Sharing is caring!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Barilla, but opinions are my own.

I’ve written before about the importance of family meal times and I wish it was something we kept up on as a family, but since I’m being honest, We rarely eat a meal together. The toddler is usually “starving” and “can’t wait to eat” (oh the irony to be 3!), of course the baby always wakes up to eat when it’s time for dinner, and the husband works nights. So by time I get the chance to eat it’s usually later at night and everyone has been fed already. I know meal times are important and I vividly remember sitting down to eat meals together as a family when I was growing up. It’s something I say I’m going to do with my own family, but of course in the dinnertime frenzy that never seems to happen, but Barilla is challenging families to share the table and this is the perfect time for our family to get back in the routine of eating together as a family…

Mealtimes are an important and key time for families to connect, catch up on their days, and bond. Both parents and kids experience overall life satisfaction and increased emotional benefits when they share the table together and kids tend to get better grades and eat healthier when they share the table with their family. Adults thrive from it as well and are generally happier and less stressed. Who knew something so simple as eating with your family could be so beneficial? This is back on my list of top priorities to do and now that our little guy will be eating food in a few weeks this should make dinner time at the table a little easier.

Sharing the table together is an important part of fostering meaningful relationships and building healthy, strong families – families of all kinds. That’s why Barilla wants to inspire, empower and support all families to share more meaningful meals together and when you share what happens when you connect with your family with #ShareTheTable, Barilla will help provide the monetary equivalent of ten meals ($1.11) to Feeding America, up to one million meals. One dollar helps provide 9 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Valid through 4/30/14. For mealtime inspiration visit SharetheTable.com – view the video and learn how you can start sharing the table.

What are some ways you connect as a family during dinner time? When we sit as a family the TV is off and phone put away. It’s always fun to have the kids help pick out meals and prepare them. One of our favorite family time meals is Macaroni and Cheese and thanks to Barilla’s Veggie Pasta I don’t have to fight with our daughter to eat her veggies since they contain a full serving of veggies per serving!

Hidden Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 pound Barilla Veggie Elbows Pasta
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese (I also like to use colby jack)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Prepare roux by melting butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes until color of roux gets a little darker. Slowly whisk in milk, stirring continuously until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cheese until melted.
3. Pour cooked pasta into pot with cheese sauce and put over low heat. Stir pasta into sauce until evenly combined. The sauce will be thick and creamy, you can thin it out by adding a few tablespoons of milk at a time, until at desired consistency is reached.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Barilla. For every post using #ShareTheTable from now until 4/30/14, Barilla will donate a monetary equivalent of ten meals ($1.11) to Feeding America®, up to 1 million meals. Barilla will donate a maximum of $110,000.  One dollar helps provide 9 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.