Eating meals together as a family also provides you the opportunity to teach your kids proper manners and etiquette, expose them to new foods and teach them about nutrition.

Between work, school and after school activities, it can be tough to find time to spend with the family unwinding after a long day. Manage your time well, and plan your days out so that you have time to spend with your children each day. Plan to have family dinner at least a few times each week, if not every night. This time is crucial for your children’s emotional and mental health.

We know that it can be hard enough to get all the members of your family together in one place at one time, let alone have time to prepare a meal. If you don’t have time to cook every night, take advantage of our Take Away Chef meals. Avoid the drive-thru and have healthy, premade meals for you and your family to enjoy.

Take Away Chef is our freshly prepared frozen entrees made from our original recipes. We offer ready-to-bake, family-sized casseroles that can even be delivered. If you prefer to pick up your meal, we’ll bring them right out to your car when you arrive! Our Take Away Chef option is intended to provide quick, easy, yet healthy meals for a number of occasions, but especially for busy families.

Our Take Away Chef meals are popular with our customers for a number of reasons. They are a far healthier option than ordering pizza or takeout when you’re on a time crunch. They are a simple solution to what could be a sticky problem when you find yourself caught with extra evening activities. Our meals are easily prepared in the oven, without the mess of prep that often comes with cooking dinner.  Our Take Away Chef meals are also packed full of the warm, comforting feel of a homemade meal.

Don’t settle for frozen dinners from the grocery store, there’s no hiding the fact those aren’t homemade. Our cooks will prepare casseroles especially for you when you order. Take one home and put it right on the table, or store it in the freezer for the next busy night.

Just call ahead to 214-351-6888, place your order and give us a ring when you arrive. We’ll bring your meal right out to your car!

S&S Catering is located at United Methodist Church at Mockingbird and Hillcrest.

Instilling healthy eating habits in your children is about teaching them to make healthy choices, and guide their choices by making healthy foods readily available to them. Teach your children from a early age to select fat-free or low-fat food options. Train them to avoid piling on the extra calories with unneeded dips and sauces. It might come as a shock to your children, but ketchup or Ranch dressing isn’t always necessary!

Make a habit of eating dinner together as a family whenever possible. Make this time special for your children. Use the opportunity to engage them in conversation and teach them the importance of building relationships. In doing so, you can teach your children to slow down when eating. When we eat in a hurry, we are more likely to eat more because it takes time to digest food and feel full. During dinnertime, it’s also important to encourage your child to drink water. Water is not only healthier, it helps us feel more full, meaning we eat less.

Although it may take more time, whenever possible, take your kids along with you to the grocery store. Train them from a young age how to shop for healthy foods. For example, explain to them the importance of shopping the outside aisles of the store for fresh foods, meats and produce and to avoid the inner aisles filled with fattening, sugar-loaded, processed foods.

Along with teaching your child the importance of healthy eating habits, train them to live healthy lifestyles with regular exercise and physical activity. Encourage an active lifestyle by taking family bike rides, going on hikes as a family, or a walk in the park after dinner. In addition, encourage your child to participate in sports or physical activity of some sort, rather than sitting in front of the TV.

The earlier you begin training your children to live healthy, the more likely they will be to carry these habits to adulthood. We realize that you may not always have time to prepare a healthy meal for your family. That’s why we offer our Take Away Chef frozen meals. Stock your freezer with our delicious, healthy, homemade meals and you’ll have an easy dinner option on nights when you’re short on time. When the drive-thru option is more appealing than cooking, give us a call on your way home from work and we’ll bring a hot, fresh meal right out to your car!

For more info on our healthy food options or to place an order, call us at 214-351-6888. S&S Catering is located at United Methodist Church at Mockingbird and Hillcrest.

We’ve got a better tasting, healthier option: our homemade Take Away Chef casseroles.

If you find yourself crunched for time today, it’s not too late to plan a Take Away Chef meal for the kids tonight. Give us a call now and swing by after work and we’ll bring one of our freshly prepared frozen entrees made from our original recipes straight to your car. We have a number of ready-to-bake, family-sized casseroles.

Even if your babysitter is a great cook and knows her way around the kitchen, time spent preparing a meal can mean time she spends away from your kids.  Take Away Chef casseroles are a far healthier option than ordering pizza. Go ahead and stock up your freezer with your kids’ favorites Take Away Chef meals and know your kids won’t go hungry anytime the babysitter comes.

You deserve a night out with your love and a few hours where you aren’t worrying about the kids or what they are eating. Simplify things for your sitter tonight and grab one of our delicious casseroles. We promise the kids won’t be disappointed! Give us a call at 214-351-6888, place your order and then call us again when you arrive. We’ll bring your meal right out to your car and get you on your way to your romantic evening!

If you waited until the last minute to plan your Valentine’s date, here’s a few tips to help keep you out of the doghouse!

S&S Catering is located at United Methodist Church at Mockingbird and Hillcrest.

Need a few ideas on how to help your kids show appreciation to their grandparents?

Quality time. There’s nothing grandparents love more than spending time with their grandchildren. Arrange a time for your child to spend time baking with grandma or working on puzzles with grandpa. If you live in close proximity to grandparents, this might be a normal occurrence, but quality time is still the most valuable gift you can give.

Homemade card. Encourage (and if necessary, offer your help) your child to make a homemade for grandma and grandpa. There’s really know Hallmark card that can capture your child’s thoughts and words as well as a homemade card. Explain to your child the importance of letting special people in their lives know they are loved and appreciated.

Give. When it comes to gifts, many grandparents love nothing more than a homemade treat or meal. Bring your child along and come pick up one of our Original S&S Hospitality Trays, loaded with fresh fruits and breads, sandwiches, pasta salad, chicken salad or dessert, a Finger Sandwiches and Fruit Trays or even one of our homemade Take Away Chef Casseroles. Then take a little time out of your day to make a personal delivery. We’re certain that grandma and grandpa will love such a tasty, thoughtful gift!

Call us ahead of time at 214-351-6888, and we’ll have your gift tray or Take Away Chef meal ready for you to pick up. If you don’t live in the Dallas area, don’t worry, we can even deliver it straight to grandma and grandpa’s doorstep!

The day set aside for lovers is just a few weeks away. Now is the time to start planning the romance for you and your valentine. Here are a few tips for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

• The best Valentines are the DIY (do-it-yourself) kind. Skip the overcrowded, overpriced restaurants this Valentine’s Day and plan a romantic evening at home. If you’ve got skills in the kitchen, this is the perfect time to show them off. If you’re lacking in that area, we’ve got you covered with our home cooked Take Away Chef meals or sandwich platters and gift trays. Let us help you plan a home cooked meal, and it will be our little secret — you can even bring us your own casserole dishes to bake the goods.
• Let the love linger over several light courses. Nothing says romance like a rushed dinner. When you’re at home, there’s no wait staff hovering over you, rushing you through your meal. Take your time and enjoy every moment with your significant other. If you want to lean on us for the food prep, we’ll work with you to plan the perfect coursed meal.
• Focus on presentation and atmosphere. Plan your presentation ahead of time. Set the mood with candles and a playlist of your favorite love songs and romantic ballads playing quietly in the background.
• Skip the dishes. Unless you want to kill the mood, doing the dishes can wait until morning. After dinner, keep the romance alive by enjoying a candlelit conversation over a nice glass of red wine. Focus on your lover and let the housekeeping tasks slide for the evening.

If you’d like a little help from us when it comes to the meal, give us a call at 214-351-6888. Whether one of our delicious Take Away Chef casseroles or a tray of finger sandwiches and fresh fruit, we’ve got a romantic dinner solution for your Valentine’s Day.

If you’re a hopeless romantic planning a Valentine’s Day wedding, here are a few tips and ideas for your love-filled day.

• Plan Ahead. Now is the time to begin planning a 2013 Valentine’s Day wedding. Valentine’s Day is a popular day for weddings, and you need to book the venue, photographer, caterer, wedding planner, etc.
• Red is Your Color. Red roses, red and pink bouquets and boutonnières, a red sash tied around your waist, red shoes. Don’t be shy when it comes to red on your Valentine’s Day wedding. Red is, after all, the color of love. You’ve chosen to get married on Valentine’s Day for a reason, so you might as well play it up.
• Keep the Romance Alive. Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love for couples everywhere and a February 14 wedding gives you the perfect opportunity to celebrate not only the love between you and your soon-to-be spouse, but also the love of all the couples that may be attending your wedding. Provide an opportunity for attending couples to participate in your wedding by recognizing married couples, or even allowing a brief moment for all couples to renew their vows of love for each other.
• Capitalize on the Commercialism. Nobody wants an overly cheesy wedding, but why not have a little fun with the commercial products and Valentine’s candy so readily available this time of year? Sprinkle the tables at your reception with Hershey’s Kisses wrapped in red and pink foil. Send your guests home with heart-shaped candies or treats. Give guests an opportunity to write a “Valentine” to their special someone. Have fun with it! Your guests will have fun too.

When you’re planning a wedding, Valentine’s Day or not, there are details that can’t be forgotten, like the cake and the catering. At S&S Catering, we love being a part of a couple’s special day. Let us help keep spirits high and the romance alive with delicious home-cooked meals on your wedding day. Whether a casual or formal event, we have catering services to suit your specific need. Give us a call at 214-351-6888 to learn about all of our catering options.

Before the planning begins, set up a brief meeting (in person or over the phone) with your child’s classroom teacher. There are a few pieces of information the teacher can provide that are necessary to the planning process. Be sure to ask the teacher these questions:

• When will the party be held and how long will it last?
• Where will the party be held (inside or outside)?
• How many kids are in the class?
• Do any children have any allergies or special needs that should be considered when planning party food and activities?
• Can you contact other class parents asking for volunteers or donations?

Once you have the above information, move on to party details. There aren’t any set rules for planning a classroom party, but we’ve got a few tried and true party planning tips we like to follow, tailored to the Valentine’s Day holiday.

A party isn’t a party without decorations. Most class parties are held in the regular classroom. Keep in mind that the kids spend the majority of their day sitting in this room. Change the scenery a bit and make it a party to remember with bright, fun decorations. If possible, gather your child and a few friends to help craft the decorations. For Valentine’s Day, include the basics like pink and red hearts. A “Love” theme may not always be appropriate for school-aged kids, so change it up to include sentiments of friendship.

Plan the food. What’s a party without great food? Planning food for a number of people can be challenging, especially when it involves children. Find out any food allergies your child’s classmates may have. Know how many people will be attending, including a breakdown of children and adults. If the party is at your child’s school, find out what types of food and drink are permitted in the classroom. S&S Catering and Take Away Chef offer a number of sandwiches, desserts and boxed lunches that are perfect for catering class parties.

Classic Valentine’s Day Party Craft – The Valentine Box. Ask kids to bring shoe boxes to the party, or collect enough boxes for each child prior to the party. Provide kids with construction paper, scissors, glue, glitter, stickers and any other craft items they can use to decorate their own Valentine Box. Help kids cut a slit in the top or side of the box large enough to slide a Valentine’s card into the box. After the boxes are made, give students an opportunity to fill each other’s boxes with Valentine’s cards and treats. The Valentine Box is a fun and memorable item for kids to take home after the party.

Organize help. A party with dozens of children will be difficult to pull off without support. Enlist the help of other parents. Delegate tasks, such as planning of games and activities, as well as food.

Most importantly, keep it simple, fun and be sure you have plenty of help. If you need fresh ideas and want to be sure the kids enjoy the party, include your own child in the planning, after all, kids know what kids love!

1. Eat healthy — Eating healthy and getting regular exercise are among the top ten New Year’s Resolutions every year. Though we can change our diet and ramp up our exercise routine any time during the year, the start of a new year is a great time to begin making changes for a healthy life. We want to live healthy lives in 2012, and to do so we’re resolving to make smarter choices about the foods we eat.

2. Make time for family dinners — Spending time with our families is of upmost importance. Carving time out of a busy schedule to sit down and have dinner with the family is something we’ll never regret. We’re sure you won’t either. Just remember, time is something we never get back. It has been shown time and time again that kids whose parents spend quality time with them are more stable, better adjusted and may even make better grades in school. We’re making it a goal in 2012 to make time for family dinners as many times as possible during the week.

3. Simplify life — “Simply” is a term that may have been left out of the vocabulary of most Americans, but we want to bring SIMPLE back into our lives and yours. If you feel like you’re going 90 miles per hour non-stop all day every day, consider cutting something out of your life. For the kids, it might mean playing just one sport or participating in one extra-curricular activity, rather than multiple.  We want to learn to say “no,” and to avoid over-committing our time in 2012.

Do you want to take on a few of these New Year’s Resolutions for yourself? Let us help. Stock up on our Take Away Chef home cooked gourmet casseroles to go. With one Take Away Chef meal, you can have a simple, healthy meal with your family. Visit our website or give us a call at 214-351-6888 to find out more about Take Away Chef.

Who couldn’t use a homemade dinner on a busy weeknight, or a stash of delicious frozen casseroles to keep on hand for a night when there just isn’t time to cook?  Give the gift that’s perfect for just about anyone! Our Take Away Chef casseroles are a delicious, healthy, family-friendly gift!

Purchase our Take Away Chef gift cards for family and friends, and allow them to feed the whole family with our homemade casseroles when there’s just no time to cook. Our casseroles are easily frozen, or they can be ordered in advance and ready for pick up on the way home from work.

Take Away Chef meals are intended to provide quick, easy and healthy meals for families, large groups and even parties. For families, they are perfect for busy nights, evenings with the babysitter or even last-minute company. Our casseroles are frozen fresh, and are easy to prepare in the oven or microwave.

If you’re still struggling to finish up your Christmas shopping, let us make it simple for you. Give us a call, or stop by and pick up a gift card for our casseroles.  Any friend will be thrilled to receive our homemade Take Away Chef meals as a gift!

For more information on our Take Away Chef option, or gift cards, give us a call at 214-351-6888. S&S Catering is located at United Methodist Church at Mockingbird and Hillcrest.

Plan the activities. Holiday party activities can range from games and arts and crafts to Secret Santa gift exchanges and Christmas caroling. The location of your party will determine the types of activities that are suitable for your party. Most likely the party will be held at your child’s school. Contact your child’s teacher to find out if it will be in a classroom, or another room and how much space you will have.

Plan the food. What’s a party without great food? Planning food for a number of people can be challenging, especially when it involves children. Find out any food allergies your child’s classmates may have. Know how many people will be attending, including a breakdown of children and adults. If the party is at your child’s school, find out what types of food and drink are permitted in the classroom. S&S Catering and Take Away Chef offer a number of sandwiches, desserts and boxed lunches that are perfect for catering class parties. It’s not too late to cater the party with Take Away Chef boxed lunches! View our menu.

Consult with the teacher. Include your child’s teacher in your planning. He or she may have a special activity or craft idea for the students.

Organize help. A party with dozens of children will be difficult to pull off without support. Enlist the help of other parents. Delegate tasks, such as decorating, planning of games and activities, as well as food.

Don’t forget a Christmas gift for your child’s teacher! Rally other parents to contribute funds. Take Away Chef gift certificates make perfect Christmas presents for teachers — Why not give the gift of a delicious Take Away Chef meal? Contact S&S Catering at 214-351-6888 about our perfect holiday gift ideas.