Broccoli Cupcake

I’m a day late posting this, but I wanted to point out that it’s National Eat Together Week.  According to the website, the week is sponsored by “the other white meat” - otherwise known as The Pork Board.  Personally, I’m not a huge fan of pork, but I can get behind the concept.  I think most families would agree that eating together can be tough.  Let’s face it, we’re all pretty busy these days.  But we do make family meals a priority at our house.

My husband’s schedule presents the biggest dinner conflict.  His commute can be as unpredictable as his hours.  Usually, we can count on him to be home by 6 or 6:30, but the boys start corralling at the pantry door around 4:30.  Below are a few tips I’ve found helpful in increasing the number of family meals we have each week despite our crazy and somewhat unpredictable schedules. I’ve also included links to websites that offer information on the health benefits of family dinners and additional ideas, recipes and conversation starters.  Conversation isn’t really a challenge for us right now.  With two boys under 5 our challenge is getting them to close their mouths long enough to chew, but the ideas are fun and might be more helpful for families with older children.

• Dont’ reserve family meals for dinner – The end of the day is the most unpredictable so we make a habit of eating breakfast together every morning.  It means we have to get up and get moving, but it’s worth the effort.  I really enjoy starting our day together and boys love that extra time with their daddy before he heads off to work for the day.
• Use a meal plan - At first, I thought making a meal plan was such a pain, but now that I’m used to it can’t imagine getting along without it.  Having a plan makes grocery shopping faster and easier, helps us save money and ensures that I’m not scrambling around at 5:00 trying to figure out what to make for dinner, which used to end with a call to Dominos.  It’s also a great tool for adding variety to our diets and keeping us on track with our healthy choices.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand – the boys are always so hungry right before any meal.  They start digging through the pantry looking for snacks.  I’ve learned to offer them fruits and vegetables while I’m preparing any meal.  They’re hungry enough to eat them and it’s just enough to hold them off without filling them up. 
• Let the kids help - my oldest loves to help with dinner and recently our youngest (20 months old) has started pulling up his stool and lending a hand.  When the boys help it distracts them from their snack requests, gets them excited about what they’re eating making them more likely to try it, and it’s a fun activity for us to do together. 

 Here are a few sites with more great ideas to help bring your family to the table together.  If you can accomplish this monumental feat, you’ll likely find that you and your family will eat more nutritious meals, your kids will do better in school and will be less likely to take drugs (that’s a positive, but unexpected benefit), your children will develop stronger language skills, and your family will hopefully experience more cohesion.

Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug Free

The Family Dinner Deconstructed – NPR story

The Benefits of Eating Together – Spark People

Family Dinner Games – from Tyson