Make Family Meals a Must

By Jamie Kaun

I grew up with a single mama who worked long hours to provide for me and my two younger sisters. Meals often consisted of processed or unhealthy foods and we rarely ate together.

My husband grew up where family meal times were a regular occurrence. It was somewhat of a foreign concept to me when we started our family, but it was a priority for my husband that we implement them.

We have four children ages 2-12. From the time the oldest was an infant, we have eaten dinner together most nights. On weekends and during the summer or school breaks, we aim to eat most meals together, not just dinner.

Our children have several activities they’re involved in but admittedly, their schedules are not as complex as some. This does make it a bit easier to ensure we eat together. 

But life happens. Kids sometimes have conflicting schedules. The younger ones take significantly more of your time just for basic needs. Or you spend most of your day working or running errands. All of this can make the thought of ensuring families eat dinner together stressful and exhausting. 

Because let’s face it, making dinner can sometimes feel like a chore. It can be time consuming and you have to fight the “but I don’t like it” battles with at least one kid.

I asked my kids what eating together as a family means to them. My 12-yr-old growing boy simply said, “I get yummy food.” Well, at least he’s honest. My 10-yr-old daughter excitedly said, “It’s one time a day that I know we will spend time together. I love talking to all of you!”

That’s the most important reason to us to eat meals together — slowing down for just a bit to spend time together in a relaxed way. 

But as we all know, that can be difficult to accomplish, especially when you have to balance everyone’s schedules. Some days it’s definitely a struggle and a dreaded task.

There are a few ways you can alleviate some of that stress.

• Utilize a crock pot or pressure cooker to make meals simpler. You can prep ingredients the night before, throw them in the crockpot and have a meal ready more easily. You can save even more time if you spend a day here and there prepping ingredients and freezing them. There are lots of great freezer meal recipes online. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of the pressure cooker than the crockpot. If you forget to get something out to thaw, you can even cook frozen meat!
• Get the kids involved! As my kids get older, they actually ask to help make meals. I wish it happened more regularly but when it does, it provides a great learning experience for reading, math, increasing fine motor skills and so much more! They also tend to be more willing to eat food that they’ve helped make.
• Have a “date” meal prepping. You can utilize local businesses like Dream Dinners to work alongside your spouse or child putting together meals from ingredients already prepped. My oldest daughter and I had a great time picking out recipes and simply putting all the ingredients together into bags and containers for quick meals.
• Buy prepared meals that require little work from you. Many grocery stores have already prepared entrees and sides that you can grab and simply heat and serve. In the Dayton area, there are also locally-owned meal prep businesses, like Busy Bee Real Meals, Kate’s Plate and Dished! that focus on healthy, whole foods.
• Make takeout fun. Let’s face it, sometimes it’s just easier to place an order with a restaurant for pickup or delivery. For those times, make it fun by having family members take turns selecting the restaurant.
• Get inspiration from a nutritionist. You can meet with a registered dietician through the Dayton YMCA for guidance on healthy meals for the whole family!

Family meals are an amazing opportunity for you to bond with one another. It’s also a learning experience – adults can model table manners while emphasizing healthy eating. Studies also show that people tend to eat less because they eat more slowly and talk more which can help prevent obesity. In addition, kids who eat with their families tend to engage less in risky behaviors and have few psychological issues because they tend to have an increased self-esteem and sense of belonging.

Even if you can’t make family dinners a reality in your family nightly, do what works for your family – even if it’s only a few nights a week. There are so many amazing benefits to making family dinner a must!