Take The Pledge And Raise A Food Lover

We all lead busy lives—from juggling work to extra-curricular activities, sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in a day to get it all done. Trying to find the perfect balance can be challenging, but one thing remains constant in my household: connecting around the dinner table. Coming from a Greek family, dinnertime was always a priority, no matter how busy our days were, and this is a tradition we’ve kept with our children.

Now that our boys are older (13 and 10 years old) my husband and I often get them to help out when it comes to dinner preparation, and even cooking; I’m happy to say that my even my youngest son can make a delicious homemade tomato sauce, with some ingredients coming from our own backyard vegetable garden, like basil, tomatoes, oregano, and onions.  Growing a garden was a new venture for us this summer, and one we thoroughly enjoyed. It made meal time prep more fun, and also forced us all to eat more vegetables than we were used to. 

Although I’m no master chef, my husband is. Often, I’ll get home from work after him, and he’ll already have dinner prepared for us all. I’m thankful for this, and I love the way he’s leading by example by showing our boys to be handy in the kitchen, too.

Most nights we enjoy dinner time just the four of us, and several times a week, we eat together with our extended family—my sister’s family, my parents, and my in-laws. It’s a wonderful thing that we all live close enough to be able to do this regularly, and I love watching my younger nieces and nephew help in the kitchen, as well.

Loblaws is asking Canadians to take the pledge to Raise a Food Lover, which helps encourage families to live a healthier lifestyle by cooking a meal and eating together at least once a week.  I took the pledge already, and had so much fun cooking with my family. The meal we made was a big one; we invited the entire family over and celebrated summer, by BBQing steaks, cooking scalloped potatoes, preparing a Greek salad, and steaming some tasty beans. Every time the kids are involved with preparing dinner, they learn something new, and hopefully, they’ll remember the steps they took so they can do it again the next time. I think it’s so important to teach our children the importance of nutrition, and eating together, especially in today’s busy, fast-paced world. It’s time to put the iPhones down, step away from Fortnite, and meet in the kitchen!

I believe a happy home is one that is filled with delicious and healthy food—we’re at Loblaws several times a week stocking up on all our necessities! I love shopping for food items at Loblaws, because they always have exactly what we need, and I appreciate how the company tries to encourage healthy eating for the entire family.  

Sign-up now to take the pledge to Raise a Food Lover, too. There are fun challenges to participate in and learn about the food we eat together as a family.

For the first challenge, all you have to do is pledge to eat together (at least once a week) as a family, and prepare and enjoy healthier food choices.

Here’s how to get involved:

1. Take the pledge!
2. Enter the first challenge by posting a picture of the delicious dish your family created on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
3. Make sure to use the #RaiseAFoodLover hashtag.

When you take the pledge and participate in the challenge, your family will be entered to win some amazing prizes, like 10,000 PC Optimum points, or a WE Day family getaway—how amazing is that?


What’s even more amazing? I’m giving away a #RaiseAFoodLover prize package for one lucky family, which consists of:

• $50 PC Gift Card
• Raise A Food Lover aprons for your children
• Welcome kit

To enter, leave me a comment telling me what meal you love preparing with your family. I’ll pick a winner randomly on September 12^th, 2018. Please make sure to leave your email address in the comment so I’m able to contact you.

Good luck—and happy cooking!