are huge fans of Pasta so that would be perfect as a meal. I love your salad recipe too and must try that soon.
That food looks soo good! Can I have a date night with you too? LOL I AGREE date nights for kids and parents is important! I wrote an article about daddy's dating their daughters a while back! I am sure you are a better mom than you even know! I think those of us who worry that we are not good moms are the best type of moms!
How fun for the adult and the kid! I am definitely going to be making a date night for me and my daughter very soon! Sounds like an awesome Idea to me.
Date night with kids at home sounds great as a family bonding moment. This post just reminds me that dates do not really need to be so extravagant. Just a simple but sweet one can make the difference.
That's cute that you had a date night with your son! It sounds like the Bertolli Chicken Parmigiana and Penne was the perfect meal for you two. I will have to try your broccoli and grape salad recipe!
I absolutely love broccoli salad – although I've never added grapes in the mix. That's interesting! And what a sweet dinner date!
I love these Bertolli meals. It is so quick and easy to make, and the flavor is tops! I like the idea of a dinner for two with your child. That's so sweet! I might copy this idea, but since I have three boys, it will be dinner for 4! BTW, that broccoli salad is absolutely delicious. Saving the recipe for that too.
I used to do this with my oldest all the time. Now we have group dates with my youngest but I still try to fit in a one-on-one with each of them as much as possible….
This is SO sweet! Your son is so, so adorable. It looks like you guys had such a fun time and the food you made looks wonderful! I love mom/kid date ideas like this – it's so important to have quality time with kids individually too!
I would enjoy to have a Bertolli meal with my kids.
heather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com
What a wonderful post and a wonderful memory you made for your son. I'm 58 and I still remember mom letting me play "hookey" one day and us going out for banana splits and mommy daughter time. And the time Dad dropped everything to take me and mom to the zoo right then because I didn't believe there was a creature called a duck billed platypus 🙂
That is a nice idea! And I love the pasta, and the dessert – wowie!
My son and I love the Bertolli meals and I picked some up last week and I even had coupons on them. Bertolli meals are fun to make and so delicious. I love the salad you made!
I would enjoy a date night with any of my children.