Sometimes, it can feel like moving mountains just trying to get the whole family together for a sit down dinner. While it was once standard to eat together as a family every night, this practice doesn’t always seem feasible in 2018. Everyone’s busy with their own activities throughout the week — even the kids! Did you know though that October is officially deemed as National Eat Better, Eat Together Month?
There’s no better time than now to start prioritizing family mealtime and make it a habit year round. Here’s how:
- Set a Day
The best way to ensure that everyone can be present for dinner is to set a specific day ahead of time. While it can feel silly scheduling out something as simple as a family meal, this can be useful when working with a variety of hectic schedules.
You may even consider choosing a Saturday or Sunday evening for a non-negotiable family meal, as there are less likely to be conflicts such as sports practices, club meetings, etc. to interfere.
- Hold Dinner Earlier or Later Than Normal
One way to work around different schedules and boost attendance during mealtime is to hold dinner earlier or later than normal. Kids have sports practice until 7 p.m.? Push your regular 5:30 meal time back so that everyone can eat together as soon as they get home. The same goes for evening activities. Plan to eat dinner at 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. as a family, and prep some snacks for later in case you get hungry.
- Make it Simple
You don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen. We have plenty of hearty, flavorful, and quick recipes available on our site…many of which involve a slow cooker!
- Find Inspiration Everywhere
National Eat Better, Eat Together Month isn’t just about eating together as a family, but it’s also about sharing better foods for your body with the people you love. Use free resources such as Pinterest and healthy lifestyle blogs to gather healthy eating inspiration. You can even print off your favorite recipes and start your very own, customized cookbook as you go.
You’ll never be in a pinch for a quick, healthy family meal again.
- Make Family Dinners Fun
Last but not least, actually enjoy eating together as family! Make things fun, and it won’t feel like a hassle but instead something you and your loved ones look forward to.
Check out our tips for making family dinners more fun here.
Do you prioritize family mealtime? What about eating healthy foods?
