April can be tough on family dinner time. In addition to usual hectic schedules, baseball and spring soccer seasons kick into high gear adding practices and games on top of everything else.

When time is tight, it's easy to slip into the fast food lane or microwave habit with everyone eating at different times and places. While the drive-thru can take a toll on both nutrition and family togetherness, experts have some easy tips on getting balance back into your busy evenings.

"There are several very simple steps that can help families manage their evenings," says Tara Andrews, MSU Extension agent in Custer County and mother of two daughters. "It all starts with just a little planning and mealtime organization. Then, you have to get the whole family involved in preparing and serving the meal. When everybody pitches in, no one feels overwhelmed. Actually, everyone feels much better when they are enjoying delicious, nutritious meals together."

As an extension agent in Custer County, Andrews oversees two popular programs to help families eat better and manage their food budgets more effectively. The quarterly Quick2Fix newsletter, distributed to Custer residents and extension staff in Montana, features recipes and tips designed to make delicious dinners and pleasant mealtimes a reality for busy families.

According to Andrews, the basics of quick-to-fix meals aren't complicated or difficult. "In fact, the best ideas are really the old standards, used by smart families for decades," she said.

Here are some of Andrews' favorites.

- Have a week's worth of menus in mind: Whether you write them down or keep them in your head, families need 5 to 7 tried-and-true main dishes that are easy and popular with everyone. Once you have an entree -- such as tacos, spaghetti, oven baked chicken, or crockpot stew -- all you need to add is a vegetable and fruit to complete the meal.

- Keep your kitchen stocked with quick-to-fix foods: Whenever you shop, look for specials on frozen and canned fruits (in juice) and veggies. With a wide variety of tasty choices on hand, you'll only have to worry about the main entree when it's time to make dinner. Add fresh produce items when the price is right, as with the weekly features in store ads.

- Prepare multiple batches of main ingredients: If you're cooking ground beef, it's just as easy to cook a double or triple batch. Freeze extra family-size servings -- ready-to-reheat for tacos or casseroles. For stir-fry dishes, slice and freeze extra beef, pork, or chicken and veggies, so they're ready to drop into a wok or skillet for quick cooking on a busy night.

Need a new salad idea? The number one favorite dish of young Custer County chefs is a simple Waldorf salad: Chop a couple of crisp apples and mix with raisins and vanilla yogurt to taste.

Slow down dinnertime

A relaxed family dinner offers real benefits for adults and children. First, there is the weight advantage. Several studies show that leisurely eating leads to feeling fuller with less food.

Adults who eat more slowly tend to consume fewer calories and to have lower weights. When families eat five or more meals together per week, young people tend to have healthier weights, more success in school, fewer eating problems, lower substance abuse rates, and less depression.

Here are some ways to make mealtimes matter.

Give your family meals the time and attention they deserve. It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Give your family the gift of leisurely eating by allowing at least 25 to 30 minutes for an evening meal wherever you eat. Whether you are eating around your kitchen table, dining at a nice restaurant, or having a picnic at the ballpark, allowing plenty of time to enjoy the meal will give everyone the chance to refuel and recharge in the midst of a hectic schedule.

Get the whole family involved in dinner -- from start to finish. The evening meal doesn't have to be one person's responsibility. Even very young children like being involved in planning and preparing healthful meals. Some family mealtime benefits may actually develop when children understand that they play an important role in the process. Assign age-appropriate jobs, like choosing the fruit for dessert, mixing pre-cut vegetables into a salad, setting the table with unbreakable dishes/glasses, or clearing the dishes afterwards.

Create a pleasant, distraction-free zone at the dinner table. Of all the things that can quickly improve mealtime atmosphere, this is undoubtedly the most important. Ask the whole family to turn off their electronic gizmos (TV, DVD, PDA, computer, radio, MP3 player, and non-emergency cell phones) for just 30 minutes. Background music is fine -- at a low volume. The goal is to provide a relatively quiet time to enjoy food and being together. A low stress mealtime environment helps to control overeating and to improve digestion after eating.

Make family conversations the centerpiece of your time together. Pleasant conversations make good meals even better. They help young children expand their vocabulary and other language skills. They help adults learn what is really going on in the lives of young people. They help everyone feel more secure and connected in a confusing and often overwhelming world. For new ideas on what to talk about at the table, download ERM's free April 2007 conversations card at: www.eatrightmontana.org/eatrighthealthyfamilies.htm

Need some help with planning healthy menus? Visit USDA's totally new, totally free MyPyramid menu planning tool at www.mypyramidtracker.gov/planner/. Using your age, gender, weight, height, and level of physical activity, the planner assesses how balanced your current eating habits are -- and offers small changes to help tip the scales in a healthier direction. MyPyramid Menu Planner is designed for busy people who want to track both their calorie intake and the quality of their food choices -- and then make realistic improvements rather than resorting to extreme diets.

Asian Beef and

Vegetable Stir-Fry

1¼ pound boneless beef top sirloin, cut 1 inch thick

4 cups assorted fresh vegetables, such as sugar snap peas, broccoli florets, bell pepper strips, and shredded carrots

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup prepared stir-fry sauce, preferably sesame ginger flavor

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)

3 cups hot cooked rice

2 tablespoons unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (optional)

Cut beef steak lengthwise in half, then crosswise into ¼ inch thick strips.

Combine vegetables and 3 tablespoons water in large nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and drain.

Heat same pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add ½ of beef and ½ of garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic.

Return all beef and vegetables to pan. Add stir-fry sauce and red pepper; heat through. Spoon over rice and serve. Sprinkle with peanuts, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Ideas/substitutions

Substitute brown rice for white rice, as desired.

Use any stir-fry sauce you enjoy.

Try stir-frying the vegetables and beef in low-sodium soy sauce instead of a stir-fry sauce.

Pre-packaged bags of frozen stir-fry vegetables can be used.

Involve the kids! Let them choose the vegetables and lend a hand in washing/peeling them (or chopping if age appropriate).

Nutrition Analysis

Serving Size: ¼ recipe

Calories: 404

Total Carb: 45 g

Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g

Protein: 38 g

Total Fat: 7.0 g

Saturated Fat: 2.0 g

Iron: 4.2 mg

Sodium: 321 mg

Recipe reprinted with permission, courtesy of the Beef Checkoff www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

On the Web:

For past and current issues of Eat Right Montana's monthly nutrition and physical activity recommendations, click here.

EAT RIGHT MONTANA is a coalition promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles.