Help my family have more fun at home!
August 5, 2016 2:48 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for suggestions for movie night menus, and activities for at-home date nights.
We're trying to go out less to save money and I would love some ideas from you guys.
1. What do you do to spend quality time at home with your significant other? I'm thinking things we can do together after the kids are in bed. Currently we watch TV or have "stitch and bitch" (he knits, I cross-stitch, we listen to podcasts) or if we're feeling REALLY crazy we play cribbage. So I'm thinking there might be some room to step up our game.
2. We have family movie night once a week and used to go out to dinner beforehand. We're trying to skip the going out part and eat at home, but I don't want to do any cooking or major cleanup. But it's supposed to be the fun festive night of the week, so I don't want to have crappy frozen pizza either. What do you eat/cook/buy for lazy TV dinner night? Bonus points if small children can actually eat it while watching TV.
Thank you!
We're trying to go out less to save money and I would love some ideas from you guys.
1. What do you do to spend quality time at home with your significant other? I'm thinking things we can do together after the kids are in bed. Currently we watch TV or have "stitch and bitch" (he knits, I cross-stitch, we listen to podcasts) or if we're feeling REALLY crazy we play cribbage. So I'm thinking there might be some room to step up our game.
2. We have family movie night once a week and used to go out to dinner beforehand. We're trying to skip the going out part and eat at home, but I don't want to do any cooking or major cleanup. But it's supposed to be the fun festive night of the week, so I don't want to have crappy frozen pizza either. What do you eat/cook/buy for lazy TV dinner night? Bonus points if small children can actually eat it while watching TV.
Thank you!
Every Sunday my family made popcorn for dinner--this would fit in well with movie night, and people could also make a sandwich if they get hungry later.
When I was little, we used to make mini-pizzas with tube biscuits as the crust. This would require a little baking, but not much else in the way of prep.
posted by epj at 3:22 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
When I was little, we used to make mini-pizzas with tube biscuits as the crust. This would require a little baking, but not much else in the way of prep.
posted by epj at 3:22 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
1) My husband and I usually do one or more of the following for our in-home date nights: have sex, play video games together on computers or PlayStation, play a board game or three, watch a movie or binge Netflix and cuddle, cook dinner together, massage each other, one time we took a nice bath together.
2) Quick food ideas my husband and I do for date night: steak and potatoes, tacos, bread and salad, baked chicken, rice and veggies, pasta with whatever sauce you love.
posted by FireFountain at 3:25 PM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
2) Quick food ideas my husband and I do for date night: steak and potatoes, tacos, bread and salad, baked chicken, rice and veggies, pasta with whatever sauce you love.
posted by FireFountain at 3:25 PM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
We do nights where for dinner we put out pretty plates of sliced fresh baguettes, thin slices of really good cheeses (we usually try to get one kind of cheese we've never tried before), thin-sliced meats, fresh fruit, olives, pickles, a small dish of olive oil and balsamic for dipping bread in, etc. Glasses of wine for mom and dad. Everyone takes what they want and makes their own combos and grazes all evening. It's simple to prepare and clean up, pretty to look at, and feels creative and fun to us.
Boboli pizzas are super easy and fun to make as a family, also minimal prep and cleanup and you get exactly what you want.
posted by erst at 3:25 PM on August 5, 2016 [19 favorites]
Boboli pizzas are super easy and fun to make as a family, also minimal prep and cleanup and you get exactly what you want.
posted by erst at 3:25 PM on August 5, 2016 [19 favorites]
A gymnastics mat! Forget other things, this will help the most.
posted by parmanparman at 3:50 PM on August 5, 2016
posted by parmanparman at 3:50 PM on August 5, 2016
Not sure if this will work when your kids are in bed, but karaoke machine?
Kid games like Uno can be fun, on date nights maybe with an "adult" element added.
I think movie nights can be more fun if you plan a drink or a snack to accompany the spirit of the movie. And if you plan the movie choice in advance or have a regular theme like Jason Bourne movie month, Jarmusch film month, Melissa McCarthy comedies, etc, then you can eliminate the "picking a movie" portion which I personally find so annoying.
Epj's popcorn suggestion is good. And it reminds me of the great memoir "Coop" by Mike Perry. His family had Sunday family dinner nights where they ate popcorn and apples and could read at the dinner table.
posted by areaperson at 4:05 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Kid games like Uno can be fun, on date nights maybe with an "adult" element added.
I think movie nights can be more fun if you plan a drink or a snack to accompany the spirit of the movie. And if you plan the movie choice in advance or have a regular theme like Jason Bourne movie month, Jarmusch film month, Melissa McCarthy comedies, etc, then you can eliminate the "picking a movie" portion which I personally find so annoying.
Epj's popcorn suggestion is good. And it reminds me of the great memoir "Coop" by Mike Perry. His family had Sunday family dinner nights where they ate popcorn and apples and could read at the dinner table.
posted by areaperson at 4:05 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Crock pot tacos are kid-friendly and easy. Throw chicken, a jar of salsa, and a packet of taco seasoning in a crock pot for 8 hours. Then use a fork to shred the chicken. Put out tortillas or taco shells, beans, salsa, cheese, guac, etc. and everyone builds their own.
If your kids are super picky about this you could also throw tortillas with cheese in the microwave to make them quesadillas while you enjoy tacos!
posted by radioamy at 4:12 PM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
If your kids are super picky about this you could also throw tortillas with cheese in the microwave to make them quesadillas while you enjoy tacos!
posted by radioamy at 4:12 PM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
This depends on your kids' ages and if you feel comfy leaving them home with locked doors, but my partner and I often enjoy going for walks together after sunset. It's a great time to talk and sometimes we see wildlife/stars. Or you could do the same but play Pokemon go instead.
Growing up my family did whaterst suggested and called it having a picnic dinner. It was my favorite thing for years, and I often requested summer sausage and grapes be added to the mix.
posted by theweasel at 4:15 PM on August 5, 2016
Growing up my family did what
posted by theweasel at 4:15 PM on August 5, 2016
My mom and I had a lot of meals she called hors d'oeuvres, which my husband and I call Dinner On A Plate, but similar philosophy to picnic dinner. We usually have one hot item - I prefer the grocery store brand freezer case appetizers like mini quiches or pot'o'gold or eggrolls, but I also keep frozen meatballs on hand - and then crackers and a spread and one or two cheeses, summer sausage or deli ham and a little dish of good mustard, grapes or apple slices. In winter I might microwave some baby potatoes and tomato or butternut squash soup. We eat with hands and toothpicks (frilly toothpicks were my mom's fancy trick).
We also make Doctor Pizza, where you start with a base of Totino's Party Pizza or similar $2 item, and dress it up with real cheese, herbs, chopped leftover meat from another night or the ever-present frozen meatballs.
I also keep vegan beefy crumbles in the freezer specifically because it doesn't freeze into a solid block - toss it in a skillet with a drained can of black or pinto beans and a shake of cumin and chili powder, put parchment or foil over your biggest baking sheet, spread out a dense layer of tortilla chips, cover them with the warmed beefy beans, dump shred cheese over that, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until the cheese melts. Dice an avocado over it, make a frosting bag by cutting the tip off a sandwich bag with several blops of sour cream in it, drizzle. I usually just give the pan a couple of minutes to cool and then put it on the table.
Podcasts and comfort TV are our main together-time activities, along with cooking together.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:40 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
We also make Doctor Pizza, where you start with a base of Totino's Party Pizza or similar $2 item, and dress it up with real cheese, herbs, chopped leftover meat from another night or the ever-present frozen meatballs.
I also keep vegan beefy crumbles in the freezer specifically because it doesn't freeze into a solid block - toss it in a skillet with a drained can of black or pinto beans and a shake of cumin and chili powder, put parchment or foil over your biggest baking sheet, spread out a dense layer of tortilla chips, cover them with the warmed beefy beans, dump shred cheese over that, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until the cheese melts. Dice an avocado over it, make a frosting bag by cutting the tip off a sandwich bag with several blops of sour cream in it, drizzle. I usually just give the pan a couple of minutes to cool and then put it on the table.
Podcasts and comfort TV are our main together-time activities, along with cooking together.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:40 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Foreign Cinema Night!
Matching the food to the movie is fun.
You know, obviously you can find movies to match tacos, spaghetti, or sushi
You can try more literal matches: veggie burritos (Frida), or fejoida (The Emerald Forest).
And doesn't have to be from other countries, can be regional: southern fried chicken (Beasts of the Southern Wild), hot-buttered lobster buns (Bringing Up Baby, Mystic Pizza), etc.
posted by artdrectr at 4:42 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Matching the food to the movie is fun.
You know, obviously you can find movies to match tacos, spaghetti, or sushi
You can try more literal matches: veggie burritos (Frida), or fejoida (The Emerald Forest).
And doesn't have to be from other countries, can be regional: southern fried chicken (Beasts of the Southern Wild), hot-buttered lobster buns (Bringing Up Baby, Mystic Pizza), etc.
posted by artdrectr at 4:42 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
For family movie night in the living room, we do a picnic of hard-to-make-a-mess-with foods from Trader Joe's... California rolls, fresh spring rolls, grapes, cherry tomatoes, cut up peppers, cut up melon (not watermelon, too messy) nuts, cheese sticks, crackers + cheese.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:42 PM on August 5, 2016
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:42 PM on August 5, 2016
Take one child for a 15 to 30 minute walk in the neighborhood for "just us" time. Identify plants and wildlife, constellations, clouds, types of architecture or vehicles. After sunset use a headlamp with a red light to "spot" the eyes of local dogs and cats. Wear light colors and follow safety guidelines near traffic.
Take a few minutes to say hi to the neighbors. Tell jokes, talk about what each of you did today. Listen to each other.
Skip, walk backward, sing and dance down the sidewalk. Make some memories, and build some good lifelong health habits.
Check youth group cookbooks for things that children can prepare with little or no adult supervision, including camping recipes. One we have used is English muffins topped with spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, shredded cheese, veggies and precooked meats like pepperoni or rotisserie chicken. A few minutes in a toaster oven to melt the cheese and they are good to go.
Commercial crescent roll dough can also work. Unroll, layer (we use pepperoni and cheese), re-roll and bake according to package directions. Non-stick aluminum foil helps.
posted by TrishaU at 5:52 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Take a few minutes to say hi to the neighbors. Tell jokes, talk about what each of you did today. Listen to each other.
Skip, walk backward, sing and dance down the sidewalk. Make some memories, and build some good lifelong health habits.
Check youth group cookbooks for things that children can prepare with little or no adult supervision, including camping recipes. One we have used is English muffins topped with spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, shredded cheese, veggies and precooked meats like pepperoni or rotisserie chicken. A few minutes in a toaster oven to melt the cheese and they are good to go.
Commercial crescent roll dough can also work. Unroll, layer (we use pepperoni and cheese), re-roll and bake according to package directions. Non-stick aluminum foil helps.
posted by TrishaU at 5:52 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
There are some great good-value 2-player boardgames. Check out Patchwork, Agricola: All Creatures Big And Small*, and Jaipur.
(*Note: this is a separate game to the regular Agricola, it's much simpler and faster)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:56 PM on August 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
(*Note: this is a separate game to the regular Agricola, it's much simpler and faster)
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:56 PM on August 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
We recently had good luck having deviled eggs as an eat-on-the-couch meal. It felt like a treat (we had carrot sticks and raw green beans on the side). They're not zero-effort to make, but if you make them the night before, it's zero effort day of.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:01 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gideonfrog at 6:01 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
What do you eat/cook/buy for lazy TV dinner night? Bonus points if small children can actually eat it while watching TV.
NACHOS. Super easy -- you can buy pre-shredded cheese, even -- and you can make them as simple or not depending on your kids' levels of pickiness. Everyone loves nachos. You can melt the cheese on the chips in the oven on a cookie sheet covered in foil and then just throw the foil out!
posted by Countess Sandwich at 7:28 PM on August 5, 2016
NACHOS. Super easy -- you can buy pre-shredded cheese, even -- and you can make them as simple or not depending on your kids' levels of pickiness. Everyone loves nachos. You can melt the cheese on the chips in the oven on a cookie sheet covered in foil and then just throw the foil out!
posted by Countess Sandwich at 7:28 PM on August 5, 2016
Do you drink? My husband and I have gotten into cocktails recently for our weekly at-home date nights; right now we are working our way through a bottle of bourbon. I try to make something new each week for us to drink while we watch a movie or play a boardgame. It's surprisingly fun and relaxing, and I'm not even making anything that is particularly interesting, it is just a novelty since we don't typically drink liquor at home.
posted by gatorae at 7:36 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gatorae at 7:36 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
A great quick meal is a pack of frozen pre-cooked BBQ ribs, on a tray lined with tinfoil. Add some roughly chopped veggies to the tray- red peppers, asparagus, onion, mushroom, tomato, whatever- drizzle the veggies with oil, salt, seasonings, and bake the whole tray for 20 mins or so. Quick and easy and delicious. Maybe boil corn on the cob, too. Cleanup is easy because you lined the tray with foil!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:17 PM on August 5, 2016
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:17 PM on August 5, 2016
A platter of ploughman's lunch (Google will fetch up many explanations/ideas) staples is a really nice thing to slowly munch at with a beer (or whatever). The kids may not fight over the Branston pickle and pickled onions, but you never know, and they can certainly nibble on the cheese, bread, apple, boiled eggs, etc. You can make it low-budget -- regular dill pickles, supermarket sandwich bread, whatever cheese was in the fridge -- or go all out with lots of interesting pickled things, an array of top-notch cheeses, and great bread. I like the green salad on the side; if so inclined I can build a good sandwich...
posted by kmennie at 3:17 AM on August 6, 2016
posted by kmennie at 3:17 AM on August 6, 2016
We do appetizer night weekly in the winter. Trader Joes and Costco frozen appetizers are your friend here. I keep a variety on hand and we pick two or three to throw on a baking sheet. Cheese and raw or roasted vegetables, maybe with a dip, round out the "meal.
posted by sarajane at 6:01 AM on August 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by sarajane at 6:01 AM on August 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
We're Bostonians and have been having Sunday Tea as a family for like 20 years; tea in a fancy pot, little cucumber sandwiches and pastries on pretty plates. It's all about the cakes.
Part of the entertainment was reading poetry and watching British movies with the kids.
Sitting around with tea and poetry late Sunday afternoon always feels like a lovely, gentle way to get ready for the week.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:27 AM on August 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
Part of the entertainment was reading poetry and watching British movies with the kids.
Sitting around with tea and poetry late Sunday afternoon always feels like a lovely, gentle way to get ready for the week.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:27 AM on August 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: These are great suggestions, you guys. I've been sort of grumpy about our decision (even though it was mostly mine) to get rid of the dinner out portion of family movie night, but now I'm feeling like some version of hors d'oeuvre night will be much more fun than eating out.
Thank you very much!
posted by gerstle at 4:22 PM on August 7, 2016
Thank you very much!
posted by gerstle at 4:22 PM on August 7, 2016
Like many posters above, we do occasional movie nights with some sort of cheese plate situation, and my young kids love it. I often serve their portion in muffin tins, which for some reason they love even more. Usually for them it's cheddar, grapes, apple slices, some crackers, maybe sliced baguette, and some sort of treat like a few chocolate chips.
Also, for a slightly more interactive date night situation, here's my recent question on the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and snacks/beverages to have with them.
posted by SeedStitch at 6:27 AM on August 8, 2016
Also, for a slightly more interactive date night situation, here's my recent question on the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and snacks/beverages to have with them.
posted by SeedStitch at 6:27 AM on August 8, 2016
I completely forgot my auxiliary component for hors d'oeuvre night: Stuff In Puff Pastry.
Sausage Rolls (our favorite)
Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Pizza
Strawberry Tarts
There are millions of these on the internet. See also: Stuff In Pie Crust.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:30 PM on August 8, 2016
Sausage Rolls (our favorite)
Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Pizza
Strawberry Tarts
There are millions of these on the internet. See also: Stuff In Pie Crust.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:30 PM on August 8, 2016
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You don't need to make the official branded versions, you can just grab the concept and go to town with whatever ingredients you want. Puff pastry sheets would work too.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 3:09 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]