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I have found that what works best for me is to clear off the table once everyone is finished eating and bring out the Play-Doh. My kitchen is very open, with an island (where the sink is) which overlooks my kitchen table. I set the children up w/ the Play-Doh and then I can get my dishes and kitchen cleaned up & once I am finished then I join them.
I just switched from a table with booster seats to just booster seats with trays and no table and I have to say it has made a huge difference! Less food falls on the floor, the trays are easy to take off and wash immediately as each child finishes, there is no more pushing the table, grabbing each others drinks, etc. It is also so much easier to sweep and mop the floor. One other trick I have found recently is that when each child is finished, I give them their own face cloth and let them clean their hands and face while I wash trays etc. It buys me a bit of time as they love washing their own faces (and usually sucking on the cloth...lol). I have a different colour cloth for each child, so I don't have to worry about getting mixed up (same goes for cups). Playdough wouldn't work for me because I have to watch them to make sure they don't eat it (they are all 2 and under).
I also try to reheat food that I cooked the night before so usually it should take me about 10 minutes to heat the food and dish it out. Sometimes it can be a bit lengthy because I might be fishing certain vegetables out of some plate and adding it to another plate based on what the kids like. I.e if one kid doesn't like corn then I try to make the plate as corn free as possible for that child so they don't immediately refuse to eat.
The clean up is probably about 10-15 minutes and it is usually a disaster. the table is usually full of rice or food and same with the boosters and floor. I try to do a good cleaning of the table, throw the scraps etc but I usually leave the floor for a good vacuum and mop at night depending on how bad it is. I pick up only LARGE items during lunch cleanup.
I have plastic bowls for all the kids and I have enough to get me through snacks and lunch. Everything goes through the dishwasher on the sanitize setting so I usually just have to give the plates a quick rinse and put them in the dishwasher and forget it.
I usually do not clean up lunch until I have the kids in bed - therefore it does tend to cut into my 'breathing' time.:unsure:
I have resorted to paper plates but I use the really thin ones that can be composted from Dollaramma. That way I don't feel to guilty about the environment, plus I feel it isn't to much of a waste of money since I am not using any water,electricity or detergent to clean them in the dishwasher. I am then able through all of their leftovers and the plate straight into the compost which is picked up on the end of the driveway every week. I also use a wet mop or a wet jet to to mop the floor and push all the little bits of wet food like pasta or scrambled egg at the same time into corner where I can scoop them up and put them into the compost too. That way I am not sweeping first and then mopping. It kills two birds with one stone!