If your family take out night has turned into a weekly meal of greasy pizza and soda, it’s time to switch things up. Think outside the box and try these fun and creative ideas for a more memorable evening together.
1. Make Themed Drinks
One way to enhance your family take out night is to make themed drinks. For instance, if you’re ordering in Italian, buy some Italian soda or make a pitcher of virgin Aperol Spritz. However, if your take out dinner includes tacos and chalupas, consider blending up some virgin frozen margaritas for the kids and making an adult version for yourself. Involve your kids in the mixing, shaking and blending or let them choose a drink to go along with dinner.
2. Dress Up
If you’re ready to go all out, you could even throw a dinner party and ask everyone to dress up. Hand out invites, pull out your finest china and put those napkin rings to good use. Put on a dress, step into some fancy shoes and slip into your finest sports coat. Let your littlest ones have some fun with the lipsticks and costume jewelry, too. When everyone’s ready, sit down and enjoy your take out in style.
3. No Greens, No Problem
Do your kids hate eating their vegetables? Is convincing them to order a salad or a side of broccoli a constant uphill battle? Give up the good fight for just one night and let your littles order whatever they want from the take out menu. Set a spending limit so they don’t get too wild and pick a menu without dessert items if you still want them to sleep that night.
4. Get an Artisan Wood-Fired Pizza
In your home, you might call family take out night pizza night. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with ordering pepperoni pizzas every Friday evening, the tradition can get old quickly, especially if there are only a few different companies nearby. Switch things up a bit by trying artisan wood-fired pizzas. Typically, they have higher-quality ingredients, taste better and are healthier than a greasy slice from the local pizza joint. Make your own or order in for a truly delicious experience.
5. Get Messy
Whether your take out meal includes finger foods or not, consider throwing out the utensils and eating with your hands for a night. Things are bound to get a little messy and your littlest kids are bound to love every minute of it. Sit at the dinner table and wear your grungiest clothes. Then, dig in. Just make sure you make a no food fights rule before your kids get any ideas.
6. Play a Guessing Game
Along the same vein, you might turn dinner into a guessing game and let the kids play with their food before digging in. Order a variety of foods from a nearby restaraunt and place a small amount of each on seperate plates. Blinfold your little ones and let them guess the food by relying on touch, taste and smell. Have a small prize for the child who correctly names the most foods.
7. Have a Murder Mystery Night
If you have older kids and some extra time on your hands this week, turn take out night into a murder mystery party. Purchase a kit with enough characters for everyone in your family, send invitations and show up to dinner dressed as your individual characters. Reveal clues throughout the evening and work together or separately to successfully unveil the murderer. Usually, you can solve the mystery within two and a half hours.
8. Build a Fort
Would you rather enjoy a family night of minimal planning and maximum relaxation? Slip into your PJs and build a fort with the kids, instead. Use the couch cushions and all the pillows and blanket you can find to create the biggest, coziest fort ever. Add string lights and que the children’s favorite movie. Then, enjoy your take out together inside your fort. Bonus points if you all fall asleep and spend the entire night in there.
9. Eat Outside
Sometimes, enhancing take out night simply means changing the scenery. If you eat at the dinner table during the week, consider taking things outside and enjoying your tak out on the back patio. Don’t have patio furniture? Lay a picnic blanket out on the grass and eat criss cross applesauce, instead. Go all out and pack the take out boxes in a picnic basket complete with gingham napkins. You might love eating outdoors so much it becomes a weekly tradition.
Try Something New
As you may have noticed, enhancing your family take out night doesn’t have to be expensive or require lots of planning. In fact, some of the most memorable family events are the simplest and all it takes is doing something out of the ordinary. Break your routine and try something new — even if it means getting a little messy. Odds are your kids will love it and so will you!
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