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As simple as it may sound, my kids get as excited about our Friday night movie nights as they do when we’re planning a trip to a theme park or taking a vacation. Movie nights have become a tradition in our home because it compels us to slow down and affords us time together as a family. At the end of a long week filled with school, homework, sports, and other activities, it’s nice to wind down on a Friday night with a bowl of homemade kettle corn over one of our favorite films that we’ve pulled from our small home library.
Putting together an impromptu movie night is easy and can be as simple as a homemade pizza with a salad, pure cane soda, kettle corn and frozen fruit juice bars. Purchase a $5 movie at your local Walmart and you can easily put together a movie night with just a few items. While it may take a bit of planning to ensure you have the necessary ingredients for a quick meal and healthy snacks, movie night should be fun, simple, and easy to put together on a whim.
Here are my 5 tips for hosting the perfect movie night in your home.
1. Schedule regular movie nights. We’re often guilty of intentions without follow-through. It’s easy for the busyness of life to postpone the type of downtime our family needs so that we can spend quality time together. While it isn’t on our family calendar, our kids know that every Friday night is movie night, almost without fail. Pick a night that works and commit to spending this time together. I promise you won’t regret it.
2. Eliminate distractions. Movie night should be technology free so that each person can enjoy the movie and the greater intrinsic benefits of family bonding. We take all of our mobile phones and tablets and place them in the hallway closet to ensure we aren’t distracted by text messages, social media, or all of the push notifications we receive from downloaded apps.
3. Opt for a quick meal. At the end of the week, the last thing I want to do is cook something elaborate. The easiest thing to do is order pizza or run through a quick-serve restaurant but I find it much more affordable to make pizza at home. Our local Walmart sells readily prepared pizza crusts and the only thing required is to top the dough with pizza sauce, cheese, and our favorite toppings.
4. Opt for healthy snacks. Candy is a rarity in our home and admittedly, a theater treat I’m not a huge fan of. I strive to replace candy with something a bit healthier like frozen fruit juice bars and avoiding refined sugar ensures my kids will actually sleep after our movie night. Popcorn, however, is a must and since the best is made at home, I’ve perfected a very simple recipe anyone can make with a pot, sunflower or coconut oil and sea salt. For this week’s movie night, I decided to get a bit fancy and create a kettle corn recipe. We love the fusion of sweet and salty flavors that characterize kettle corn and the almost caramelized flavor it gets when cooked on the stove.
5. Choose the right film. It goes without saying that the film must be age-appropriate. But also consider your child and what he/she enjoys and is mature enough to watch. You might consider choosing films based on the season (Christmas, Memorial Day, etc.) or perhaps films detailing situations similiar to what your child is currently facing (i.e. starting a new school, moving to a new house). Our local Walmart has 2 huge bins filled with DVDs priced at $5 or less which makes it easy for us to pick out a few every couple of weeks and not feel like we’re spending excessively. There is no local theater in our area that will sell tickets for $5 and while many of the films are older, we still found some relatively current films (within the last 3-5 years).
If you’ve never made popcorn at home, it is incredibly simple and takes approximately 5 minutes. Plus the taste is unmatched by store-bought or microwave varieties and you can’t beat the price. Here is my Kettle Corn Recipe!
- 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tbs organic cane sugar
- 2 tbs sunflower or coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp salt to taste
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Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
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Add the popcorn and sugar
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Stir to combine and coat kernels and cover with a lid
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When the first kernel pops, begin shaking the pot continuously until popping slows down (failure to shake pot will likely result in burned popcorn)
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Immediately remove popcorn from heat (as it will continue to cook) and pour into a large bowl
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Sprinkle with salt and serve warm
What are your best tips for movie night? I’d love to share them in the comments below!
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