This is the last post in our Stop & Shop series, so that means one lucky Mom in the City member will be winning a $50 Stop & Shop/Giant/Peapod gift card. (Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win by leaving your name in the “Comments” section below or by sending an email to [email protected] with “Shop” in the Subject line by September 15th).
Thanks to Stop & Shop’s Consumer Advisor Andrea Astrachan for the following helpful tips. A link to Andrea’s monthly column online can be found here.
Finding Time for Family Meals
With busy family schedules, it can be a challenge for the family to sit down at the same time for dinner. As a busy mom myself, I realize how hectic life can be and the difficulties in juggling work, commutes and the kids’ schedules, but family meals are so very important.
Not only is family mealtime a comforting ritual for young children, but also it provides a real opportunity to reconnect with teens. Although teens may show more interest in connecting with friends than family, research shows that family mealtime with children and teens provides long-term benefits. Children who have dinner with their families three or more nights a week are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. And regardless of family structure or income, teens that eat dinner with their families often are more likely to have better grades, less stress and overall healthier diets.
Here are a few suggestions on how you can make mealtime a family time more often:
• Every Sunday, pick nights during the coming week when the family can eat together.
• Pick a dinner theme, such as Mexican or Italian, the kids will look forward to.
• Encourage children to create menu ideas. Have children help with making a shopping list. Ask them to pick some healthy foods they would like to have.
• Encourage children to help with meal preparation. Very young children can rinse fruits and vegetables, pour ingredients, and mix. Older children can measure ingredients, cut soft foods with a table knife and use the microwave.
• Keep meals simple. Spend time on one-dish casseroles or use convenience foods. Foods such as frozen vegetables, prepared foods and ready to cook meats save time.
• Turn off the TV and radio so everyone can focus on conversation. Share what happened during the day with each other.
• Remember that kids often take more time than adults, so relax and enjoy a few extra minutes sitting at the table before cleaning up.
• Even the after meal clean-up presents an opportunity for togetherness and teaches teamwork and life skills that the kids will take with them into adulthood.
The time spent together as a family, the memories created, and the positive benefits to the health and well being of the kids are well worth the effort of making time for table time!
For more tips, recipes and savings, visit www.stopandshop.com or www.giantfood.com.
