Your Family Favorites Menu & Guide
No matter how busy life gets, it’s important to take time to sit down and eat dinner together. In fact, studies prove that regular family mealtime is good for the spirit and health of everyone involved.
Fifteen years of research show regular family dinners lower kids’ rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and depression, as well as encouraging higher grades and self-esteem.1-4 Regular family meals also lower the rates of obesity and eating disorders in children and adolescents and make kids more likely to choose healthy foods.5-7
As if that wasn’t enough, studies also indicate that mealtime conversation is a better vocabulary-booster than reading, and stories told around the dinner table help children build resilience, an incredibly important part of a healthy mindset.8
So take advantage of all the incredible benefits, and have dinner with your family! This nutritious, yummy menu makes it easy…
Family Favorites Menu
- Start with crowd-pleasing Chicken Sloppy Joes over Brown Rice.
- Get a load of this star side dish: Butternut Squash Fries.
- Peas with Onions, Garlic, and Bacon will win over even the pickiest veggie eater.
- Finish your meal off with a healthy dessert of Baked Apples with Cinnamon Oatmeal Crumble.
Family Mealtime Tips & Activities
- Get everyone involved. When kids play a role in meal prep and cooking, they feel a sense of ownership in the finished product. That means they’re more willing to try new foods and be proactive healthy eaters. Yes, it might slow things down a bit for helpers to chop veggies or measure ingredients. But that means more time with your family, and that’s really what it’s all about.
- Power down. Research shows that even when TV is just in the background, it affects children’s attention span and causes poor performance with both thinking and reading skills.9 Considering everyone knows how distracting screens can be for adults too, it makes sense to turn off the TV, put down the tablets, and mute the phones during dinner.
- Keep the conversation going. Don’t worry, you won’t miss the electronics – just print and enjoy these Family Mealtime Conversation Cards! There’s 18 fun questions to get imaginations firing and open the lines of communication. They’re the perfect alternative to old standbys like “How was your day?” Whether you’ve got a range of ages at the table or just one or two who are hesitant to share, these cards are an easy, low-pressure way to engage the whole family in conversation.
With the help of these recipes and tips, you’re ready to enjoy a warming, nourishing family meal together.
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Article Sources:
1 http://union.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/FamilyMeals.pdf
2 http://www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction-research/reports/importance-of-family-dinners-2012
3 http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/485781
4 http://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/outreach/upload/Family-Mealtimes-2.pdf
5 http://triggered.edina.clockss.org/ServeContent?rft_id=info:doi/10.1001/archfami.9.3.235
6 http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v57/n2/abs/1601541a.html
7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065806/
8 http://ectutoring.com/resources/articles/family-dinners-improve-students-grades
9 https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/ica-ace041712.php
