Trina Robertson, MS, Registered Dietitian
Trina Robertson
About me:
Trina Robertson is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in sports nutrition. As a Project Manager with the Dairy Council of California, Trina develops, evaluates and promotes nutrition education programs for students and adults.
Her most rewarding accomplishment is that her 10- and 12 year-old sons are proud mom is a dietitian and have a diverse palette; they enjoy eating everything from Korean to Italian to Great-Grandma’s classic dishes.
She has previously served as a nutritionist for the Women, Infant Children federal program and Head Start. Currently, she also works with her local PTA to promote good nutrition to students and families and with the Orange County Health Care Agencies Rethink Your Drink campaign.
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I wrote this post as a participant in the Eat Better, Eat Together Balancing Act blog carnival hosted by MealsMatter and Dairy Council of California to share ways families everywhere can make time for family meals that include foods from all the food groups. A list of other registered dietitians and moms who are participating in the Balancing Act blog carnival will be listed at the bottom of this post or can be found at MealsMatter.
What is your favorite time of the day with your family? If you’re like me, it is dinnertime. I look forward to dinner together as a time to catch up on everyone’s day, laugh and reinforce our values.
As a working mom, it is important for me to coordinate my schedule along with my husband’s work, plus his volunteer activities with the local Little League board and manager of our youngest boy’s team. Then when you factor in two boys each playing soccer and baseball plus religious education and boy scouts, time in the evenings is at a premium.
For me, the most important part of the week is planning ahead for the days we can have a “regular dinner hour.” Often one of my children is assigned to cook for one of these “RDH” days. I let them pick the recipe and try to make sure all five food groups are included. On other days they help by setting the table, pouring the water and milk, and putting salad dressing and other condiments on the table.
Then there are the “crazy busy” days when activities are during prime dinner hours. For the “CB” days I follow one of two strategies. One is to serve a hearty afterschool snack to allow for a late dinner. Apples with cheese or popcorn, grapes and milk or last night’s leftovers work well. Active children can be hungry after a big workout and a post-sports dinner allows me to serve a nutrient-rich meal rather than sweet snacks. An unexpected benefit of later meals is that they are very relaxing and positive because we are not rushing off to an activity.
On other “CB” days I serve an afternoon snack that is really an early dinner. I can pull Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini enchiladas hot out of the oven or Lickety Split Lasagna Soup from the crock-pot and my boys are delighted. Preparing a recipe that includes most food groups makes it easy to round out the meal with a glass of milk or a bowl of fruit.
Sometimes no matter how hard I try there is no time for a family dinner. Since I’ve pledged to have a family meal most days of the week , I know that family meals can include breakfast and lunch. On those days when dinner together won’t work I make dinner for the kids and for my husband and make a point of sitting and eating with them. Yes, that can mean three dinner times for me but it also means three one-on-one conversations with the three most important men in my life.
Trina Robertson, Registered Dietitian