If you have been reading Chasing Joy for a while you know I’m all about happiness, positivity, and gratitude, my combination for Joy. This includes finding ways to turn every day experiences into something more joyful. So, when I heard the good people at Bertolli were looking for bloggers to write about how to turn the routine act of a weekday evening meal of soup into something special I jumped on it. In one of my very first posts I Am Worth The Cheese Dip I wrote “Even something as routine as watching TV on the couch can be fun when you make it special” So here are my top tips for Turning a simple soup dinner into an especially joyful experience.1. Plan It - Now when I say plan it I don’t mean for you to whip out your to-do list and start making notes. It’s not that serious. What I mean is make it purposeful. Say to yourself or family or significant other, tonight, or tomorrow night, or whatever night you deicide will be special. In other words make it purposeful. That way you are looking forward to it. Anticipation is a main part of the fun of most of the things we enjoy in life.
2. KISS - You know Keep it Simple Stupid (you can drop the last S because all of you Joy Chasers are brilliant). Choose a meal that is easy to prepare. I used the Bertolli Premium Meal Soup Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken. It was super easy to make. Add the frozen soup to a pot, throw in a cup of water and stir occasionally while simmering.
Soups on!
I paired it with a piece of garlic toast, a spinach bacon salad and wine. Make your salad from things on hand in your fridge. My spinach bacon salad was baby spinach, crumbled turkey bacon and a boiled egg. Good food does not have to take long to cook. Have a meal that will not take you more than an hour. You want to be able to do this on a weeknight and you don’t want to be too tired to enjoy it.
3. Set the mood – Again don’t go over the top. It should not take more than a few minutes to set the mood. If it’s you and your family or a significant other maybe have a picnic on your living room floor. Throw down a blanket and your dishes, utensils, drinks, and some pillows. Grab a few board games and there you have a cool family night that everyone will remember. If it’s you and your significant other clear the junk off your kitchen table grab a couple candles and your favorite bottle of wine. Turn the lights down low, turn the mood music up and turn your meal into a romantic night to remember.
4. Use the good stuff – Pull out your good dishes. No paper plates and plastic spoons with this dinner. You would be surprised at how different it feels to eat on nice plates. We all have these things in our lives that we put aside for special occasions. But if we are not careful the special occasions never come and then these nice things never get used. So when you create your special evening meal make it really special and use your good glasses, dishes, and silverware.
5. Drink up – Have a special drink. Now what is special is different for everyone so pick your poison. I have a special bottle of wine. It was given to me by a friend who was trying to convince me that I could enjoy wine. (she happened to be right). On another night I may decide to go with a non-alcoholic drink, my favorite, but seldom consumed Pepsi. Not the diet stuff either. What is your special drink? Now, if you are doing this special meal with your kids how about smoothies. Have your kids throw in their favorite frozen fruits in a blender with some water and a little sweetener (sugar, honey, etc) and blend. It only takes a few minutes and smoothies are always fun!!!
6. Enjoy your alone time - Now if you are like me you will be treating yourself to an especially joyful dinner. Dinning alone does not make it any less special. I went for a relaxation them. I started by making sure I’d have all the things that make me feel warm and fuzzy.
My dog hurt on my comfy couch
Me and Peanut having a Joyful night in
My nice comfy couch with a couple of soft blankets for snuggling. Gathered my furry friend were to keep me company.
Yummy Dinner
Made sure my DVR was all set for me to indulge in my favorite guilty pleasure the soap opera General Hospital!!! Then I had a nice hot shower to wash the day away. After my shower and dressed in my most comfy PJs I made my dinner. I assembled my salad and browned my garlic bread in the oven while my soup was simmering on the stove. Less than an hour after getting home I was completely relaxed enjoying my show and enjoying my yummy dinner. (For the record the Bertolli soup was really good or else I’d not be writing about it).7. Keep it Going – After you have eaten, dinner is over but your special night does not have to be. Do not immediately jump up and start washing dishes or start working or cleaning or doing anything. Continue to enjoy the mood you have set. Focus on your family or significant other if you are sharing the night with them. Play some more of those board games or switch to video game or even a movie night. Let the mood music you set for your significant other take from dinner to dancing (minus the uncomfortable shoes). If you’re having a solo night, dive in deep with your guilty pleasure. Is it soap operas like me or maybe its reality TV or Romantic comedies, or crime dramas? If TV is not your thing lose yourself in that novel you have not had time to read. Indulge in those issues of your favorite magazine that have been piling up. Or go crazy beating all of your friends online or on your phone with words with friend. Whatever, you did to make dinner special stay with it and stay in that joyful place.
If you are interested in using Bertolli meal soups for your own routine soup dinner a more joyful experience checkout the Bertolli website here. You can also follow Bertolli on Facebook and Twitter.Have you ever turned a simply prepared meal into a special joyful experience? What did you have? What tips do you have for turning a routine dinner into a joyful experience?
*I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. All of the opinions and content above are my own.
