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- Vegetarian dinner ideas -Skip right to the dinner recipes!
We may live without poetry, music, and art; Excerpted from "The Dinner Hour" by Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton,
Hmmm...I know its only a poem and it gets the point across, I think. But I might have to argue with the author a bit on some of his points! Nonetheless, dining, in this case dinner, is an important part of our lives. Traditionally, it has been a time to gather together as a family at the end of the day. Conversation would most likely be about everyone's day at school, at work or wherever the day took them. Good food and good company. Times have changed. In this fast paced world in which we live it becomes more and more difficult to findentire families gathered at once around the table to share their stories and their food. Families have changed. There are more, it seems, one-parent families. Or families with both parents working, perhaps even an afternoon or evening schedule. There are same-sex families. There are empty-nesters. Whatever the make-up the one thing that is important is that "families", whatever their make-up, are important. And it is still of some import that "families" take some time to share. So, the dinner hour is a good time. Ah, but what is the dinner hour? I can remember my grandparents always having dinner around 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon. I certainly didn't thinkthis was odd at the time. I doubt that anyone still holds to those hours however. It was interesting that they would also always have what they called "a piece" at around 8:00PM. This was yet another meal complete with a somewhat informal table-setting and light sandwiches or salads. They violated the 8PM rule to be sure! In today's busy world many working parents don't get home until after 6PM. Certainly if you live an urban lifestyle you are used to getting in at around 6 or 7PM, relaxing for a bit and then having dinner anytime between 8PM and 11PM! My, my! How are our bodies supposed to react? We get a long stretch from lunch or a mid-day snack and end up eating just in time to go to bed. Certainly our bodies need some of that fuel they will use while we sleep but, unfortunately when we consume larger meals, even healthier, larger meals at a time when we should be preparing to "shut down" for the day, we run the risk of not converting as many calories to usable energy. Instead, they store up as fat. So, it is important that if we maintain a lifestyle that dictates that we eat dinner later in the evening, then we should also incorporate some after-dinner activity that will help us begin the "burn" if you will. This can be something as simple as a short but brisk walk, a half-hour on the treadmill or some other physical activity before calling it a night. You'll find you sleep better than you would if you simply sat around until deciding to go to bed for the night. And again, if you are not on the 4-to-6 meals a day plan, be careful not to eat too much. Stop when you are satisfied...whether or not you are feeling "full". The recipes in the dinner menu section are delicious! We will try to include some that may be made ahead of time, such as the night before and some that are pretty quick and simple. Check them out and don't forget to
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your own favorites! 
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