For my sixth entry into my learning project I found myself with some possibilities. I am finished making my Shepherd’s Pie and I managed to get 4 for freezing and I kept one for supper tonight. I can eat the other ones from frozen at a later period and when baking these I can add the canned corn that was initially part of this meal.

Now that everything was ready and prepared, I wanted to focus on the most important aspect of making and engaging in a meal, and this would be enjoying it with others. Eating with those close to you, such as family can be a nice change in pacing and allow for a different experience. We all set the table and had an interesting conversation about one of the items from the 6:00 pm news. A few laughs and some lively discussion while we were eating made for an enjoyable meal.  This made me realize that what they say about food brings people together is true.

 For this meal, I also wanted to establish a dessert and selected some frozen blueberries with ice cream for dessert. Using the online resource Feedly inspired me to select this option through reading articles in the Healing Family Eats article channel where I found a fruit and Ice Cream based dish. By eating with others and getting the chance to have that element of social interaction can serve as a way to create memories from favorite meals. Along with special people and occasions, allowing us to connect to a culture or people. As well as insight further exploration into new types of food. As well as we are able to share a sense of accomplishment after completing our tasks and providing for those around us.

Although, in recent times we have found that spending time with others has been impacted and changed resulting in many of us, myself included upholding the notion that we can cook to the best of our abilities as often as possible yet at times we don’t. A useful online article highlights that despite these challenges there are still benefits from cooking from home and others, including the notion that to cook, as a home cook, isn’t just to cook, it’s to plan, to shop, to store, to prep, to combine, and to heat and serve. Outside of making the meal, it can be seen that the concept of eating as a family or with larger groups brings with it benefits outside of social interaction. For children, eating with their family can assist in approaching and understanding the child’s self-esteem, weight struggles, the ability to reflect on social events, and enhance communication skills. As well it can serve as a way to property rules and guidelines for all members of the family.

Using online tools such as Tik-Tok also highlight key tips and benefits of eating as a family. I noted an account which explained that one reason why they emphasize eating as a family is to teach their children about reward adaptive behavior. Doing this involves leaving the food that people don’t put on the table, while others move on to different enjoyable items. The principle is that over time we will learn to eat what is made available to us. Expanding our understanding of online learning platforms, as well as different tools can allow us to learn new and different perspectives. By using the wider variety of Youtube, Tik Tok, Feedly, editing tools, and online websites and articles have helped me greatly in moving from a recipe into a meal with my family.