With us spending so much time at home, looking at the same faces, and doing the same things – it can all feel a little mundane and routine.

Here’s a few simple ideas to help make your everyday dinner feel special.

Try a new recipe.

Start small and simple. After all, the idea is for you to have a good time and get outta that rut! Better yet – why not get everyone involved? Kids, spouses, pets (ok maybe not pets) but you know what I mean. Maybe you take turns picking the recipe to try. Or you have the kids help measure, wash and prepare the ingredients.

You may be surprised at how much they enjoy helping. Plus you’ll also be teaching them life skills like reading, following directions, learning measurements – sounds like a home schooling field trip to me! AND, because they were part of the process, they’re more likely to eat it.

If you need a little something to satisfy that sweet tooth – here’s a crowd pleaser that’s easy to make – the classic apple crisp or how about a cinnamon pear galette (sounds fancy but basically a pear tart).

Eat dinner by candlelight.

I know it sounds simple but there’s something magical about eating “dinner-in-the-dark”, as my kids say. Think about a cozy restaurant – in these dimly lit places with lots of candlelight, people slow down and linger over their meals. Just this one simple thing will create a whole different vibe for meal time.

Set the table as if it were a special occasion.

Because it is! Even if it feels like the millionth time you’ve had to make dinner since this pandemic started- why not celebrate the fact that you’re all safe and together?

I’m not saying you have to do this every night but why not pull out your prized dishes, favourite glasses and table linens to set the scene for something special….even if you’re just serving mac n’ cheese or take-out pizza.

Leave a note.

For a sweet surprise at the end of the meal, try writing a love note, a joke or even a made up fortune and slipping it under their plates. I bet your family will love this and it just may become a new tradition.

Create a themed dinner.

If you’re like me, you’re probably looking for something different to look forward to at meal time. So choose a theme, decorate, get dressed up, serve food and even plan activities that match your theme.

Sound like a lot of work? It really isn’t. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, sometimes just a few fun touches are enough to shake things up.

Dinner Theme Ideas that are easy to pull together with what you likely already have around the house.

• Colour of the Day – this one’s easy, just pick a colour and use your imagination (and the odds & ends you have kickin’ around) The best part is – the stuff you gather doesn’t have to match! It just has to be the same colour and how easy is that?
• Movie Magic – pick a fave family movie and get the kids involved in the planning and decorating. Can’t decide on a fave – instead have everyone come dressed as a character from a movie (kinda like Halloween..but without the trick or treating)
• Sports Championship – if you’re like us we have a stockpile of helmets, sports gear, team jerseys etc. making this one pretty easy to whip up. Try decorating the table with kids’ medals or trophies and then serve tailgating faves like hotdogs or nachos and ending with a family game night.
• Holiday Do-Over – Here’s where you dust off a few decorations, and do-over any holiday – Christmas in April? Halloween in January? Pick one that will make you happy and go for it!

Joyful Hostess Tip: “Backwards Day” themed dinner was a hit. We had breakfast food for dinner (seriously, who doesn’t like bacon and pancakes for dinner?), we wore our clothes backwards, we had to walk backwards and I even made backwards name tags. We tried speaking backwards….but that was too hard so it didn’t last long.

And here’s a few more tips to help you banish the “blahs.”